Journal of Creation is dedicated to upholding the authority of the 66 books of the Bible, especially in the area of origins. All our editors adhere to the Creation Ministries International (CMI) Statement of Faith and most papers will be designed to support this. Rarely, other papers may be accepted for publication on merit so that certain issues can be clarified. The views expressed in the papers are those of the authors and not necessarily those of CMI.

Because the scope of this journal is broad, we welcome articles on any topic that is relevant to biblical creation. This includes the sciences such as geology, chemistry, biology, astronomy, etc., and also archaeology, theology, hermeneutics, biblical history, geography, linguistics, ethics and society, philosophy, law, etc. Potential authors should familiarise themselves with the journal and its position and style before submitting articles. Authors should also indicate if their manuscript has been submitted elsewhere, address previous articles on the topic, and ensure the work of others is properly acknowledged.

Word length: Shorter articles are more likely to be read so preference will be given to publishing them. All articles, including letters, may be edited for brevity and clarity. Perspectives: 1,000–2,000 words; Book reviews: 1,500–3,000 words, but please enquire first. You may be asked to scan the cover of the book; Letters to the editor: 1,000 words. We will publish critical letters on articles already published, but a reply will usually follow the criticism; Papers, Overviews, Countering the Critics, Viewpoints and Essays: <5,000 words.

Articles must be written clearly and concisely and should be focused on only one topic/subject. The most readable articles are those with an average sentence length of about 17 words, with one idea per sentence. Do not use too many big or extra words such as “in spite of the fact that” when “although” would do. Please use first person sparingly and do not use “this present writer”, which is verbose false modesty and ambiguous. Care with spelling is crucial, and British spelling generally applies. Personal invective or similar comments against others are not acceptable.

Specialist technical terms and abbreviations should be defined the first time they are used. If many technical terms are used, these should be included in a glossary. SI units should be used in scientific papers. Words in non-Latin alphabets (e.g. Hebrew, Greek, and Russian) must use Unicode characters and be accompanied by a transliteration, also in Unicode characters (Unicode should avoid errors when the file is transferred to a publishing program or HTML).

Abstract: All articles except Perspectives, Letters and Book Reviews should be preceded by an Abstract, which should not exceed 200 words and must be without abbreviations and reference citations. The Abstract should summarise the key points of the paper and be comprehensible to readers before they have read the paper.

References should be indicated in the main text by superscript numbers in sequence and then listed in numerical order at the end of the text (End Notes). Full details of all references are required, including all authors and their initials, the full title of the paper or book, the full title of the journal or its accepted abbreviation, the volume number, the page number(s), the editor(s) of the book or proceedings (if applicable), the publishers and place of publication (in the case of a book), and the year of publication. If a citation is repeated, then the same superscript number should be used (a cross reference).

Quotes must be verbatim, with omissions clearly shown by ellipsis ( … ). Even erroneous grammar and spelling in the original must be reproduced, and indicated by [sic]. Any additions or explanations within a quote need to be placed in square brackets [ ]. Primary sources are preferred, but if a secondary source must be used, the reference format must be [primary source], as cited in [secondary source]. For internet URLs the date last downloaded should be included.

Tables should be embedded in a Microsoft Word document, with brief, self-explanatory titles, and captions if an explanation is essential to understanding the table. Tables should be numbered according to their sequence in the text and all should be referred to in the text, e.g. (see table 1).

Graphics should be supplied electronically on CD or by email to journal@creation.info as 300dpi *.TIF, *.EPS, *.PSD, *.AI, *.JPG, *.PDF or *.BMP files, not embedded into a document file. They can be sent in colour or greyscale, but will appear only in greyscale in the journal. Graphics should have a minimum size of 80 mm x 80 mm when printed (preferably 1024 x 768 pixels). Photographs are acceptable provided they have good contrast and intensity, and are submitted as sharp, glossy copies or as 35 mm slides. Computer print-outs are not acceptable.

Figures should be numbered according to their sequence in the text. References should be made in the text to each figure. In planning images and figures, the page format and column widths of the journal should be kept in mind and should allow for the possibility of reduction. Each illustration should have a self-explanatory caption. The captions should be collected together at the end of the article document file. If graphics are not provided with a manuscript, authors may be asked to submit suggestions and possible sources of non-restricted material.

Copyright ownership for each and every graphic must be specified and any relevant permissions and or credit requirements given in writing. If you are not the copyright owner, please supply written permission (preferably with an original signature) from the copyright owner. If you are the copyright owner, your submission of a graphic will be taken to grant us permission to use the image in the journal and also any other publications or on our website, unless you specify otherwise.

Biography: Papers, Overviews, Countering the Critics, Forums, Viewpoints, Research Notes and Essays should include a biography of no more than 100 words for each author. It should include the authors’ qualifications and experience, and involvement in creationist work.

Please also:

send documents in Rich Text (*.rtf) or Word (*.doc) format, not Publisher (*.pub) format. Excel (*.xls) is also acceptable for complicated tables.
type left-justified without hyphenation except for compound words
input text continuously; only insert hard returns at the end of sections, lists, etc.
use single spaces after each sentence within a paragraph
use Times New Roman 10.5 font and use the word processing formatting features to indicate bold, italics, Greek, Hebrew, maths, superscript and subscript characters
submit complex mathematical formulas or equations using MathType according to the guidelines in our “Equations layout guide”, which can be obtained by contacting us
insert captions for graphics at the end of your manuscript
type references in the correct order and style of the journal using the word processing “Endnotes” and “Cross-references” features to link references to the text correctly.

Photographs and/or CDs may be sent to:

journal@creation.info

The Editor,
Journal of Creation
Creation Ministries International
P.O. Box 4545
Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113
AUSTRALIA

NOTE: Papers prepared according to these instructions are more likely to be considered.

Journal of Creation writing guidelines

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