For the authors
R O M A N I A
MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION
1 DECEMBRIE 1918 UNIVERSITY OF ALBA IULIA
FACULTY OF ORTHODOX THEOLOGY
RO – 510.207, Alba Iulia, 1 Decembrie 1918 Bvd. Nr.13; Phone/fax. 0258.835.901; www.fto.ro, e-mail: teologialba@yahoo.com
METHODOLOGY FOR WRITING AN ARTICLE/SCIENTIFIC STUDY
ORIGINALITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
Altarul Reîntregirii is a tri-annual scientific journal in which are published studies and articles of scientific character and reviews in the field of theology, as well as in other fields in the Humanities category: history, philology, sociology, etc. The articles that show novelty, originality of ideas or analysis, a good knowledge and valorization of the specialized literature, scientific quality of the work (conception, organization of the material, clarity, comprehensibility) are accepted for publication. By sending an article to the editorial staff of AR, the authors understand that they assume full responsibility for the ideas and contents expressed, which do not represent in any way the official position of the AR Editorial Board, of the Faculty of Theology or of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Alba Iulia.
CHOOSING, DOCUMENTING AND WRITING THE PAPER
I. STRUCTURE OF THE ARTICLE/STUDY
- The list of abbreviations (optional) should reflect the abbreviations frequently used by the author throughout the article/study.
- Articles/studies will be accompanied by an abstract (approx. 150 words) as well as a set of 5-7 keywords.
- The content of the work (12-15 p., maximum 40,000 characters) refers to the chapters, paragraphs and subparagraphs that make up the article/study, structured in a logical chain, without turning the text into a collection of citations. The number of units (chapters/paragraphs/subparagraphs) must not be exaggerated, and the division by units should not be accidental, but should reflect in a unitary way the content of the addressed theme.
- The conclusions contain the short presentation of the main results obtained in the article/study, following whether the working hypothesis has been or has not been confirmed; any problems left open will be mentioned, as well as proposals on the potential future directions of research related to the topic.
- The annexes represent an optional part of the article/study, which usually complement the applicative part existing within the chapters, containing tables, images, source codes, etc.
II. WRITING THE ARTICLE/STUDY
- General rules
The materials will be sent to the editorial office in electronic format, preferably .doc or .rtf, accompanied by their version converted into portable format (.pdf); it is preferable that the text does not contain other codes such as bookmarks, marked terms for indices (of names, localities etc.), hyperlinks, automatic numbering of paragraphs, manual separation of words, etc.; if tables, charts and other graphics are used, it is preferable that they are also sent to a separate file (in .xls format, .tiff, .jpeg, .pdf). Even if the Editorial Board ensures the correction of materials in terms of grammatical and stylistic correctness, we recommend that authors check these aspects before sending them.
On the first page of the materials it is mandatory to present the following elements:
– The Title in the language in which the article is written and in English (where applicable); it must be concise and clear and will not exceed 100 characters (with spaces).
– The Name of the author(s) and the institutional affiliation (in the language in which the article is written and in English) accompanied by the address of the institution; it will be clearly specified whether the author is part of different institutional collectives; the full address of the institution(s) to which the author belongs (postal address, telephone/fax number, e-mail address) must also be specified.
– A Summary of the article (in English). It must concisely present the purpose of the research, the main results of the research and the major conclusions reached (approx. 150 words);
– Keywords (5-7) in English.
The article/study containing words in the non-Latin alphabet (Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew, Arabic, etc.) will be accompanied by a file containing the font used.
Articles and studies published in Altarul Reîntregirii scientific journal are protected by the legal norms in force and by copyright. The materials may be reproduced only for non-commercial, educational or scientific purposes. For any other purposes, the reproduction of the materials can be done only with the written permission of the editorial board or of third parties who have received the assignment of the distribution right. The authors understand that for the publication of any materials that do not belong to them (texts, images, graphics, sheet music, tables, etc.) they have the moral obligation to obtain the publishing rights from their author and to hand them to the editorial board of AR.
- We reserve the right not to publish materials that do not comply with the rules on scientific drafting or have a content that is irrelevant to scientific research.
- The editorial board does not take responsibility for any law violations.
2. Formatting
- Page formatting: A4; # alignments: 3 cm left, 2 cm down, 2 cm up, 2 cm right; portrait; # non mirror edges;
- Format paragraphs: # font: Times New Roman; size 12 for text, size 10 for footnotes; # alignment: left-right (Justified); # spacing: 1.5 (before and after the chapter’s titles, two white lines must be left and one line before and after the titles of the subchapters); # alignment of new paragraphs: to 1.25 cm (Paragraph – Indentation – Special – First line: by 1.25 cm);
- Titles and subtitles: # Chapter titles: written in capital letters, bold, TmsNR 14, centered position, # Subchapter headings: written in lower case, bold, TmsNR 12, aligned at 1.25 cm; Headings of subchapters of rank 2, 3, etc.: written with lowercase, italic, TmsNR 12, left aligned and numbered hierarchically (1.1. xxx; 1.2. xxxxxx; 1.3.: xxxx; 1.3.1. xxxxxxx; 1.3.2. xxxxxx; 1.3.2.1 xxxxxx, etc.). In the arrangement of the longer titles and subtitles, the keeping of verbal units in each line will be considered.
- Citations shall be marked by quotation marks only. English quotation marks (“…”) will be used to highlight the citations. In the case of quote-on-quotes, the following rule is observed: “… «…» …”. Quotes larger than five lines will be withdrawn 1 cm from the margin and will be separated from the base text by a pause row, both at the beginning and at the end. If certain citation fragments the paper too much, it can be written in the footnotes, where their role is to complete and clarify the statements present in the base text. In general, it is recommended that the citing of the main sources be made directly from the volumes of the established collections or of their recognized translations (PG, PL, SC, PSB, etc.), and NOT through modern authors (e.g.: PG, apud Stăniloae…).
- In order to ensure the fidelity of the citations, it is recommended to insert three ellipses for the omitted part: … ; to mark the interpolations, clarifications and specifications of the authors, parentheses of this kind shall be used: [ ], accompanied by the mention [AN]; in the case of italics highlighting some words inside a quote, the following shall be used: [emphasis added]; if the taken citing contains words underlined in italic, these will be preserved as such, the author of the study inserting the mention: [author’s emphasis]; marking the text’s completion shall be done in sharp brackets: < >; reporting an obvious error of the cited author shall be done like this: [sic!].
- In the text, footnote references will never be placed after the following punctuation marks – period (. 2), semicolon (; 2), comma (,2), but always immediately after the last word, without a blank space, and before a punctuation mark; in the case of quotes, it should be placed immediately after the ending quoting marks. Here are some examples: … humility2. / “… humility”2. / … humility? 2, “… humility!” 2.
3. Magazine citing guide
The AR magazine uses the Chicago citing system (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html) for studies and reviews published starting with the 2022 editorial year.
(Examples)
- Citing a book
Răzvan Brudiu, Incinerarea – provocare misionară sau contramărturie creștină? (Cluj-Napoca: Editura Presa Universitară Clujeană, 2018), 27.
… and the next quote of the same:[1] Brudiu, Cremation… , 30.
- Citing a book from a collection
F. van de Paverd, Zur Geschichte der Messliturgie in Antiocheia und Konstantinopelgegen Ende des vierten Jahrhunderts, Orientalia Christiana Analecta 187 (Rome: Pontificium Institutum Orientalium Studiorum, 1970), 78.
… and the next quote of the same: Vyear of Paverd, Zur Geschichte… , 80.
- Citing a study/article from a scientific journal
Ene Branişte, “Liturghia Darurilor Înainte-sfințite“, Studii Teologice, 3-4 (1958), 176-192.
… and the next quote of the same: Branişte, “The Liturgy of the Gifts… “180.
- Citing a study or a chapter/section from a collective volume
Oliviu P. Botoi, “Dimensiunea morală a patriotismului, în contextul globalismului actual. Provocări civice pentru românii din țară și de peste hotare”, Pastorație și misiune în diaspora, vol. II, ed. Alexandru Moldovan, Răzvan Brudiu (Alba Iulia: Editura Reîntregirea, 2021), 267.
… and the next quote of the same: Botoi, “Dimensiunea morală… “, 273.
- Citing a dictionary or encyclopedia
Dorothea Sattler, “Apostolisches Glaubensbekenntnis,” in Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche (IN ITALIC), ed. Walter Kasper et al. , vol. 1, 3rd ed. (Freiburg: Herder, 1993), 878-80.
- Citing an unpublished paper (thesis):
Mihail K. Qaramah, A History of the Romanian Molitfelnic. The evolution of the formularies of Sacraments (16th-17th c.) (PhD thesis, “1 Decembrie 1918” University , 2021), 78.
… and the next quote of the same: Qaramah, A History… , 80.
- Citing a classic source:
PG/PL, volume number (with Arabic numerals), column; e.g.: PG 87, 150A-151B.
- Electronic sources shall be quoted by mentioning the author, the title of the document, the exact electronic address and the date of the consultation.
National Institute of Statistics: Stable population by main religions at the 2011 census – preliminary results (Table 8), http://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/TS8.pdf (15.02.2017).
III. ANNEXES, TABLES AND REPRODUCTIONS (PICTURES)
- The annexes are numbered in crescendo, for the entire work (Annex 1, Annex 2, etc.) and it is recommended to add a descriptive title (e.g., Annex 1: List of metropolitans of Wallachia). Each annex will be used at least once during the course of the article/study. Before the set of annexes, an annex index is placed, containing only the mention “ANNEXES”, centered, in the middle of the page, written in TmsNR font, 20, bold.
- The tables, images and figures (images, charts, graphs, screenshots, etc.) will contain a number (hierarchical) and a descriptive title (e.g., Photo 1: Mother of God – Odigitria, XIVth century, Mânăstirea Dintr-un Lemn). If necessary, figures and tables should be inserted into the table in the text, centered. It is recommended to avoid placing figures or tables before their first mention in the text. The references will be marked in the basic text: Annex 1, or: fig. 3-6 and Table 4 (normal writing); The tables, figures and photographs must be accompanied by a legend (e.g. Table 4: List of icons feast from the Collection of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia or Table 12: Share of the population of Alba Iulia, by confessions).
- The abbreviations used are the following: approx. (circa), cf. (confer = compare), coord. (coordinator, coordinators), e.g. (exempli gratia, for example), et al. (et alii; and other authors), etc. (and the other), f. (tab), ff. (tabs), i.e. (id est, ie), infra (below), BC/AD, ms. (manuscript), mss. (manuscripts), n. (nota), AN (author’s note), no. (number, numbers le) , passim (in several places), r. (index format, recto), s.a. (sine anno), s.l. (sine loco), s.v. (under voice), c. (century), sq./sqq. (sequens, and the following page(s), supra (above), infra (below), etc. (et cetera: and other similar things), trans. (translation), v. (index format, back), vol. (volume). The months of the year will be abbreviated as follows: Jan., Feb., Mart., April., May, Jun., Jul. Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. The title of Saint will precede the name of the Holy Fathers in an abbreviated form (“St.”).
- ABBREVIATIONS OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
If the scriptural references must appear in parentheses, they are always round: (Gen 1, 5, 8; Isa 3, 14; Lev 1, 9).
Old Testament – Cant: Canticles, Chr: Chronicles, Dan: Daniel, Deut: Deuteronomy, Eccl: Ecclesiastes, Esth: Esther, Exod: Exodus, Ezek: Ezekiel, Gen: Genesis, Hab: Habakkuk, Hag: Haggai, Hos: Hosea, Isa: Isaiah, Jer: Jeremiah, Josh: Joshua, Judg: Judges, Kgdms: Kingdoms, Kgs: Kings, Lam: Lamentations, Lev: Leviticus, Mal: Malachi, Mic: Micah, Nah: Nahum, Neh: Nehemiah, Num: Numbers, Obad: Obadiah, Prov: Proverbs, Ps: Psalm, Pss: Psalms, Sam: Samuel, Song: Song of Songs, Qoh: Qoheleth, Zech: Zechariah, Zeph: Zephaniah, Add Dan: Additions to Daniel, Add Esth: Additions to Esther, Bar: Baruch, Bel: Bel and the Dragon, Esd: Esdras, Ep Jer: Epistle of Jeremiah, Jdt: Judith, Macc: Maccabees, Pr Azar: Prayer of Azariah, Pr Man: Prayer of Manasseh, Sg Three: Song of the Three Young Men, Sir: Sirach/Ecclesiasticus, Sus: Susanna, Tob: Tobit, Wis: Wisdom of Solomon.
New Testament (book names that are only four or five letters long are not tipically abbreviated. For the rest, the following shall be used) – Col: Colossians, Cor: Corinthians, Eph: Ephesians, Gal: Galatians, Heb: Hebrews, Jas: James, Matt: Matthew, Pet: Peter, Phil: Philippians, Phlm: Philemon, Rev: Revelation, Rom: Romans, Thess: Thessalonians, Tim: Timothy.
CLARIFICATIONS REGARDING RESEARCH ETHICS AND THE PREVENTION OF PLAGIARISM
The studies/articles must be original, and they must respect the aspects regarding intellectual property and the rules against plagiarism. The appropriation, complete or partial, and the copying of ideas and works of other people while presenting them as personal creations are all considered plagiarism and are regarded as committing a literary, artistic or scientific theft. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines plagiarism as “the act of using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to that person.”
- Types of plagiarism:
- Complete takeover – The author presents entire passages from another work, word by word, as if they were his or her own creation.
- Partial copying – The author copies significant parts of a work and presents them as if they were his or her own creation.
- Mixed copying – The author copies paragraphs or mixed phrases from different works, without indicating the sources, in order to lose track of the original sources.
- Disguised copying – The author takes the line of argument, examples, and other contents and elements of the source, but they change some expressions, paragraph order, or other elements to make it more difficult to identify the source.
- Copying by retelling – The author retells the work, without taking over word for word the content, re-translating its content through synonyms or analogous formulations.
- Self-plagiarism – The author takes over all or massively from their own previous work published in book or article format (classic or digital format).
- Incomplete mentioning – The author mentions the name of the source, but they do not include the specific information (title of the work, year, publishing house, city, page); in this way the correctness of the citation cannot be verified, and the passages taken entirely before or after the first mention are hidden.
- Incorrect mentioning – The author provides inaccurate information about the cited source, making it impossible to identify and verify it.
- Veiled citing – The author correctly cites the source in quotation marks, but then takes entire paragraphs from the source without using them. Although they attribute a passage from their text to the source, they mask the fact that they have taken, without reference, other passages from the same source.
- Collage – The author correctly cites the sources, but the whole text is nothing more than a collage from different sources, without any personal contribution of the author.
Texts from various works can be reproduced exactly, including those translated by the author or taken from the Internet, without being considered plagiarism, if they are written within quotation marks and have the precise reference of the source. The reformulation of texts belonging to other authors or the summarization of their ideas without identifying the sources that generated them is also considered plagiarism.
The procedure regarding the review of the materials received for publication can be seen in the PEER REVIEW section.
After printing, the author has the right to request and receive at least one copy of the issue of the journal in which his study was published.
[1] If there are more than 2-3 co-authors, only the first one will be mentioned.