Guidelines for Authors Submitting Manuscripts to Global Buddhist Studies
Vesion 1.0 (March 2026)
Submissions are welcome from scholars at any career stage provided they meet the eligibility requirements specified below.
Research articles may be submitted by scholars at or above the doctoral level (including current doctoral candidates) or by those with equivalent research competence and academic writing proficiency.
Translations and other categories of contributions may be submitted by scholars at or above the master’s level (including current master’s students) or by those with equivalent scholarly competence.
The journal accepts the following categories of manuscripts from Buddhist Studies, Indology, and Tibetology:
Videos, audio files, and images may also be submitted as electronic supplementary materials, provided that they comply with the specified size limits. Where appropriate, they may be deposited in the J-Stage Data with a DOI.
Although the journal does not impose a formal upper limit on length, manuscripts are generally expected to remain within 20,000 Japanese characters (approximately 12,000 words in English) for editorial efficiency. Submissions that exceed this length require prior consultation with the editorial board.
Manuscripts can be submitted in Japanese or English. Submissions in other languages require prior approval from the editorial board. Authors writing in a language other than their native language are responsible for ensuring professional-level proofreading prior to submission.
5. Manuscript Preparation
Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the format prescribed by the editorial board and submitted in MS Word. Citations and references must be consistent throughout the manuscript. Authors are encouraged to provide structured references and, where possible, persistent identifiers (such as DOI or URN) for cited sources. Authors are also encouraged to provide their ORCID iD to ensure accurate author identification and integration with international scholarly databases.
Research articles are subject to peer review. The editorial board makes the final decision regarding publication. The board will assess the suitability of other manuscripts for publication, considering whether they provide appropriate and beneficial information for the journal’s target readership. The board may consult external specialists when deemed necessary.
7. Authors’ Contributions and Responsibilities
For multi-author submissions, the authors must clearly specify their respective contributions and the scope of their individual responsibilities.
8. Copyright and Permissions
Authors are responsible for securing written permission for any copyrighted materials (including images and extensive textual quotations) prior to submission and must provide documentation confirming such permissions as well as those materials.
Authors will be provided with two opportunities to review proofs. Substantial revisions after acceptance are not permitted except in cases requiring formal correction.
10. Contact
GBS Editorial Committee (Representative: Mai Miyo)
c/o Dr. Miyo’s Office, Faculty of Buddhism, Komazawa University, Komazawa 1-23-1, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
E-Mail: globalbuddhiststudies[at]gmail.com
