Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica

About the Journal

Topics and scope

In general terms, Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica invites the submission of original texts related to Hebrew Philology, Jewish History, with a particular focus on the language, history, and culture of Hispanic Jews and Sephardim and their diasporas as well as the interfaith and intercultural synergies between Iberian minorities and other spheres of European Judaism throughout the centuries.

Submissions to any of the journal’s sections must present original results and demonstrate scholarly quality in research. Toldot does not accept submissions of texts that have already been published (this includes articles, book chapters, etc., as well as other formats such as blogs or general-interest magazines) or that are under review by other journals.

Toldot is a journal committed to the principle of open science. Regardless of its print edition, each issue of Toldot will be freely accessible through the journal’s website. Authors are free to distribute their contribution to their professional profiles (self-archiving), although the journal requests that the DOI of the publication on the journal’s website be included.

Languages, fonts and style

The main languages of Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica are Spanish and English, although submissions in other languages will be considered and may be accepted at the discretion of the Editorial Board, which may admit contributions in languages other than these two.

In the case of Hebrew and Judeo-languages, authors may choose between using original scripts or employing transcriptions. If transcriptions are chosen, Toldot generally recommends the use of a simplified transcription system (see Transcription Guidelines), unless the nature of the contribution requires greater specificity.

All manuscripts must be written using the SBL BibLit font, which is freely available at: https://www.sbl-site.org/resources/fonts/. This font not only includes the most common transcription symbols, but also integrates SBL Hebrew and SBL Greek in a harmonious way, making it fully suitable for writing in Hebrew and Greek. For Arabic, the Amiri font should be used (https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Amiri). The main body of the article should be in size 12 pt, footnotes in 10 pt, and block quotations in 11 pt.

To better structure their content, contributions may include several levels of text hierarchy. If a third level is reached, it must be marked using consecutive Arabic numerals with dots, such as 2.4 or 1.3.1.2. In any case, it is recommended not to exceed four levels of hierarchy.

All notes must appear as footnotes rather than endnotes. Footnote markers must be placed, when applicable, after the punctuation mark (.⁶), and never before (²,). As far as possible, bibliographic notes should be avoided; such references should instead be included in the main text in parentheses.

Quotation marks should follow the following conventions: French or angle quotation marks («…») are to be used for textual quotations within the main body of the article; double high quotation marks (“…”) are used for quoting a word or a quotation within a quotation marked with angle quotation marks; while single high quotation marks (‘…’) are reserved for indicating translations, definitions, or similar values associated with individual words.

Textual quotations exceeding three lines should not be integrated into the body of the article but must appear in a separate paragraph, in 11-point font, with increased indentation, and with a blank line before and after the quotation. In such cases, angle quotation marks should not be used.

Contributions may include graphic material (photographs, tables, diagrams), provided it is necessary or contributes to the text, and that it meets adequate graphic quality standards, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Each of these elements must be properly referenced (e.g., “Figure 1,” “Table 3,” etc.), and its position in the article should be clearly indicated. All graphic elements must be submitted in a single .zip or .rar file. Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica assumes that all submitted graphic materials have the appropriate reproduction rights; otherwise, the authors of the articles are solely responsible. Nevertheless, the journal reserves the right to request proof of reproduction rights at any point during the editorial process.

Lastly, common Latin abbreviations (e.g., cf., supra, pace, etc.) should not be written in italics, which is reserved for words in languages other than the journal’s editorial languages. The use of so-called "emphasis italics" is strongly discouraged, and bold type is reserved exclusively for titles.

Sections

Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica accepts three types of contributions:

• Articles

The main content of this section consists of full-length articles presenting original advances or novel reviews on the journal’s topics (see Journal Description). The recommended length for full-length articles ranges between 20,000 and 90,000 characters, including spaces.

In addition to full-length articles, Toldot accepts submissions involving significant editions (first editions, substantial changes compared to previous editions, discussion of new witnesses, critical notes, etc.) of texts and documents related to the journal’s scope, regardless of the language in which they were originally written. In such cases, authors are not required to meet the length parameters proposed for full-length articles, and the Editorial Board will be responsible for assessing the suitability of the proposals.

• Special Issues

Toldot accepts proposals for special issues. For this purpose, the responsible editor must complete the Special Issue Proposal Form with the basic information, and the proposal will be evaluated. As a rule, a fundamental requirement for the approval of special issues is that an open and sufficiently publicized call for papers be issued. Likewise, articles proposed for the special issue must undergo peer review and are expected to conform to the minimum (20,000 characters with spaces) and maximum (90,000 characters with spaces) length guidelines applicable to other articles.

• Reviews

This journal is interested in critical and balanced reviews and may therefore reject those that are merely descriptive. Accordingly, this section accepts contributions ranging in length from 8,000 to 22,000 characters, including spaces. Alongside the traditional model of reviewing published works, Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica invites authors to write reviews of corpora or digital resources —useful and widely used tools that rarely receive critical attention or evaluation—. Reviews are not subject to a peer review process, but their acceptance is at the discretion of the Editorial Board, which will ensure they meet the parameters described.

Authors must specify the section to which their submission corresponds and complies with the requirements mentioned. Both articles and contributions to special issues must include an informative abstract outlining the main contributions of the text, provided both in the language of the submission and in English. If the article is written in English, the second abstract must be provided in Spanish. Additionally, a set of keywords (between four and seven) must be supplied, accurately reflecting the topics addressed in the contributions and facilitating indexing. The same language criteria applied to abstracts also apply to keywords; that is, they must be presented in two different languages.

Bibliography, Citations, and Bibliographic Abbreviations

The citation style of Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica follows the APA 7 guidelines. All contributions must include a final section listing all bibliographic references cited, arranged alphabetically. As far as possible, exclusively bibliographic footnotes should be avoided, and such references should be inserted in the main text, either as parenthetical citations (e.g., as convincingly explained (Suchard, 2019, p. 187)…) or as narrative citations (e.g., as Suchard (2019, p. 187) explains…). Whenever possible, all bibliographic references should include the DOI. The following citation models may be taken as guidance:

Books

Full reference:

Suchard, B. (2019). The Development of the Biblical Hebrew Vowels. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004390263

Citation:

(Suchard, 2019, p. 187)

Doctoral dissertation

Full reference:

Berrocal Fonseca, B. (2025). Técnicas interpretativas de la literatura rabínica. Revisión crítica desde la hermenéutica contemporánea [Doctoral dissertation, Universidad Complutense de Madrid]. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/115706

Citation:

(Berrocal Fonseca, 2025, p. 222)

Journal articles

Full reference:

Connolly, M. M. (2021). Splitting Definitives: The Separation of the Definite Article in Medieval and Pre-Modern Written Judeo-Arabic. Journal of Jewish Languages, 9(1), 32-76. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134638-BJA10010

Citation:

(Connolly, 2021, p. 36)

Book chapters

Full reference:

Carrete Parrondo, C. (2018). Hebraístas judeoconversos en la Universidad de Salamanca (siglos XV-XVI). In R. Muñoz Solla y Mª.F. García Casar (coords.), Obra antológica de Carlos Carrete Parrondo. Investigaciones sobre el pasado judío y converso hispanomedieval (pp. 667-704). Museo Judío David Melul.

Citation:

(Carrete Parrondo, 2018, p. 689)

Dictionary or encyclopedia entries:

Full reference:

Meir, I. (2013). Numerals: Modern Hebrew. In G. Khan (ed.), Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics (Vol. 2, pp. 903-908). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/2212-4241_ehll_EHLL_COM_00000538

Citation:

(Meir, 2013, p. 905)

Digital resources:

Full reference:

Bunis, D.  (2021, November 29). Judeo-Spanish (Judezmo, Ladino). Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Retrieved 4 May. 2025, from https://oxfordre.com/linguistics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.001.0001/acrefore-9780199384655-e-428.

Citation:

(Bunis, 2021)

Toldot allows the use of established and widely accepted bibliographic abbreviations in the discipline. This applies to journals and series—which must be written out in full upon their first occurrence—as well as to the titles of works from biblical, rabbinic, and medieval Jewish literature. As a general rule, abbreviations for rabbinic literature should follow those listed in the English edition of Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash by H. L. Strack and G. Stemberger (1996², Fortress Press). For biblical texts, abbreviations should follow the conventions found in The SBL Handbook of Style (2014²), and should not be italicized. For convenience, these abbreviations are reproduced below:

The titles of biblical books, as well as their abbreviations, must appear in regular (roman) type and never in italics. References to biblical passages should follow the format: 1 Kgs 1:12 for a single verse, 1 Kgs 1:12–14 for several consecutive verses, and 1 Kgs 1:12, 14, 16 for non-consecutive verses.

Submission, review, peer evaluation, and acceptance

The call for contributions to Toldot remains open year-round. However, new issues are published at the beginning of the calendar year, meaning that any submission that has not completed the processes of review, revision, and editing by that date will be automatically assigned to the following issue.

Before submitting their work, authors must ensure that their manuscripts comply with the journal’s editorial guidelines and that the files have been properly anonymised, following the instructions provided throughout the submission process, which must be completed exclusively through the journal’s website. Authors must also have an ORCID iD, which can be obtained at https://orcid.org/register. During the submission process, authors will be required to provide basic information (name, institutional affiliation, contact details), as well as an explicit statement of any sources of funding that contributed to the preparation of the manuscript under review. They must also declare any potential conflicts of interest.

To submit a proposal, authors must first register on the journal’s website. Before doing so, they should consult the Submission Preparation Checklist to ensure compliance. It is important to note that Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica adheres to the Guidelines for Good Practice issued by Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca. As a rule, no author who has published an article in Toldot may submit another article for consideration in the following issue.

Submissions must be uploaded in both PDF format (with embedded fonts) and editable DOC or ODT format. If the manuscript includes graphic materials, these must also be submitted in high quality (never below 300 dpi) and properly referenced within a single compressed ZIP or RAR file.

Each submission will first be evaluated by the editorial team and/or the Editorial Board, who will assess its relevance to the journal’s scope and aims (see Journal Description), adherence to its guidelines, and minimum standards of scholarly quality. This initial decision will be communicated to the authors promptly. If deemed suitable, manuscripts submitted to the Articles and Special Issues sections will be sent for double-blind peer review by two independent, external reviewers of recognized expertise in the field. Their reports will be sent to the author within a maximum of three months. If the reports are significantly divergent, the journal may request a third review, in which case the timeline may be extended. Based on the reviews, submissions will be classified as “Accept without revisions,” “Accept with revisions,” or “Reject.” In the latter case, the manuscript will not be considered for publication.

If a submission is classified as “Accept with revisions,” authors will have one month to revise their manuscript in accordance with the reviewers’ comments. The revised version will be assessed by the editorial team to ensure the changes have been properly implemented. Only after this second evaluation —and if the outcome is positive— will the manuscript be considered accepted, and the editorial process will begin. Ideally, the entire process from submission to final acceptance should not exceed four months in most cases.

Authors will receive a single PDF proof intended solely for correcting typographical errors and minor mistakes. No substantial changes to the content will be allowed at this stage.

Publication in Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica does not entail any form of financial compensation.

In an effort to maintain high standards of transparency and to acknowledge the vital but often uncredited work of anonymous reviewers, every five years the journal will publish a list of scholars who have contributed as peer reviewers. Each reviewer will be free to decide whether or not to be included. The Editorial Board may also issue individual certificates acknowledging their contribution upon request.

Additional information and contact details

Any situation not covered in these guidelines will be resolved by the Editor-in-Chief and/or the Editorial Board. Inquiries may be directed to any of the following addresses; however, the use of the first email address is strongly recommended:

Journal:

Toldot. Studia Hebraica et Sephardica.

toldot@usal.es

Editor in-Chief:

Ricardo Muñoz Solla

solla@usal.es

Assistant Editors:

Diego Corral Varela

diego.corral@usal.es

Mª Isabel Pérez Alonso

miperez61@usal.es

Book Review Editor

David Torollo Sánchez

dtorollo@ucm.es