Aims and Scope

IJoRIS publishes original research articles that contribute to the academic study of religion as text, practice, discourse, institution, and social force. The journal aims to advance international scholarship by fostering rigorous, peer-reviewed research on the interaction between religion and contemporary social, cultural, political, and intellectual life.

The journal especially prioritizes submissions in the following areas:

  1. Text, Interpretation, and Intellectual Traditions
    Studies on scripture, hermeneutics, religious commentary, exegetical traditions, theology, and intellectual history.
  2. Religion in Society and Public Life
    Research on religion and social change, religious authority, public discourse, citizenship, law, politics, media, and civil society.
  3. Lived Religion and Religious Practice
    Studies of ritual, devotion, everyday religion, embodiment, pilgrimage, piety, identity, and religious communities.
  4. Comparative and Cross-Regional Religious Studies
    Analyses that place Muslim societies, Asian contexts, African contexts, or other Global South experiences in comparative conversation with broader scholarly debates.
  5. Religion, Ethics, and Contemporary Issues
    Research addressing ethical reasoning, contested public issues, environment, gender, technology, and social transformation, provided that religion remains central to the analysis.

The journal does not normally consider:

  • manuscripts focused primarily on general education, management, economics, counseling, language teaching, or technology without a substantial and explicit contribution to religious studies;
  • purely descriptive case reports with limited conceptual or methodological contribution;
  • local studies lacking engagement with relevant international scholarship;
  • opinion pieces, popular reflections, or advocacy essays.

Article types accepted

  • Original Research Articles
  • Review Articles (selective; by strong scholarly contribution only)

Article types not accepted for regular publication

  • General essays
  • Commentary/opinion pieces
  • Book reviews
  • Short communications without substantial scholarly apparatus