Publication Ethics

The Islamic Studies and Education Journal (ISEJ) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct throughout the publication process.

The journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and expects authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher to uphold the principles of honesty, accountability, fairness, and respect in scholarly publishing.

All parties involved in the publication process share responsibility for ensuring the quality and integrity of published research.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to:

  • submit only original and unpublished work;
  • ensure that the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal;
  • accurately present research methods, data, and findings without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation;
  • appropriately acknowledge the work of others through proper citation;
  • obtain all necessary ethical approvals for research involving human participants or animals, where applicable;
  • disclose all sources of research funding;
  • disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest;
  • ensure that all listed authors have made substantial scholarly contributions to the work;
  • approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the published work.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

  • evaluating manuscripts solely on their academic merit, originality, methodological quality, and relevance to the journal's scope;
  • making editorial decisions independently and without discrimination based on race, gender, nationality, religion, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs;
  • maintaining the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
  • managing the peer review process fairly and objectively;
  • avoiding conflicts of interest in editorial decision-making;
  • taking appropriate action when ethical concerns or allegations of misconduct arise.

Editors shall not use unpublished information obtained during the editorial process for personal research or personal advantage.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

  • provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations;
  • maintain the confidentiality of all manuscripts received for review;
  • identify relevant published work that has not been cited where appropriate;
  • notify the Editor of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or research misconduct;
  • decline review invitations where conflicts of interest exist or where they lack sufficient expertise.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal benefit.

4. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The Publisher is committed to:

  • supporting editorial independence;
  • promoting ethical publishing practices;
  • maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record;
  • providing appropriate resources for editorial management;
  • addressing allegations of research misconduct in accordance with internationally accepted ethical standards.

The Publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.

5. Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript preparation.

All authors should:

  • approve the submitted manuscript;
  • agree to its submission;
  • accept responsibility for the integrity of the work.

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors after submission must be accompanied by written justification and the agreement of all authors.

6. Conflict of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers should disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the objectivity of the publication process.

Individuals with significant conflicts of interest should refrain from participating in editorial or review decisions related to the manuscript.

7. Research Integrity

The journal does not tolerate any form of research misconduct, including but not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • data fabrication;
  • data falsification;
  • image manipulation that misrepresents research findings;
  • duplicate or redundant publication;
  • inappropriate authorship;
  • citation manipulation.

Suspected misconduct will be investigated in accordance with the journal's editorial procedures and the principles of COPE.

8. Ethical Approval

Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data should comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards.

Where required, authors should indicate that approval has been obtained from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board.

Authors should also confirm that informed consent has been obtained where applicable.

9. Corrections and Retractions

The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy of the scholarly record.

Where necessary, the journal may publish:

  • corrections;
  • corrigenda;
  • expressions of concern; or
  • retractions.

Such actions will be taken when significant errors or ethical concerns affect the reliability or integrity of a published article.

Detailed procedures are available in the journal's Corrections, Retractions and Withdrawals Policy.

10. Complaints and Appeals

The journal provides a fair process for handling complaints and appeals related to editorial decisions, peer review, or publication ethics.

Complaints and appeals will be assessed objectively by the Editorial Office and, where appropriate, additional consultation may be undertaken before a final decision is reached.

11. Confidentiality

Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff shall treat all submitted manuscripts and related correspondence as confidential.

Confidential information obtained during the editorial process must not be disclosed or used for personal advantage without appropriate authorization.

12. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in manuscript preparation is permitted only in accordance with the journal's AI Policy.

AI systems cannot be listed as authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and scientific content of their manuscripts.

13. Ethical Oversight

The journal is committed to addressing ethical issues throughout the publication process in accordance with internationally recognized standards.

When ethical concerns arise, the Editorial Office may request additional documentation, clarification, or institutional verification before making an editorial decision.

Where appropriate, the journal will follow the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in resolving ethical matters.