Policies | Consensus is a journal of Canadian Lutheran theology co-sponsored by Martin Luther University College (Waterloo) and the Lutheran Theological Seminary (Saskatoon). | Wilfrid Laurier University
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Policies

Contents

Philosophy of Consensus

For more information, please see Consensus Aims and Scope page.

Who Can Submit?

Anyone may submit an original article to be considered for publication in Consensus 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

Submitted articles cannot have been previously published, nor be forthcoming in an archival journal or book (print or electronic). Please note: "publication" in a working-paper series does not constitute prior publication. In addition, by submitting material to Consensus, 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 Consensus. If you have concerns about the submission terms for Consensus, please contact the editors.

If figures or images are used in the article, the author(s) must submit these as separate files, in addition to their inclusion within the body text. Authors are responsible for securing permissions for all copyrighted material (i.e., images) and for all costs associated with obtaining full permissions prior to publication. If your text includes copyrighted material, please submit a separate note with your manuscript detailing the relevant copyright information, and outlining the process you will use to obtain permission to publish the copyright material in Consensus. Authors are encouraged to seek permission for copyright material prior to submitting articles for consideration of publication.

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Formatting Requirements

Consensus has the following general rules about the formatting of submitted articles:

  • MS Word format is preferred
  • The first page of your article must comprise your name and position, the name of your institution, the full title of the article, and your exact mailing address.
  • The full title should also appear on the first page of text so as to facilitate anonymous evaluation. Begin the main text of your article on page 2.
  • font:
    • body: Cambria, 12 point font (alternate, Times New Roman)
    • endnotes: 10 point font
  • margins: 1” all around
  • paragraph: double spaced, fully justified
  • citation style: Chicago, Full Notes (no bibliography)
  • headings: (if applicable) utilize MS Word headings (Word 2010 Style Set) is preferred
For more details, see final submission. See Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines. Although bepress can provide limited technical support, it is ultimately the responsibility of the author to produce an electronic version of the article as a high-quality Microsoft Word file that can be converted to a PDF file.

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Rights for Authors and Scholars Commons @ Laurier

As further described in our submission agreement (the Submission Agreement), in consideration for publication of the article, the authors assign to Scholars Commons @ Laurier 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 Scholars Commons @ Laurier, requires credit to Scholars Commons @ Laurier as copyright holder (e.g., Scholars Commons @ Laurier © 2025). Authors seeking an exception, such as reprinting in another publication or book, should contact the editors.

Personal-use Exceptions

The following uses are always permitted to the author(s) and do not require further permission from Scholars Commons @ Laurier 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 the editors.

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General Terms and Conditions of Use

Users of the Scholars Commons @ Laurier website and/or software agree not to misuse the Scholars Commons @ Laurier service or software in any way.

The failure of Scholars Commons @ Laurier 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 Scholars Commons @ Laurier and the Author(s) regarding submission of the Article.

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Peer-Review Guidelines

Reviewing an article happens in three stages as outlined in this helpful guide by Sarah Severson of the University of Alberta. Read through the submission twice. Keep in mind that you are not proof-reading the article, but reviewing its contents. The purpose of your review is to improve the work, not discourage the author. Summarize the findings of your review, noting strengths and weaknesses, and include your acceptance/rejection recommendation as well as your rationale.

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Book Review Guidelines

Consensus welcomes unsolicited book review submissions and often reaches out to potential reviewers to suggest that they review a particular publication which matches with their interest and expertise. A good book review should describe the content of the book and place it within the context of the relevant academic area of study and/or current events or trends. Reviewers are expected to outline the work’s strengths and weaknesses and are encouraged to suggest its potential for use by researchers and/or within the classroom (including the level of accessibility). Although the review may contain negative commentary, reviewers are expected to be respectful toward authors. Accepted book reviews may be subject to editing for spelling, grammar and stylistic issues without consultation. Authors will be contacted about any major questions or concerns and be expected to respond promptly or risk having their review be held back from publishing.

Selecting a book

  • Generally, the book should have been published recently (within the last three years). We will also consider older books which have taken on a new relevance due to recent events or trends.
  • The book’s subject matter should relate to the Journal’s focus on public theology “understood in a broad sense”. As well as non-fiction texts, we will consider reviews that look at novels, plays and other types of written media that have a spiritual, religious or theological dimension.
  • The book should relate to the reviewer’s area of interest and expertise. Please avoid any potential conflicts of interest in terms of the reviewer’s relationship to the work itself or the author.
  • Before completing the review, potential reviewers are encouraged to reach out to the book review editor, jmilloy@luther.wlu.ca to ensure that the book fits the criteria.

Length

Reviews should be approximately 1000 words and not exceed 1500 words.

Heading

Please begin your review by identifying the book in the following manner:

Title
Author
Publishing Information

Example:
Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial
Benjamin Perrin
Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2023

Citations

If you include quotations from the book, please indicate the page number in brackets following the quotation example: (p. 2) Quotations from all other material should be cited using Chicago style with page numbers. For example, “The public theologian’s prophetic contribution is to measure the historical social order within which we live against the promised Kingdom of God.” [footnote entry: Ted Peters, The Voice of Public Theology: Addressing Politics, Science, and Technology (Adelaide: ATF Theology, 2023), 108.]

Closing

Authors should close the review with their name and institution (or location). Examples:

John Milloy
Martin Luther University College
Wilfrid Laurier University

Greg Sennema
Waterloo, ON

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