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Policies

Contents

An author may submit an article to Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies provided he or she owns the copyright to the work being submitted or is authorized by the copyright owner or owners to submit the article. Authors are the initial owners of the copyrights to their works (an exception in the non-academic world to this might exist if the authors have, as a condition of employment, agreed to transfer copyright to their employer).

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General Submission Rules

Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies publishes original scholarly articles and book reviews in the field of Jewish Studies. The journal welcomes research articles in English on all periods and topics in the field. Book reviews and review essays are generally solicited by Shofar’s book review editor.

Submitted articles cannot have been previously published, nor be forthcoming in an archival journal or book (print or electronic). Please note that publication in a working-paper series does not constitute prior publication.

In addition, by submitting material to Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, the author is stipulating that the material is not currently under review at another journal (electronic or print) and that he or she will not submit the material to another journal (electronic or print) until the completion of the editorial decision process at Shofar. If you have concerns about the submission terms, please contact the managing editor at shofar@purdue.edu.

Please read the Shofar Submission Guidelines carefully before submitting your article for consideration.

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Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Ethical Responsibilities

Responsibilities of Editors

Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies editors will

  • not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, or ethnic or geographical origin of the authors.
  • strictly preserve the anonymity of peer reviewers.
  • consider submissions solely on their merit and without commercial or outside influence.
  • reject or accept no article where they have a conflict of interest.
  • only accept an article when reasonably certain of its scholarly soundness; and if errors are found, publish a correction or retraction.
  • follow reasonable procedures in the event of complaints of an ethical or conflict nature, in accordance with the policies below.

Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers will

  • assess the journal submission objectively and in a timely manner.
  • maintain the confidentiality of the journal submission and any correspondence regarding the review; and will not retain, copy, or distribute the paper under consideration.
  • alert the editors to any published or submitted content that is substantially similar to that under review.
  • be aware of any potential conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, collaborative, or other relationships between the reviewer and author) and alert the editor to these, if necessary withdrawing their services for that manuscript.

Responsibilities of Authors

By submitting material to Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, authors are stipulating that the material is not currently under review at another journal or accepted for publication elsewhere, and that the material is original work.

Authors will

  • participate in the peer review process.
  • insure that all authors listed have contributed significantly to the research.
  • acknowledge and cite content reproduced from other sources, and obtain permission to reproduce any content from other sources.
  • notify promptly the journal editor or publisher if a significant error in their publication is found, and cooperate with the publisher to publish an erratum or addendum or to retract the paper if necessary.
  • declare any potential conflicts of interest.

Responsibilities of Publisher

Purdue University Press will

  • insure that good practices are maintained with regard to Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies’s policies and ethical requirements.
  • prevent business needs from compromising intellectual and ethical standards.
  • be prepared and willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed.
  • never knowingly publish plagiarism or fraudulent material.
  • maintain the integrity of the academic record.

Procedures for Dealing with Unethical Behavior

Misconduct and unethical behavior may be identified and brought to the attention of the editor and publisher at any time, by anyone. Such behavior may include, but is not limited to, examples as outlined above. If the editors or publisher are provided with sufficient information and evidence for an investigation to be initiated, the allegations will be given full consideration.

Investigations

The initial decision concerning an investigation will be taken by the editors, who will consult with the publisher, if appropriate. While gathering evidence, the editors will avoid spreading allegations beyond those who need to know.

Outcomes

If the misconduct is minor, it might be dealt with without the need to consult more widely. In any event, the author will be given the opportunity to respond to allegations. Serious misconduct might require that the employers of the accused be notified. The editor, in consultation with the publisher, should make the decision whether or not to involve the employers, either by examining the available evidence themselves or by further consultation with experts.

Actions in response to serious misconduct may include:

  • publication of a formal notice detailing the misconduct.
  • publication of an editorial detailing the misconduct.
  • a formal letter to the head of the author’s or reviewer’s department.
  • a formal retraction or withdrawal of a publication from the journal, in conjunction with informing the head of the author’s or reviewer’s department, abstracting and indexing services, and the readership of the publication.
  • the imposition of a formal embargo on contributions from an individual for a defined period.
  • reporting the case and outcome to a professional organization or higher authority for further investigation and action.

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Rights for Authors and Shofar

In consideration for publication of the article, the authors assign to Purdue University Press all copyright in the article, subject to the expansive personal-use exceptions described below.

Attribution and Usage Policies


Reproduction, posting, transmission or other distribution or use of the article or any material therein, in any medium as permitted by a personal-use exemption or by written agreement of Purdue University Press, requires credit to Purdue University Press as copyright holder.

Personal-Use Exceptions


The following uses are always permitted to the author(s) and do not require further permission from Purdue University Press provided the author does not alter the format or content of the articles, including the copyright notification:

  • Storage and back-up of the article on the author's computer(s) and digital media (e.g., diskettes, back-up servers, Zip disks, etc.), provided that the article stored on these computers and media is not readily accessible by persons other than the author(s);
  • Posting of the article on the author(s) personal website, provided that the website is non-commercial;
  • Posting of the article on the internet as part of a non-commercial open access institutional repository or other non-commercial open access publication site affiliated with the author(s)'s place of employment (e.g., a Phrenology professor at the University of Southern North Dakota can have her article appear in the University of Southern North Dakota's Department of Phrenology online publication series); and
  • Posting of the article on a non-commercial course website for a course being taught by the author at the university or college employing the author.

    • People seeking an exception, or who have questions about use, should contact Purdue University Press at pupress@purdue.edu.

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    General Terms and Conditions of Use

    Users of the Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies website and/or software agree not to misuse the Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies service or software in any way.

    The failure of Purdue University Press to exercise or enforce any right or provision in the policies or the submission agreement does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any term of the submission agreement or these policies is found to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the submission agreement and these policies remain in full force and effect. These policies and the submission agreement constitute the entire agreement between Purdue University Press and the Author(s) regarding submission of the Article.

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