Publishing Standards

Mission Standard

Every D. Mass publication must be consistent with the mission of the publishing ministry.

A manuscript should have a discernible reason for being published by D. Mass and should contribute meaningfully to the spiritual understanding, formation, maturity, judgment, or Kingdom life of its intended reader.

Commercial potential, author recognition, audience size, or popularity cannot substitute for mission alignment.

Scriptural Standard

Scripture is authoritative.

Works dealing with biblical subjects must demonstrate responsible treatment of the biblical text. Scripture should not be reduced to isolated quotations used merely to support an author's predetermined argument.

Biblical conclusions should arise from serious engagement with the text, its context, and the larger witness of Scripture.

Where interpretation is involved, interpretation should not be presented as though it were the biblical text itself.

Theological Integrity

Works published by D. Mass must demonstrate serious engagement with Christian doctrine and the teachings of Scripture.

A manuscript must not knowingly distort Scripture to advance personal, ideological, political, institutional, or commercial objectives.

D. Mass recognizes that serious students of Scripture may reach different conclusions concerning particular matters. The existence of disagreement does not necessarily disqualify a work. What matters is whether the author has treated Scripture faithfully, represented evidence responsibly, and distinguished what Scripture states from what the author concludes.

Intellectual Integrity

Truthfulness extends beyond explicitly theological claims.

Historical, linguistic, cultural, scientific, statistical, economic, and other factual assertions should be capable of reasonable verification.

Authors should distinguish among established facts, observations, interpretations, inferences, hypotheses, opinions, and conclusions where those distinctions materially affect the reader's understanding.

D. Mass will not knowingly publish material that depends upon deception, deliberate misrepresentation, fabricated evidence, or the concealment of information necessary to fairly evaluate an argument.

Research and Attribution

The intellectual work of others must be treated with integrity.

Quotations, research, ideas, illustrations, data, photographs, figures, and other protected or attributable materials must be appropriately identified and documented.

Authors are responsible for identifying materials requiring permission and cooperating in obtaining appropriate publication rights.

Plagiarism is unacceptable.

Formation Standard

D. Mass publishing is concerned with more than the transfer of information.

A manuscript should ultimately help the reader understand, discern, mature, or live more faithfully before God.

This does not require every publication to be instructional in the same manner. Biblical history, theological analysis, cultural background, commentary, training materials, and other serious works may contribute differently to formation.

The question remains:

What is this work intended to produce in the reader?

Originality and Contribution

A manuscript does not need to introduce a subject never previously discussed. Few worthwhile subjects meet that standard.

It should, however, have a reason to exist.

The author should bring meaningful research, interpretation, organization, perspective, application, synthesis, or depth to the subject sufficient to justify adding another work to the literature available to the Body of Christ.

Editorial Standard

Works accepted for publication must be capable of meeting D. Mass editorial standards for clarity, organization, consistency, grammar, documentation, Scripture references, citations, tables, figures, illustrations, typography, and overall presentation.

Acceptance of the subject matter does not constitute acceptance of the manuscript in its existing form.

Substantive editing, restructuring, clarification, correction, or rewriting may be required before publication.

Author Responsibility

The author's name remains attached to the work.

Authors therefore remain responsible for the integrity and accuracy of their manuscripts and are expected to cooperate with editorial review, fact-checking, source verification, permissions, correction, and revision.

An author should be prepared to defend significant claims and, where appropriate, provide the sources upon which those claims depend.

Institutional Independence

Publishing decisions belong to the publishing ministry.

Personal relationships, ministry position, financial contribution, professional status, popularity, social following, marketability, or association with D. Mass do not create an entitlement to publication.

The manuscript must stand upon its own merit and satisfy the mission and standards governing D. Mass publications.

Production Standard

Works approved for publication under the D. Mass name are produced according to established D. Mass publishing and production requirements.

These standards provide institutional consistency across such matters as book architecture, typography, Scripture treatment, citations, figures, tables, diagrams, templates, covers, front matter, back matter, identification, and production.

Detailed technical requirements are governed by the D. Mass Christian Publishers, Inc. Publishing and Production Standards, Master Edition and its applicable companion standards.

Final Editorial Authority

Submission does not create an obligation to publish.

D. Mass reserves final editorial and publishing authority over works bearing its name and may decline a manuscript, require revision, suspend consideration, or discontinue a project when the work fails to satisfy applicable mission, Scriptural, theological, intellectual, editorial, ethical, legal, or production standards.