Author Guidelines
Publication Sections
Submission Workflow
Downloadable Documents, Required Forms, and Policies
| Document or Policy | Available Format | Submission Status and Information |
|---|---|---|
| Article Template | Download .docx · View PDF | Required format for the primary article manuscript. |
| Editorial Template | Download .docx · View PDF | Reference document for the editorial process. |
| Statement of Originality and Ethical Compliance | Download .docx · View PDF | Mandatory signed supplementary document. |
| Author Identity Form | Author-prepared document | View required identity information. Mandatory supplementary document. |
| Author Compliance Agreement | Signed author-prepared document | Read agreement requirements. Mandatory supplementary document. |
| Author Compliance Policy | Online policy | Read the Author Compliance Policy. Mandatory for all authors. |
All submitting and contributing authors are required to comply with the journal’s editorial instructions, revision deadlines, production requirements, authorship responsibilities, and other post-submission obligations as stipulated in the Author Compliance Policy.
Reviewer Guidelines
Reviewers serve as the vital cornerstone of our academic integrity. We cordially request all appointed reviewers to uphold these structured evaluation parameters to maintain the distinction of the journal.
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1. Role and Responsibility of Reviewers
Reviewers play a central role in maintaining the academic quality and integrity of Senarai: Journal of Islamic Heritage and Civilization. They are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, critically, and constructively, providing scholarly feedback that assists authors in improving the clarity, rigor, and contribution of their work. Reviewers must assess the manuscript solely on its academic merit, originality, relevance, and methodological soundness. -
2. Confidentiality and Ethical Conduct
All manuscripts received for review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, discuss, distribute, or use any part of the manuscript for personal, professional, or academic advantage. The content may not be disclosed to third parties without explicit permission from the Editor-in-Chief. Any breach of confidentiality constitutes a serious ethical violation. -
3. Conflict of Interest
Reviewers must declare any potential conflict of interest before accepting a review assignment. Conflicts may arise from personal, institutional, collaborative, or financial relationships with the author(s). If a conflict exists, reviewers are required to decline the invitation to review to preserve the integrity and impartiality of the peer-review process. -
4. Scholarly Evaluation Criteria
Reviewers are expected to assess manuscripts based on the following criteria:- Originality and contribution to the field
- Relevance to the journal’s scope
- Clarity of research objectives and questions
- Theoretical framework and engagement with relevant literature
- Methodological rigor and appropriateness
- Quality of analysis, argumentation, and interpretation
- Clarity of structure, language, and presentation
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5. Constructive and Respectful Feedback
Reviewer comments should be clear, specific, and constructive. Criticism must be expressed in a respectful and professional manner, focusing on improving the manuscript rather than judging the author. Reviewers should avoid personal remarks, discriminatory language, or dismissive statements. -
6. Timeliness of Review
Reviewers are expected to complete their evaluations within the agreed review period. If circumstances prevent timely completion, reviewers should promptly inform the editorial office so that alternative arrangements can be made. -
7. Recommendation and Decision Support
Reviewers are required to provide a clear recommendation, such as: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject. Recommendations should be supported by well-reasoned arguments and aligned with the detailed review comments submitted to both the editor and the author.
Editorial Roles and Responsibilities
The responsibilities below are designed to ensure that editorial actions remain consistent, evidence-based, and respectful of authors, reviewers, and readers. Particular attention is given to source integrity, interpretive clarity, citation quality, confidentiality, and responsible handling of culturally or religiously sensitive materials.
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1. Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief holds final editorial authority and is responsible for the journal’s overall direction, publication standards, and ethical oversight. This role ensures that the journal applies its policies consistently and maintains a high level of editorial integrity. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision on acceptance, revision, resubmission, or rejection after considering the scholarly screening conducted by the Editor and the reports provided by the Reviewers.
The role also includes oversight of publication ethics, authorship integrity, conflict-of-interest management, post-publication corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions when needed. The Editor-in-Chief safeguards editorial independence and ensures that all final decisions remain fair, documented, and aligned with the journal’s policies. -
2. Managing Editor
The Managing Editor serves as the principal coordinator of the editorial workflow and ensures that each manuscript moves through the system in an orderly, timely, and documented manner. Working under the authority of the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing Editor oversees submission intake, administrative routing, revision tracking, production readiness, and communication flow among authors, editors, reviewers, and administrative staff.
The Managing Editor verifies that the manuscript package is complete from an operational perspective, that the required files are in the correct format, and that the submission is ready to enter editorial screening. The Managing Editor also monitors deadlines, maintains the handoff between workflow stages, ensures that editorial correspondence remains precise and professional, and prepares workflow summaries for the Editor-in-Chief. -
3. Editor
The Editor is responsible for scholarly screening and peer review management under the authority of the Editor-in-Chief and in close coordination with the Managing Editor. This includes assessing whether the manuscript fits the journal’s scope, evaluating the originality and scholarly relevance of the submission, checking the quality of argumentation, and determining whether the paper is suitable for external review.
The Editor also coordinates the selection of at least two independent Reviewers, ensures that reviewer invitations are sent to qualified experts without conflicts of interest, and manages the review process through to completion. After receiving reviewer reports, the Editor synthesizes the feedback and prepares a clear editorial recommendation for the Editor-in-Chief.
The Editor does not make the final decision. The role is to provide scholarly judgment, ensure a fair and double-blind review process, and deliver constructive revision guidance to authors. -
4. Reviewer
Reviewers provide independent, expert, and confidential assessment of manuscripts assigned to them. Their responsibility is to evaluate the manuscript’s originality, methodological soundness, interpretive clarity, reliability of sources, scholarly contribution, and adherence to the journal’s academic focus.
Reviewers are expected to deliver objective, evidence-based, and constructive feedback that helps authors improve their work. Reviewers must avoid personal criticism, biased judgment, or any use of the manuscript for personal, institutional, or commercial advantage.
Reviewers do not communicate directly with authors, do not make editorial decisions, and do not access author identities in the double-blind process. Their role is strictly advisory and scholarly. -
5. Administrative Staff
Administrative Staff support the technical and documentary side of the editorial process. Their responsibilities include receiving submissions, checking file completeness, confirming metadata accuracy, maintaining correspondence records, preparing publication documents, assisting with issue scheduling, handling archiving tasks, and supporting website updates. This role does not make editorial decisions but ensures that the journal workflow remains orderly, efficient, and traceable.
Administrative Staff must handle article files, issue records, DOI information, publication dates, web links, and archival materials carefully so that content remains discoverable and accessible over time. They also assist with formal communication, invoice preparation where applicable, production records, and post-publication metadata corrections. Confidentiality, accuracy, and professionalism are essential in all administrative work. -
6. Editorial Screening Principles
All manuscripts undergo editorial screening before external review. Screening is performed by the Editor and focuses on relevance to the journal scope, originality, clarity of argument, integrity of sources, technical completeness, and ethical suitability. Submissions that clearly fall outside the journal’s publication focus, contain serious ethical concerns, or do not meet basic scholarly standards may be declined at this stage.
Screening also assesses whether the manuscript treats evidence responsibly, avoids unsupported claims, respects cultural and religious sensitivity, and offers a meaningful scholarly contribution. This stage protects the integrity of the review process and ensures that only suitable manuscripts are sent for expert evaluation. -
7. Editorial Confidentiality
The Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Editor, Reviewers, and Administrative Staff must preserve confidentiality throughout the editorial process. Submitted manuscripts, reviewer identities, review reports, correspondence, and internal decisions may not be disclosed to unauthorized individuals. Confidential information may only be shared when necessary for the editorial workflow and only with persons directly involved in manuscript handling.
Confidentiality protects author rights, reviewer independence, and the trust placed in the journal. It also applies to unpublished materials, internal decisions, and all documents exchanged during manuscript handling and production. -
8. Editorial Ethics and Integrity
The editorial team must uphold publication ethics in every stage of the editorial process. This includes fair treatment of authors, impartial handling of manuscripts, responsible communication, clear disclosure of conflicts of interest, and proper management of concerns involving plagiarism, fabricated references, misleading citations, duplicate publication, or inappropriate use of AI tools.
When ethical concerns arise, the Editor-in-Chief, supported by the Managing Editor and Editor, should act promptly, document the case carefully, and follow the journal’s ethical and malpractice procedures. Decisions must remain evidence-based and consistent with journal policy, with corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions issued when required to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record. -
9. Editorial Decision-Making
After the review process is completed, the Editor prepares a recommendation based on reviewer reports and the scholarly quality of the manuscript. The recommendation is then forwarded to the Editor-in-Chief, who holds the final authority to issue the editorial decision. The Managing Editor communicates the decision to the author and ensures that the process is documented properly.
Decisions are categorized into: Accepted as is, Accepted with Minor Revisions, Accepted with Major Revisions, Resubmit for Review, and Rejected. The final decision is always based on scholarly merit, ethical compliance, and alignment with journal scope. -
10. Post-Decision Workflow
Following the final editorial decision, the manuscript proceeds into one of the designated pathways below: revision, rejection, or acceptance. For revision decisions, the author must submit a revised manuscript together with a response document that addresses reviewer and editor comments point by point. The Editor verifies whether the concerns have been adequately resolved and may, when necessary, return major revisions to the original Reviewers for a second round of evaluation.
If the manuscript is rejected, the workflow concludes and the Managing Editor informs the author of the outcome. If the manuscript is accepted, the administrative office issues the applicable APC invoice or payment notice. After payment has been verified, or an approved waiver or reduction has been formally recorded, the manuscript proceeds to production coordination and publication handling in accordance with the journal’s production workflow.
Submission Preparation Checklist
As part of the submission process, authors are required to verify their submission's compliance with all of the following items. Submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines may be returned to authors.
- Originality & Exclusivity The submission has not been previously published, nor is it currently under consideration or review by another journal or conference.
- File Format & Template The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), or RTF document file format and strictly follows the official journal template.
- Word Count & Language The manuscript normally contains 7,000–9,000 words and does not exceed 15,000 words. If written in Arabic or Indonesian, the Title, Abstract (150-250 words), and Keywords have been provided in English.
- Reference Style The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines (APA Style), and reference management software (Mendeley, Zotero, etc.) has been used.
- Ethical Compliance The signed Statement of Originality and Ethical Compliance is ready to be uploaded as a supplementary file during the submission process.
- Figures & Tables All illustrations, figures, and tables are placed appropriately within the text (or indicated clearly) and are submitted as high-resolution files if required.
- Author Identity Form A separate Author Identity Form has been prepared with complete and accurate information for every author, including affiliation, country, email address, academic identifier where available, contribution, author order, and Corresponding Author designation.
- Author Compliance Agreement The signed Author Compliance Agreement is ready for upload, and all authors have read and agreed to comply with the Author Compliance Policy, including editorial, revision, authorship, production, and post-decision obligations.