Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

About

The leading venue for scholarly work on the Book of Mormon

Established in 1992 by founding editor Stephen D. Ricks, the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies is the leading venue for scholarly work on the Book of Mormon. The journal publishes research articles, research notes, book reviews, review essays, literature reviews, and interviews focused on the Book of Mormon. The journal serves a general readership, including scholars interested in the Book of Mormon as an object of research and lay readers hoping to learn more about their sacred text. It thus aims at producing top-rate scholarship working at the highest academic level, even as it asks contributors to recognize the ethical complexity of dealing with a text held sacred by believers. Peer reviewers are drawn from a wide range of relevant disciplines and a variety of academic institutions.

The journal is available both electronically and in print and is published annually by the University of Illinois Press on behalf of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute in Provo, Utah.

Indexes

TOC Premier

ONLINE + PRINT ADVERTISING

The print ad rates for all our titles can be found in the 2024 journals catalog/rate card.

Click here to download the PDF version

Editors

Editor
Joseph M. Spencer, Brigham Young University

Associate Editors
Matthew Bowman, Henderson State University
Amy Easton-Flake, Brigham Young University
Jacob Rennaker, John A. Widtsoe Foundation
Andrew Smith, Brigham Young University
Rosalynde Welch, Independent Scholar

Book Review Editor
Janiece Johnson, Brigham Young University-Idaho

Journal Advisory Board

• D. Morgan Davis, Neal A. Maxwell Institute
• Elizabeth Fenton, University of Vermont
• Paul Gutjahr, Indiana University
• Kristian Heal, Neal A. Maxwell Institute
• Kerry Hull, Brigham Young University
• Robin Jensen, Joseph Smith Papers
• Patrick Q. Mason, Claremont Graduate University
• Max Perry Mueller, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Tammi J. Schneider, Claremont Graduate University
• John Christopher Thomas, Pentecostal Theological Seminary and Bangor University
  
  

Editors Emeriti

• Stephen D. Ricks
• John L. Sorenson
• S. Kent Brown
• Andrew Hedges
• Paul Y. Hoskisson
• Brian M. Hauglid

PDF Policy

PDFs are permitted and issued for the following:

• Tenure dossier.
• Special workshops the author is moderating.
• Other requests to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
• All PDFs will include a statement of copyright and a provision that the articles will not be photocopied, distributed, or used for purposes other than the terms agreed to by UIP.

Preprints are permitted for:

• University repositories; UIP requires a publication statement to be posted along with the preprint.

Postprints are permitted for:

• Non-profit archives and repositories; Articles must be at least one year old. UIP requires a publication statement to be posted along with the postprint and a link back to the JBMS webpage
• Personal and commercial Web sites; Articles must be at least three years old. UIP requires a publication statement to be posted along with the postprint and a link back to the JBMS Webpage

Please contact the Intellectual Property Manager for more information.
Please send all requests to:

Angela Burton
Intellectual Property Manager
UIP-RIGHTS@uillinois.edu

Submissions

All submissions to the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies should be submitted to jbms@byu.edu

1. The Journal of Book of Mormon Studies publishes work that expands knowledge of the contexts (historical, linguistic, literary, social, cultural, theological, etc.) within which the text of the Book of Mormon originated and has subsequently been interpreted. Submissions are welcome from a variety of subdisciplines, including textual criticism, literary study, reception history, theological interpretation, and comparative scripture, among others. The journal publishes research articles, research notes, book reviews, review essays, literature reviews, and interviews. Primarily homiletic or devotional manuscripts are a better fit for other publishing venues.

2. The journal serves a general readership, including scholars interested in the Book of Mormon as an object of research and lay readers hoping to learn more about their sacred text. It thus aims at producing top-rate scholarship working at the highest academic level, even as it asks contributors to recognize the ethical complexity of dealing with a text held sacred by believers. Submissions should be attuned to both audiences.

3. Submissions must include an abstract of 100-150 words along with a complete manuscript, prepared for blind review. Where applicable, authors should provide information about copyright permissions in advance. Authors must disclose the previous publication of any material in their submissions.

4. Manuscripts submitted as full research articles are ideally between 6000 and 10,000 words (footnotes included). Briefer research notes should not exceed 3500 words (footnotes included). Authors interested in reviewing books or writing literature reviews for the journal should contact the editor at jbms@byu.edu

5. Submissions should follow the Chicago Manual of Style. (A few exceptions to the Chicago Manual of Style are unique to the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, but these are added after acceptance for publication.)

6. Research articles are double-blind peer reviewed, while reviews and research notes are reviewed by the editor and associate editors. Authors should expect a preliminary response from the editor or an associate editor within two weeks of submission. The review process usually requires a few months to be completed. Queries can be directed to the journal's editor at jbms@byu.edu

7. The Journal of Book of Mormon Studies substantially altered its format and scope in 2014, beginning with volume 23 of the journal. Interested authors hoping to compare their work with past issues of the journal are recommended to consult issues since that reformatting. 

8. The author bears primary responsibility for verifying the accuracy of all quotations, citations, and sources.

9. Submission files should be in Microsoft Word-compatible formats (doc, docx, rtf). Where non-Latin fonts or characters are used, a pdf file should also be provided.

View our Publications Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Featured Articles

Online Access

Online Access

Institutions- Current Content (SPC)

Institutions- Back Content (JSTOR)