Publication ethics

The English version is translated with the help of Chat GPT.

Nordic Journal of practical theology (NJPT) is published by MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society. The journal is committed to the highest international standards of publishing and research ethics, with the aim of ensuring that the research presented is original, reliable, and accurate. These guidelines outline the responsibilities and obligations of the various contributors.
NJPT is based on materials developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as well as the "Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing" issued by OASPA. At the end of the guidelines, we provide links to several of COPE’s resource pages for handling potential conflict situations in academic publishing.

About the journal 

Journal Title
Tidsskrift for praktisk teologi. Nordic Journal of Practical Theology.

Website
https://journals.mf.no/tpt

Publication Frequency
Twice a year.

Archiving System
NJPT is archived and preserved in the institutional repository MF Open, and later in NVA.

Rights/Copyright and license 

Articles published in Nordic Journal of Practical Theology (NJPT) are licensed under the Creative Commons BY 4.0 International. This means that:

  • The author retains copyright to their work.
  • The author has full rights to share, store, and distribute the published version of the article in any format and medium – including on their own websites, in institutional archives, on social networks for researchers (such as ResearchGate), and with third parties.

When sharing or republishing the article, the following information must always be included:

  1. Title of the article
  2. Name of the author
  3. Source: link to the original publication in TPT
  4. License: link to the CC BY 4.0 license

Ownership and Management
Tidsskrift for praktisk teologi is published by MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, Oslo.

Advisory Board
https://journals.mf.no/tpt/about/editorialTeam

Editorial Team and Contact Information
https://journals.mf.no/tpt/about/editorialTeam

Publication ethics - Guidelines

´1. Editor's Responsibilities and Commitments

The editor is responsible for the journal’s quality and integrity. The editor must safeguard the interests of readers, authors, the publisher, other higher education institutions, the editorial team and advisory board, as well as the broader public.

The editor works closely with:

  • The editorial team: These guidelines apply to the entire editorial team where appropriate.
  • The advisory board: The editor is responsible for ensuring that the board receives sufficient information about the journal and convenes an annual meeting for feedback and dialogue.
  • The publisher: The editor must submit an annual report to the publisher and inform them of any significant changes.

General criteria for manuscript evaluation

The editor must ensure that submitted manuscripts meet high standards of research quality and comply with established ethical norms (see below under authors’ responsibilities, as well as the linked resources at the end of the text).

Editorial processing of manuscripts

The editor must ensure that the editorial processing of manuscripts is efficient and in line with ethical publishing standards, including that:

  • Each manuscript is read and assessed editorially, usually by two editorial board members. The editorial team may reject the manuscript, request revisions, or forward it for peer review.
  • Manuscripts deemed relevant and of high quality are sent to two anonymous peer reviewers. The reviewers should not know each other’s or the author’s identity, and the author should not know the reviewers’ identities (double-blind review). The peer review process should be carried out efficiently and in accordance with recognized standards. In case of disagreement between reviewers, the editor may seek a balanced recommendation or involve a third reviewer.
  • Articles accepted through peer review are published on NJPT's website, with clear indication of the publication date, authors' names and titles (with ORCID if applicable), the corresponding author's email address, DOI, and license.
  • The editor contributes to the clear and informative presentation of published articles.

Complaints or conflicts regarding a manuscript or published article

If objections are raised (normally in writing and not anonymously) regarding a published article, the editor is responsible for addressing the matter with the author and obtaining the author's perspective. In consultation with the editorial team, the editor must decide among the following actions:

  • No action: If the editor deems the complaint unfounded or irrelevant to the article's integrity.
  • Correction: If the article contains significant flaws but retains its overall integrity. The correction must clearly describe and justify the changes. It will be published both on the article’s web page and on the first page of the article PDF, with a link to the correction. The first author is responsible for the costs associated with PDF corrections.
  • Retraction: If the article contains deficiencies affecting its core argument or conclusion, or if a breach of research or publishing ethics has occurred. See COPE's materials for further details [→ we should either remove this note or clarify the procedures and definitions in detail].
  • Removal: Only if the article violates privacy or risks breaking the law. This should be avoided whenever possible to ensure research transparency.
  • Correction note: A justified correction note is added to the article’s web page.
  • Republishing: The PDF is republished with a corrected author list and a visible justification on the first page. The cost is covered by the first author and should not exceed the actual cost.

Editors must not use unpublished submitted material for their own research or publications without the author’s explicit written consent.

If the editor believes there is a conflict of interest or bias regarding an author or manuscript, they must delegate editorial responsibility to another editorial board member. If the editor submits a manuscript themselves, another editor (or a member of the advisory board) must act as handling editor. In both cases, the editor must be excluded from the editorial and peer review processes.

Publishing decisions must be made independently of the authors’ ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, nationality, or political affiliation.

  1. Authors’ Responsibilities and Commitments

The author (primarily the first author, in case of multiple authors) is responsible for ensuring that:

  • The article presents original research.
  • The article, and the research it is based on, adheres to ethical guidelines. This includes compliance with data protection laws and avoiding harm to vulnerable groups.
  • The article is written by the author(s), and that no plagiarism or research misconduct has occurred.
    • Empirical material must not be falsified or inappropriately selected or reported.
    • The use of others' texts, and the reuse of the author’s own previously published texts, must be clearly cited. Text recycling should be minimal. Any use of artificial intelligence must be clearly marked and thoroughly explained both in the cover letter and in the article text.
  • There are no conflicts of interest that might compromise the author’s integrity or the validity of the research.
  • The article has not been previously published or is under consideration elsewhere. The journal generally avoids secondary publication. Authors must consult the editor in advance if they are seeking such publication.
  • In multi-author manuscripts, all listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the article, and the order of authorship should reflect the level of contribution. TPT follows the Vancouver recommendations: https://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf
  • The first author is responsible for meeting editorial deadlines, especially concerning peer review follow-up and proofreading/editing prior to layout and publication.
  • The first author must ensure that co-authors have had the opportunity to read and comment on the manuscript during review rounds.
  • Authors may suggest suitable peer reviewers for their article.
  1. Peer Reviewers’ Responsibilities and Commitments

All scholarly manuscripts submitted to NJPT are subject to external peer review. The quality of peer reviews is essential to the journal’s credibility and scholarly standard.

Normally, a minimum of two reviewers will assess each manuscript. Members of the advisory board may serve as reviewers, but normally no more than one per article.

If a reviewer becomes aware of a conflict of interest, they must notify the editor. If a reviewer discovers the identity of the author and has a close relationship with them, they should recuse themselves.

Reviewers must strive to be objective, critical, and constructive in their assessment.

Selected COPE Resources