Intellectual Framework

SJKS uses a clear framework to bring together research from different knowledge traditions and disciplines. It is guided by Four Principles of Research, organised across Seven Thematic Domains and examined through Seven Meta-Knowledge Lenses, with an Editorial Arc shaping its broader scholarly direction.

The Four Principles reflect the Journal’s commitment to rigorous, transparent and responsible scholarship. The Thematic Domains represent its broad areas of research, while the Meta-Knowledge Lenses offer different ways of examining how knowledge works.

Four Principles of Research

The Four Principles describe the core research values that guide the Journal.

  • Declared Warrant — Clearly state the sources and basis of important claims.
  • Strongest Counter-Position — Consider the strongest relevant opposing view fairly.
  • Knowledge as System — Study knowledge together with its methods, sources, practices, institutions and forms of transmission.
  • Knowledge with Responsibility — Consider the wider impact of research and respect the rights of knowledge-holders.

Seven Thematic Domains

The Thematic Domains represent the main areas of research covered by the Journal.

  • Foundational Frameworks and Epistemic Autonomy — Philosophical foundations and theories of knowledge.
  • Canonical Texts, Auxiliary Sciences and Indigenous Hermeneutics — Texts, interpretation, language traditions and transmission.
  • Indigenous Pedagogy and Native Educational Praxis — Traditional approaches to learning, teaching and assessment.
  • Applied Knowledge Systems and Practical Sovereignty — Knowledge applied in fields such as health, agriculture, governance and ecology.
  • Textual Studies, Philology and Manuscript Preservation — Manuscripts, editions, textual transmission and preservation.
  • Integrative Interdisciplinary Research — Dialogue between traditional knowledge systems and contemporary disciplines.
  • Critical Reviews and Indigenous Research Methodologies — Research methods, critical reviews and approaches to studying knowledge traditions.

Seven Meta-Knowledge Lenses

The Meta-Knowledge Lenses show the different questions through which knowledge systems can be examined.

  • M1. Theory of Knowledge — What counts as knowledge, and why?
  • M2. Metrology of Knowledge — How is the reliability of knowledge assessed?
  • M3. Knowledge Lifecycle and Verification — How is knowledge created, tested, revised and preserved?
  • M4. Knowledge Technologies — How is knowledge stored, transmitted and protected?
  • M5. Knowledge Engineering — How is knowledge organised and structured?
  • M6. Knowledge Systems Proper — What makes knowledge function as a complete system?
  • M7. Comparative Knowledge Systems — How can different knowledge systems be compared fairly?

How Domains and Lenses Work

The Domain shows the broad area of research, while the Lens shows the particular question about knowledge being explored.

Each article is placed within one Thematic Domain and uses at least one Meta-Knowledge Lens. An article may use more than one Lens where relevant.

Editorial Arc

The Editorial Arc highlights six broad areas of inquiry that help authors understand the wider scholarly conversations SJKS seeks to develop over time.

  • Foundations — Questions about what counts as knowledge and how its foundations are understood.
  • Interpretation — Questions about how knowledge is expressed, interpreted and understood through language and text.
  • Validation — Questions about how knowledge is assessed, tested and considered reliable.
  • Transmission — Questions about how knowledge is taught, shared and passed across generations.
  • Design — Questions about how knowledge is organised into systems, methods and tools.
  • Dialogue — Questions about how different knowledge systems interact and engage with one another.

For authors, these themes provide a broader context for positioning their work within the Journal’s developing areas of inquiry.