Aims and Scope
The Journal of World Buddhist Cultures (JWBC) is a peer-reviewed journal aimed at developing and disseminating broad knowledge related to Buddhism. It also attempts to encourage international intellectual exchange seeking solutions to the various problems of people living in the unpredictable and uncertain modern world by actively engaging with Buddhist studies. The JWBC defines Buddhist studies broadly, also including philosophy, literature, history, politics, economics, anthropology, sociology, criminology, and area studies related to Buddhism one way or another.
The editorial team encourages not only the submission of unpublished original manuscripts but also articles from panels, workshops, and conferences for joint publication in such styles as forums and roundtables. It also includes scholarly articles, book reviews, records of lectures organized by the Research Center for World Buddhist Cultures (RCWBC), and a wide variety of translational works. The editorial team specifically encourages the submission of papers written in English, although papers in Japanese can also be submitted.
All scholarly articles in the JWBC undergo double-blind peer review, typically by two to three reviewers who are prominent scholars on the subject. The editors maintain final discretion over the publication of all content.
The JWBC is edited by the RCWBC of Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan.
Publication Ethics
1. The Journal of World Buddhist Cultures (JWBC) is committed to maintaining the highest academic and ethical standards in accordance with the guidelines stated by the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE).
2. The JWBC considers each submission in a fair, objective, unbiased, and unprejudiced manner. Each manuscript is evaluated on its merits regardless of age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, national origin, religion, creed, political view, or institutional affiliation or position of the author(s).
3. The JWBC editorial board is responsible for keeping the confidentiality of all submitted works until they are published. In the event a manuscript is not considered for publication, the editorial board is obliged not to disclose any information to anyone other than the author(s), and the obtained information is not used for any other purposes.
4. At any point of the review process, if the editorial board identifies a violation of standard academic and legal ethics such as plagiarism, multiple submissions, and infringement of copyright law, the review will be immediately terminated and the manuscript will not be considered for publication.
5. The journal employs a double-blind peer-review process. If the editorial board considers referee evaluations as contradictory or inadequate, an additional reviewer(s) may be invited.
6. Reviewers are expected to offer informed assessments for the editorial board’s decision-making on publishing a submitted manuscript. Throughout the evaluation process, the reviewers are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of the submitted works, and they must not use the information gained through the review process for personal benefits. Reviewers must recuse themselves from the manuscript evaluation in the event of a conflict of interests. Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and critically, and ought to refrain from making personal comments on the author(s).
7. The editorial board will decide whether to accept submitted manuscripts for publication based on the reviewers’ evaluations and comments. The editorial board will not provide a reason for rejection, although reviewers’ comments will be disclosed to the authors.
8. All manuscripts submitted to the journal must be original. Authors are required to cite all materials used in the manuscripts by following the manner stated in the Author Guidelines.
9. All types of research conducted through qualitative or quantitative research methods such as surveys, interviews, observation, and experiments require approval from the Research Ethics Committee of the institution the author is affiliated with. An informed consent form must be obtained from each participant prior to collecting data.
10. When including images in a manuscript, the author(s) must obtain permission to use the images from the owners of the artworks, photographs, and other visual materials. The principles of the COPE must be strictly complied with, and the author must demonstrate that the work is in compliance with the guidelines.
11. Authors may revise rejected manuscripts according to reviewers’ evaluations and comments in order to resubmit them. If the editorial board finds the re-submitted manuscript has not sufficiently addressed the concerns raised by the reviewers, it will not be considered for publication. Revised manuscripts may be accepted for the evaluation process as new submissions.
12. The JWBC is an open-access journal, and all articles published in it are freely accessible online. There is no charge for manuscript publication in the journal.