Author Guidelines

Title

The title should be:

• concise;
• clear;
• specific;
• informative; and
• representative of the main issue or argument of the article.

The title should accurately reflect the content of the manuscript and should avoid unnecessary or uncommon abbreviations.

The title should preferably not exceed 20 words.

The title should identify the central issue, context, subject, or research focus of the article rather than using overly broad or general expressions.

Author Names and Affiliations

The manuscript should include:

• full name of each author;
• institutional affiliation;
• institutional address;
• email address of the corresponding author; and
• ORCID iD, where available.

Academic degrees, professional titles, and institutional positions should not be included after the author's name.

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the editorial office and must ensure that:

1. all listed authors have made a meaningful contribution to the work;
2. all authors have approved the submitted manuscript;
3. all authors have approved the final version before publication; and
4. the order of authorship has been agreed upon by all authors.

Abstract

The manuscript must contain an abstract in both Indonesian and English.

Each abstract should generally contain 150–250 words and should be written in a single paragraph.

The abstract should clearly include:

1. the background or research problem;
2. the purpose or objective of the study;
3. the research method or analytical approach;
4. the principal findings or arguments;
5. the significance or implications of the study; and
6. the originality or contribution of the study.

The abstract should be understandable independently of the main text.

The abstract should not contain:

• footnotes;
• citations;
• tables;
• figures; or
• unexplained abbreviations.

Keywords

Authors should provide 3–5 keywords that represent the principal concepts, themes, or issues discussed in the manuscript.

Keywords should be:

• specific to the article;
• relevant to the academic discipline;
• reasonably common within the relevant field; and
• written in lowercase, except for proper names.

Introduction

The Introduction should establish the academic context and significance of the study.

The Introduction should explain:

• the background and context of the issue;
• the central problem or research question;
• relevant previous scholarship;
• the current state of research;
• the research gap or unresolved scholarly problem;
• the purpose and/or objectives of the study;
• the relevant theoretical or conceptual framework; and
• the expected scholarly contribution of the study.

Authors should demonstrate clearly how the present study relates to previous scholarship. The Introduction should not merely provide a general background but should establish the academic rationale for why the study is necessary.

Relevant and credible scholarly literature should be used to support the discussion.

For research articles, the Introduction should conclude with a clear statement of the research objective, question, or argument.

Method

The Method section must be presented as a stand-alone section, separate from the Introduction.

This section should explain clearly how the research was conducted so that readers can understand the basis on which the findings or arguments were developed.

Depending on the nature of the research, the Method section should include relevant information concerning:

• research approach and design;
• research type;
• research setting or context;
• research subjects, participants, or sources;
• sampling or selection procedures, where applicable;
• data sources;
• data collection procedures;
• research instruments;
• data analysis techniques;
• procedures for ensuring validity, credibility, reliability, or trustworthiness, where applicable; and
• ethical considerations.

For qualitative research, authors should explain the qualitative approach, participants or sources, data collection, analytical procedures, and strategies used to establish credibility or trustworthiness.

For quantitative research, authors should provide appropriate information concerning variables, population and sample, instruments, data collection, and statistical analysis.

For theological, conceptual, historical, philosophical, or literary studies, the Method section should explain the theological, hermeneutical, philosophical, historical, textual, or interpretive approach used in developing the analysis.

The Method section should provide sufficient detail to demonstrate the rigor of the research without including unnecessary procedural information.

Where research involves human participants, authors must comply with applicable research ethics requirements and provide relevant information concerning ethical approval or informed consent where appropriate.

Results and Discussion

The Results and Discussion section must be presented as one integrated section. Results and Discussion should not be separated into two independent major sections.

The section should present the findings and immediately interpret them in relation to the research questions, objectives, theoretical framework, and previous scholarship.

Authors should:

• present the principal findings clearly;
• provide sufficient evidence to support the findings;
• interpret rather than merely describe the findings;
• relate findings to previous studies;
• explain agreements and differences between the findings and previous scholarship;
• critically evaluate the significance of the findings;
• explain the theological, educational, social, cultural, or scholarly implications where relevant; and
• identify limitations or possible directions for further research where appropriate.

The Results and Discussion section may be divided into subsections according to:

• research questions;
• themes;
• major findings;
• theoretical dimensions; or
• other logical analytical categories.

Subheadings should help readers understand the development of the argument.

The discussion should answer questions such as:

• What do the findings mean?
• How do the findings answer the research question?
• Why are the findings significant?
• How do they relate to previous research?
• Do they confirm, extend, challenge, or contradict existing scholarship?
• What new contribution does the study make?

The section should demonstrate critical analysis and scholarly argumentation, rather than simply repeating information presented in the Results.

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures may be used when they contribute meaningfully to the presentation or interpretation of the findings.

All tables and figures must:

• be numbered consecutively;
• have clear titles or captions;
• be referred to in the main text;
• be appropriately sourced where necessary; and
• be sufficiently clear and readable.

Conclusion

The Conclusion should directly answer the research questions or objectives and summarize the principal findings or scholarly arguments.

The Conclusion should:

• synthesize the main findings;
• emphasize the principal scholarly contribution;
• explain the significance of the findings where appropriate; and
• provide recommendations or directions for future research when relevant.

The Conclusion should not simply repeat the Abstract or reproduce the Results and Discussion.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DECLARATIONS

The Acknowledgments and Declarations section must contain the following statements, as applicable.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Statement

Authors must disclose the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies when such tools have been used in the research process or have made a substantive contribution to the preparation of the manuscript.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical standards of the manuscript.

If AI is used in the research process, authors should identify:

• the name of the AI tool;
• the version, where available;
• the purpose of its use;
• how the tool was used; and
• the role of the AI tool in the research.

Where AI is used for substantive writing, analysis, data processing, image generation, or other significant scholarly activities, the use must be disclosed transparently.

Routine use of AI-assisted tools for language correction, spelling, grammar checking, or proofreading may be disclosed briefly.

If no AI was used, authors may state:

AI Use Statement: The authors declare that no artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies were used in the research or preparation of this manuscript.

This policy is consistent with the principle that AI tools cannot assume authorship or responsibility for scholarly work; authors remain accountable for the manuscript, including content produced or assisted by AI.

Author Contribution

For manuscripts with more than one author, the contribution of each author should be clearly stated.

Possible contributions include:

• conceptualization;
• methodology;
• investigation;
• data collection;
• data analysis;
• interpretation;
• writing—original draft;
• writing—review and editing;
• supervision;
• project administration; and
• other substantive contributions.

Example:

Author Contribution: Author 1 contributed to conceptualization, methodology, data collection, and writing of the original draft. Author 2 contributed to data analysis, interpretation, and manuscript revision. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

For a single-author article:

Author Contribution: The author was responsible for all aspects of the research and preparation of the manuscript.

Funding Statement

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support for the research and/or publication.

The statement should identify the funding institution and, where applicable, the grant number.

If the research received no specific funding:

Funding Statement: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors must disclose any financial, personal, institutional, professional, or other interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, interpretation, or presentation of the manuscript.

If there is no conflict:

Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

CITATION AND REFERENCE STYLE

Citation Style

Educatio Christi uses the:

Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, Notes and Bibliography system.

The journal therefore uses footnotes rather than parenthetical author-date citations.

Chicago's Notes and Bibliography system is based on numbered notes, normally presented as footnotes, together with a bibliography. This system is particularly suitable for humanities disciplines and accommodates a wide range of source types.

Authors should use the automatic footnote function in Microsoft Word or equivalent word-processing software.

Authors should not manually type footnote numbers.

Footnotes should be numbered consecutively throughout the manuscript.

Footnote Examples

Book – First Citation

1. James W. Fowler, Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1981), 25.

Book – Subsequent Citation

2. Fowler, Stages of Faith, 42.

Chicago 17th edition generally favors shortened citations rather than repeated use of ibid..

Journal Article

3. Author Name, “Article Title,” Journal Name 10, no. 2 (2025): 100–115, https://doi.org/xxxxx.

Book Chapter

4. Author Name, “Chapter Title,” in Book Title, ed. Editor Name (Publisher, 2025), 45–60.

Dissertation

5. Author Name, “Title of Dissertation” (PhD diss., Name of University, 2025), 50.

Website

6. Institution or Author, “Title of Web Page,” Website Name, accessed September 7, 2026, URL.

Chicago provides specific guidance for websites, including the use of publication/modification dates where available and access dates when appropriate.

Biblical References

Biblical references should follow the format specified in the Educatio Christi Article Template.

Authors should identify the Bible translation used in the manuscript.

Example:

Rom. 12:1–2 (NRSV)

or, when integrated into a sentence:

Paul emphasizes the transformation of the mind (Rom. 12:2).

When several Bible translations are used, each translation should be clearly identified.

The Bible translation used should be stated consistently throughout the manuscript.

REFERENCE MANAGEMENT

Use of Reference Management Software

Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference management software when preparing manuscripts for Educatio Christi.

The recommended tools include:

• Zotero
• Mendeley
• EndNote

Authors should select:

Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition – Notes and Bibliography

as the citation style in the reference-management software, where available.

Reference management software is particularly recommended because it can help authors:

• organize bibliographic information;
• insert and manage footnotes;
• generate bibliographies;
• maintain consistency between footnotes and bibliography;
• reduce typographical errors;
• prevent duplicate references; and
• update citations efficiently during revision.

However, reference-management software does not replace author responsibility. Authors must manually check all automatically generated citations and references because software output may contain incomplete or incorrect bibliographic information.

Chicago itself provides guidance concerning citation-management tools as part of its documentation system.

REFERENCES

Reference List

The References section must contain the bibliographic information for sources cited in the manuscript.

References should be arranged alphabetically by the author's surname and formatted according to Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, Notes and Bibliography.

Authors should ensure that:

1. all sources cited in the footnotes are represented in the References;
2. bibliographic information is complete and accurate;
3. titles, author names, publication information, page ranges, DOI, and URLs are correctly recorded;
4. DOI links are provided when available;
5. online sources are identified accurately; and
6. duplicate entries are removed.

Book

Fowler, James W. Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1981.

Journal Article

Author Name. “Article Title.” Journal Name 10, no. 2 (2025): 100–115. https://doi.org/xxxxx.

Book Chapter

Author Name. “Chapter Title.” In Book Title, edited by Editor Name, 45–60. Publisher, 2025.

Dissertation

Author Name. “Title of Dissertation.” PhD diss., Name of University, 2025.

Website

Institution or Author. “Title of Web Page.” Website Name. Accessed September 7, 2026. URL.