AIMS & SCOPE

Icon of Faith. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Religious Studies (IFIJISR) allows access to all readers and promotes scientific research into various fields. Icon of Faith journal was founded to publish high quality and original papers on Christian Religion. Icon of Faith  is a Scientific, Peer-reviewed, Open Access journal, with the main aim to promote a high level of Christian Theology in an interdisciplinary and intercultural context.

IFIJISR lends expression to competent voices of Christian theologians from different countries and universities worldwide in order to promote an excellent scientific community interested in a dynamic tradition and culture, open for a constructive ecumenical dialogue.

IFIJISR , is a journal published and promoted at international level by Ideas Forum International Academic and Scientific Association (IFIASA) in collaboration with members of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology and Education Sciences, “Valahia” University, Târgoviște, Romania.

Icon of Faith Journal explores the vital interconnections between knowledge, ethics and faith, interdisciplinary evaluated. IFIJISR, includes topics like: Theology; Ethics and Faith; Science and Religion: Convergence to an Open Society; Christianity & Democracy Postmodernism’s trends, by affirming the transcendental values of christian faith, theology and spirituality.

​

How to submit the paper

The author should submit the paper via e-mail to the executive editor at:

- ifiasa@yahoo.com

- https://www.ifiasa.com/ifijisr-submit-a-manuscript

​

ETHICS IN PUBLISHING

IFIASA's print & online, Open Access journals conform to the highest academic standards of international peer review, and are published in accordance with the IFIASA publishing commitment to make all of our published materials available online.

Journal editors will consider articles submitted directly via an open call for papers. Submissions should be original, previously unpublished papers which are not under consideration for publication in any other journal.

Manuscripts submitted are evaluated for scientific content under conditions of equality for all authors. All papers received are analyzed and assessed by the Editorial Board and subsequently undergo a peer-review process.

The editorial committee encourages the publication of scientific articles provided that ethical standards in scientific research are respected.

The editorial committee assures all authors that confidentiality and impartiality in the review of their work are fully respected.

The criteria for accepting a paper include the relevance of the study to its field, compliance with drafting guidelines, and scientific accuracy. Articles are published only after double-blind peer-review evaluation and upon receipt of a “ready for publication” notice. Papers that do not meet the publication criteria are returned to the authors with comments and suggestions for improvement.

The publishers guarantee the anonymity of reviewers and provide guidance regarding expectations in the evaluation process.

 

Ethical Use of AI

AI tools may be used only as supportive instruments, not as substitutes for scholarly judgment or originality. Authors must ensure that:

• AI-assisted content is verified and fact-checked;

• intellectual responsibility rests entirely with the authors;

• AI is not used to fabricate data, falsify results, or plagiarize content.

 

Journal Policy on AI

The IFIASA Journals supports the responsible use of AI in academic writing, provided it adheres to the following principles:

Full disclosure of AI use in the manuscript.

Strict adherence to ethical standards.

Verification and accountability for AI-assisted content by human authors.

Reviewing AI capabilities and limitations through credible sources.

Participating in workshops or webinars on academic integrity and AI usage.

​

Editorial Policies

Submitting a paper for publication in any of the IFIASA Journals and Proceedings entails that the paper has never been published, or is it under evaluation by another publisher.

​

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

If the evaluation on the article is positive, for publication in the IFIJISR, Authors will support this so:

AUTHOR FEES Publication Fee,

For Author 120 EURO Online / Print​

These fees include those of the journal's production, online hosting and archiving.

1. As a participant registered with paper(s); fee is 90 Euro for each paper, + 10 Euro for print paper and courier tax; second paper will also receive a 50% discount. Other discounts are offered for former participants and best paper. 
2. 30% of the fee will be deducted for reviewers/authors who can prove their expertise in one of the domains mentioned in our aim  provided that they engage in the peer-review process; 
3. The author of the best paper is entitled to a 100% discount
4. The IFIASA accepts only original, previously unpublished works. 

​

Publication and authorship

All submitted manuscripts to the IFASA Journals & Proceedings are subject to a strict peer-review process.

To prevent authorship manipulation, the editorial board of the journal IFIASA Journal utilizes COPE flowcharts and pays attention to the following when working with an article: https://publicationethics.org/node/39531.

The responsibility for adhering to authorship and author contribution standards lies with the editors of IFIASA Journals & Proceedings.

Authors are required to provide transparent and accurate information about the authors of the article and individuals who made substantial contributions to its preparation.

 

Section Policies

All IFIASA Journals & Proceedings currently has the following sections:

Editorial: this section is indexed and is not peer-reviewed.

Thematic or regular research papers: original scientific article; short scientific article. All articles published in these sections are indexed and peer-reviewed.

The IFIASA Journals also includes book reviews, critiques and reports that are clearly distinguished from research papers and separated into sections on their own.

 

Guidelines for authors

Accepted manuscript file formats

Please submit your paper in MS Word (.doc or .docx) formatted for direct printing according to the manuscript preparation guides given below.

In the paper, particular attention is to be paid to research methods, key results and in English language.

Paper Length:

The number of characters of the paper in the region of:

40.000 (original scientific article)

20.000 (review article; short scientific article; professional article),

10.000 (book review, critique, report).

​

Duties of authors

Authors' responsibilities

Authors must certify that their manuscripts are their original work.

Authors must certify that the manuscript has not been previously published elsewhere.

Authors must certify that the manuscript is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Authors are obliged to provide retractions or corrections of any mistakes.

All authors listed on the paper must have made significant contributions to the research.

Authors must state that all data presented in the paper are real and authentic.

Authors must notify the editors of any conflicts of interest.

Authors must identify all sources used in the preparation of their manuscript.

Authors must report any errors discovered in their published paper to the editors.

Authors are required to disclose the use of AI tools during manuscript preparation.

Authors must ensure that AI-generated content is fact-checked and validated for accuracy and that the manuscript reflects the authors’ intellectual effort, interpretation, and conclusions. AI must not be used to fabricate data, falsify results, or plagiarize existing works.

By signing the application form, authors agree to the journal’s copyright terms. Submission of a manuscript implies that it is in its final form.

 

Reporting standards

Authors of reports of original research present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. The paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work.

Review and professional publication articles should also be accurate and objective.

Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Works should be clearly identified as such.

 

Data access and retention

Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with the paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data, if practicable, and should in any event retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

 

Acknowledgment of sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Information obtained privately, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source.

 

Authorship of the paper

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.

Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.

The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

​

Duties of reviewers

Duties of peer reviewers Contribution to editorial decisions

Peer review assists the Editor-in-Chief in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communication with the author, may also assist the author in improving the manuscript.

The referees who decline their expertise in the field of research of the paper attributed to them for review or who know that they cannot provide feedback in a timely manner are kindly asked to notify the Editor-in-Chief so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.

 

Peer Review Process

IFIASA Journals and Proceedings operate a double-blind peer review process. To ensure anonymity, authors are required to refer to their previously published work in an impersonal manner.

Reviewers are appointed by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with members of the Editorial Board. Authors will be notified upon receipt of their manuscript.

The peer review process may take from one day up to two months, depending on circumstances. Authors will be informed of the editorial decision as soon as the reviewers’ reports are received.

Accepted manuscripts are generally published in the forthcoming issue of the journal.

If the reviewers’ evaluations differ significantly, a third reviewer will be appointed. Authors may be asked to revise their manuscript in accordance with the reviewers’ recommendations.

Manuscripts are evaluated based on the following criteria:

relevance

methodological soundness

significance

originality

readability

language quality

Possible editorial decisions are:

acceptance

acceptance with revisions

rejection

If authors submit a revised version of their manuscript, acceptance is not guaranteed. Revised manuscripts undergo a second review, conducted either by the original anonymous reviewer or by the Editorial Board. This second decision is final.

Rejected manuscripts will not be reconsidered.

Final acceptance is subject to compliance with applicable legal requirements, including those related to libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

​

Reviewers' responsibilities

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts received for review as confidential documents. They must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the Editor-in-Chief or use the content for personal advantage.

Reviews should be conducted objectively, fairly, and professionally. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate and unacceptable. Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and should alert the editor to any substantial similarity or overlap with other published works of which they are aware.

Reviewers are expected to provide clear, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations, supporting their judgments with appropriate arguments and references where necessary.

Reviewers should declare any potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts where such conflicts exist.

If a reviewer feels unqualified to review the manuscript or is unable to provide a timely review, they should notify the editor promptly.

 

How peer review is organized

The process of peer review must satisfy principles of autonomy, and therefore follow lines of democratic and unprejudiced evaluation in order to be objective.

In practical terms it is structured as follows:

− firstly, there is the editor-in-chief, with his specific competencies and direct obligations;

− there then follows a list of Editorial Board: scholars of consolidated personal and scientific rigor, whose corresponding backgrounds, skills and experience must respond to the different scientific areas covered in the Journal’s aspects of interdisciplinarity;

− the editor-in-chief evaluates manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors;

− the editor-in-chief’s decision may be constrained by such legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism;

− the editor-in-chief provides guidance to authors that encourage accuracy, completeness and clarity of research reporting, including technical editing and the use of appropriate guidelines and checklists;

− the editor-in-chief has a system to ensure that material submitted to their Journal remains confidential while under review; confidentiality of individual information obtained in the course of research or professional interactions is guaranteed;

− the editor-in-chief has a duty to act if he suspects misconduct or if an allegation of misconduct is brought to him; this duty extends to both published and unpublished papers;

− the editor-in-chief has a system for managing his own conflicts of interest as well as those of all editorial staff and of the authors;

− the editor-in-chief has a process for handling submissions from the components of the all-editorial Staff to ensure unbiased review.

 

How a paper submitted for publication is evaluated

After a preliminary assessment, based on the established objectives of the journal, and in the event of a positive evaluation, the editor-in-chief will send the paper to reviewers belonging to the same field of competence for peer review. Within three days of receipt of the submitted paper, the editor-in-chief will determine whether to send the work for review. If the paper is accepted for review, reviewers will proceed to make comments and suggestions, if necessary, to assist the author in correcting and improving the text.

The author will subsequently revise the paper, which is then returned to the editor-in-chief, who checks whether the requested suggestions have been taken into account.

The editor-in-chief ensures that content is published in a timely manner, in accordance with the stated publication frequency.

Possible decisions include acceptance, acceptance with revisions but without re-review, or rejection. Articles may be rejected if they fall outside the aims and scope of the journal, do not meet scientific standards, are poorly written or organized, or are written in poor language.

Rejected articles will not be re-reviewed. Articles may also be rejected without review if the editor-in-chief considers them clearly unsuitable for publication.

​

Data Fabrication and Falsification

Any manuscript found to involve fabricated or falsified experimental results, including image manipulation, will be subject to sanctions for data fabrication and falsification.

All complaints should be submitted to ifiasa@yahoo.com and will be reviewed promptly. The complaint review process will not exceed seven days.

In handling complaints, the editorial board follows COPE guidelines in the following situations:

• Post-publication critiques

• Post-publication discussions and corrections

• Suspected peer review manipulation identified after publication

• Image manipulation in published articles

• Fabrication of data in published articles

 

DUTIES OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD

 

Publication decisions

The editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed for each IFIASA Journals & Proceedings is responsible for determining which submitted articles are accepted for publication.

To this end, the editor-in-chief takes all reasonable measures to ensure the quality and integrity of the material published in the journal.

Decisions to accept or reject manuscripts are based on their relevance and originality and are informed by evaluations from suitably qualified reviewers.

The editor-in-chief ensures that appropriate reviewers are selected for each submission.

These decisions are guided by the policies of the journal’s editorial board and are subject to applicable legal requirements, including those concerning libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

When necessary, the editor-in-chief may consult with other editors or reviewers as part of the decision-making process.

 

Duties of peer reviewers Contribution to editorial decisions

Editors have complete responsibility and authority to accept or reject an article.

Editors are responsible for the content and overall quality of the publication.

Editors should always consider the needs of authors and readers when seeking to improve the publication.

Editors should guarantee the quality of papers and the integrity of the academic record.

Editors should publish errata pages or make corrections when necessary.

Editors should preserve the anonymity of reviewers.

Editors should not reject papers based on suspicions alone; they must have evidence of misconduct.

Editors should not allow any conflicts of interest among staff, authors, reviewers, and board members.

In the event of a dispute regarding a published article, the editor of IFIASA Journals & Proceedings will publish a correction or refutation, or retract the article, providing reasons for the changes made to the published document.

If it becomes necessary to add or remove a co-author before or after publication, the editorial board of IFIASA Journals & Proceedings follows the rules set by COPE:

https://publicationethics.org/files/authorship-a-addition-before-publication-cope-flowchart.pdf

https://publicationethics.org/node/34601

​

COPYRIGHT & PLAGIARISM 

​

Copyright

The Journals published by IFIASA holds the copyright for the published materials.

All IFIASA Journals & Proceedings are open access. The full text of the articles may be freely accessed, free of charge for the user or his/her institution. The users may read, download, copy, print or create links to the full text of the articles that are published in these journals without asking for permission from the publishing house or the author, provided that accurate and complete citation of the original source is ensured.     

 

Plagiarism

The papers in which plagiarism is detected are immediately withdrawn from publication, pending revision.

The IFIASA believes that taking the ideas and work of others without giving them credit is unfair and dishonest.

​

Contact:
ICOANA CREDINTEI. International Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies of Religion

Editor-in-chief: Prof. PhD. Marian BUGIULESCU
Address: Str. Lt. Stancu Ion, nr. 35, cod poștal 130105, Târgoviște, Dâmbovița, Romania
Phone: +40742291422
Email:  iconfaith_journal@yahoo.com