Journal Policy

Journal Policy

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to the International Journal of Islamic Studies UK (IJOIS) undergo an initial editorial screening to ensure compliance with the journal’s submission guidelines, formatting requirements, ethical standards, and thematic relevance to the journal’s focus and scope. Only manuscripts that successfully pass this preliminary assessment proceed to the formal peer-review stage.

IJOIS follows a double-blind peer-review system in which both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the evaluation process. This approach ensures fairness, impartiality, confidentiality, and academic objectivity. Each manuscript is assigned to at least two independent reviewers selected on the basis of their academic expertise, specialization, research background, and previous reviewing experience relevant to the submitted work.

To maintain consistency and transparency, the journal utilizes a standardized review framework for all evaluations.

Reviewers assess manuscripts based on the following criteria:

• Originality and scholarly novelty
• Theoretical depth and methodological rigor
• Contribution to Islamic Studies and interdisciplinary scholarship
• Clarity, coherence, and academic presentation
• Ethical compliance and academic integrity
• Relevance to the journal’s aims, focus, and scope

Following the completion of the review process, the Editorial Board makes a decision based on reviewer recommendations. IJOIS applies the following editorial decision categories:

• Accepted (No revisions required)
• Accepted with Minor Revisions (Authors revise within a specified period)
• Accepted with Major Revisions (Substantial revisions required before reconsideration)
• Rejected (Due to ethical concerns, scope mismatch, methodological weaknesses, or insufficient scholarly contribution)

The final decision regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

Section Policies

Plagiarism Policy

The International Journal of Islamic Studies UK (IJOIS) strictly prohibits plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, and all forms of academic misconduct. All submitted manuscripts are screened using Turnitin or equivalent plagiarism-detection software before entering the peer-review process.

Manuscripts containing a similarity index exceeding 20% (excluding references, properly quoted material, and standard phrases) may be automatically rejected or returned for correction depending on the nature of the overlap.

Authors must ensure that:

• All submitted work is original and unpublished.
• The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere simultaneously.
• All sources, references, quotations, and borrowed material are properly cited.
• Permissions are obtained for copyrighted materials, including tables, figures, and illustrations where required.

Prior to publication, authors may be required to sign an Originality and Ethical Compliance Statement confirming adherence to publication ethics and academic integrity standards.

Retraction Policy

IJOIS is committed to preserving the integrity, reliability, and credibility of the scholarly record. Retraction, correction, or removal of articles may occur under exceptional circumstances, including but not limited to:

• Proven plagiarism or duplicate publication
• Fabrication or falsification of data
• Fraudulent or unauthorized authorship claims
• Serious ethical violations affecting research credibility
• Legal issues such as copyright infringement, defamation, or court orders

Article Withdrawal (Pre-Publication)

A manuscript may be withdrawn before publication under the following circumstances:

• Simultaneous submission to multiple journals
• Discovery of serious ethical concerns
• Plagiarism or authorship disputes
• Formal withdrawal request submitted by the corresponding author with valid justification

Article Retraction (Post-Publication)

A published article may be formally retracted if:

• Significant ethical misconduct is identified after publication
• Data manipulation or fabricated findings are discovered
• Duplicate publication is confirmed
• Serious errors invalidate the research findings

Retraction procedures may include:

• Publication of a formal notice titled:
  “Retraction: [Article Title]”
• Addition of a visible “Retracted” watermark on the article PDF
• Removal or restriction of the HTML version with an explanatory notice
• Retention of article metadata to preserve academic transparency and citation records

Article Removal (Legal Reasons)

In rare and exceptional cases involving legal obligations—such as defamation claims, privacy violations, copyright disputes, or court directives—the journal may remove the full text of an article and replace it with a notice explaining the reason for removal.

Article Replacement

If a published article contains errors that may cause significant misunderstanding, harm, or misleading interpretation, authors may submit a corrected version for editorial review.

Where appropriate, the journal may:

• Publish a corrected version of the article
• Issue a replacement notice linked to the original publication
• Maintain transparency in accordance with Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines

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Commitment to Ethical and Transparent Publishing

The International Journal of Islamic Studies UK (IJOIS) proudly adheres to internationally recognized ethical publishing standards and best practices. The journal is dedicated to ensuring that the publication process remains transparent, fair, academically rigorous, and ethically responsible.

Through strong editorial oversight, responsible authorship practices, and adherence to global publication ethics, IJOIS seeks to foster a trustworthy scholarly environment that contributes meaningfully to the advancement of Islamic Studies and interdisciplinary academic research worldwide.