Peer Review Process

As noted earlier, the review process will include the editor and the members of the editorial board going through the submitted article, short message or book review. After establishing that an article is publishable after a preliminary reading, it will be sent for blind peer reviewers to at least two reviewers who will give the final word. That is, they will advise the editor to proceed or terminate the process altogether. In cases where it will not be published, after reviewers’ reports, the author will not be charged for it. Charges only apply after it is accepted, peer-reviewed and is about to be published.

Specific Expectations for Regular Articles:
While double spacing is the norm, 1.5 spacing will also be accepted. All pages must be numbered. The main title should have less than 7 words while the subtitle can be longer. The title page should include the authors’ full names, authors’ affiliations, e-mail address, and if authored by more than one person, the author’s details should appear in a footnote.

In regard to the Abstract, it should be comprehensive in the sense that it should provide a clear statement of the problem, a clear theoretical framework and article design, the methods used to gather data, the major findings, and what the author hopes to achieve in the entire article. Despite the above ‘comprehensive’ outlook, the article should not exceed 300. We prefer between 100 to 250 words in length. After the article, the author should list 3 to 7 key words that will provide indexing reference.

The author should avoid ambiguity, vague sentence, but use active verbs, and also use the third person. Additionally, confusing abbreviations should be avoided in the entire article. Abbreviations should only be used when the full term is very long and in cases where it is used often. In such cases, an abbreviation should be spelled out the first time it is used in the text.
In regard to the introduction, it should provide the relevant information that will provide a good starting point for the readers. It should be made easier to readers across the disciples’ divides. Above all, it should prepare the readers to understand the entire article. The same case applies to methods used. Clearly, the methods used should be logical enough for a reader from another discipline to understand. Again, this goes hand-in-hand with the results or the article findings; whose presentation should be punctuated with clarity and precision. Concerning the discussion, it should strive to interpret the findings in view of the results obtained. The conclusion should explain in summary what the author set out to do, how he or she journeyed with the topic, a summary of the findings, and suggest a way forward.

For those who acknowledge their research sponsors, it should be brief but clear. Equally, tables should be kept to a minimum. The author should strive to ensure that tables and graphs are simple and precise to a broader constituency of readers. All these tables should be prepared in Microsoft Word manuscript file. Additionally, Arabic figures can be used to designate figures (e.g. Figure ii). In regard to references, we are open to all accepted reference styles even though APA and MLA top the list. Nevertheless, references should be listed alphabetically.

Examples include:

References:
Sparrow M. 2011. Mission in Mombasa Ninety years of caring for seafarers at Kilindini,Nairobi: Missions. Stark, Rodney 1996.

“Why Religious Movements Succeed or Fail: A Revised General Model,” Journal of Contemporary Religion, Volume 11, Issue 2 May 1996, pp. 133 – 146.

Sudarkasa, Niara 1986. "The Status of Women" in Indigenous African Societies, Feminist Studies 12 (1), pp.91-111.

Thomas, Spear 1978. The Kaya Complex: A History of the Mijikenda Peoples of the Kenya Coast to 1900. Nairobi: Kenya Literature Bureau.

Trimingham, J. Spencer 1983. The influence of Islam upon Africa. London and New York: Longman Group Limited.

Wandera. J. et al, 2008. Christian –Muslim co-existence in Eastern Africa. Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa.

Footnotes:
In regard to footnotes, we discourage the use of Arabic numbers (I, ii, iii) in this section. Equally, we discourage END NOTES. Always, footnotes are typed in 10pt., font and in single spacing.