About the Journal

HYBRID is published by ALT School of Theology and presents high-quality research, including peer-reviewed articles and book reviews in Swedish, at the intersection of biblical studies, historical-systematic theology, practical theology, as well as religious studies and intercultural theology.

Published annually, the journal maintains a dedicated focus on theology with congregational relevance. Each issue centers on a predetermined theme pertaining to emerging, existing, or historical (free) church communities and practices. HYBRID combines perspectives that are often assigned to separate spheres and discourses, seeking to challenge traditional demarcations between distinct theological disciplines as well as the divide between church, society, and academia. To achieve this, every theme is examined through multiple disciplinary lenses, and each submitted article undergoes peer review across several subject areas.

The target audience primarily comprises academics specializing in theology and religious studies, alongside an interested general public, particularly within the context of Swedish free churches.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

All submitted manuscripts are initially evaluated by HYBRID’s managing editor to assess their suitability for formal peer review. Manuscripts deemed appropriate for further review are forwarded to an expert in the relevant field, whose task is to evaluate the submission's general and specific merits and shortcomings against the following criteria:

  1. Relevance and Innovation: Are the article’s research questions relevant to the discipline in question as well as to the Swedish free church context? Does the article offer novel insights and perspectives to both domains? Is the contribution innovative and original with respect to the core questions?
  2. Quality: Is the article grounded in current scholarship? Does it address issues of immediate relevance to the Swedish free church? Is the research question clearly articulated? Are different theoretical and theological positions adequately represented? Is the argument coherent and the conclusions well-supported? Are the theory and methodology appropriately selected and consistently applied?
  3. Presentation: Are the results communicated effectively? Is the manuscript well-written—characterized by high linguistic standards, a clear structure, transparent argumentation, and relevant illustrations? Does the article adhere to the journal's formatting guidelines?

HYBRID employs a double-blind peer-review process, ensuring that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the evaluation, which typically takes approximately two months.

Based on the review reports, the managing editor compiles a summary for the editorial board, which decides on one of the following outcomes:

  • Accept the manuscript for publication without revision.
  • Accept the manuscript for publication subject to minor or major revisions.
  • Reject the manuscript with an invitation to resubmit a rewritten version for fresh evaluation.
  • Reject the manuscript outright.

All articles accepted for publication undergo an additional internal review cycle, wherein manuscripts are assigned to another contributor featured in the same issue. Following this round, authors are expected to adjust their texts to incorporate feedback from their peer, thereby fostering direct scholarly interaction among the articles within the issue.

Overall editorial responsibility rests with ALT School of Theology, while day-to-day operations are handled by HYBRID’s editorial board, led by the editor in chief.

In cases where an author is affiliated with HYBRID, they are recused from all editorial decisions and workflows regarding their submission. An independent editor is appointed to manage the peer-review process, and the author's affiliation with the journal is explicitly stated upon publication.

HYBRID publishes manuscripts in Swedish. Submissions must address research questions directly relevant to the announced issue theme and demonstrate relevance to the Swedish free church. Gender-neutral language should be used where appropriate. HYBRID does not provide language editing beyond standard proofreading. Authors must retain full copyright to their submitted work.

PUBLICATION FEES

Published articles are licensed under CC BY-NC-SA, with authors retaining copyright and publishing rights without restriction. No Article Processing Charges (APCs) or publication fees are levied. The journal is published Open Access, with physical copies available via print-on-demand.

PUBLICATION FREQUENCY

HYBRID is published once per calendar year.