Author Guidelines

General Guidance

Islamic Sciences welcomes serious scholarly work that contributes to discussion within the journal’s fields of interest.

Authors should write with an academic readership in mind, but clarity is strongly encouraged. A difficult subject does not require unnecessarily difficult prose.

The journal values work that engages carefully with relevant sources and scholarship and makes a recognizable contribution of its own.

Structure of the Article

There is no single structure suitable for every article published in Islamic Sciences.

A historical study, philosophical argument, textual analysis, or study concerned with science and religion may each require a different form.

Research articles should nevertheless normally include a title, abstract, keywords, main discussion, conclusion, and complete references.

Headings should be used where they help the reader follow the development of the argument.

Authors should organize the article according to the needs of the research rather than forcing every manuscript into the same template.

Title and Abstract

The title should identify the subject of the article clearly and should not be unnecessarily long.

The abstract should give readers a concise account of what the article examines, the approach taken, and the main argument or conclusion.

It should allow a reader to understand the purpose of the article without first reading the full text.

Authors should also provide relevant keywords that reflect the principal subjects, concepts, texts, persons, or disciplines discussed in the article.

Argument and Scholarship

A manuscript should make clear what question it is addressing and what it contributes to existing scholarship.

Authors are encouraged to engage critically with earlier work, but academic disagreement should remain fair and focused on arguments and evidence rather than on individuals.

Where an established interpretation is being challenged, that interpretation should be represented accurately before criticism is offered.

Claims should be no stronger than the evidence on which they are based.

Sources

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all material cited in their manuscripts.

References, quotations, dates, names, page numbers, and bibliographic details should be checked carefully before submission.

Where an argument depends upon primary material, authors should cite the original source wherever reasonably possible.

If information or a quotation has been obtained through a secondary source, the citation should not give the impression that the primary source was consulted directly.

Qurʾanic, Hadith, and Classical Sources

Articles dealing with Qurʾanic material, Hadith, classical Islamic texts, manuscripts, or other historical sources should provide references that allow the material to be identified and checked.

Qurʾanic citations should include the relevant sūra and verse.

Where a published translation is used, it should be acknowledged where appropriate. If the translation is the author’s own, this may also be indicated where relevant to the discussion.

Statements attributed to classical scholars should be verified carefully.

The journal places particular importance on accurate quotation, translation, and attribution in work dealing with primary Islamic sources.

Arabic and Other Languages

Arabic terms and quotations may be used where they are important to the argument.

Material in Persian, Urdu, Ottoman Turkish, or other languages may also be included where relevant.

Authors should provide translations where needed for the wider readership of the journal.

If a translation is borrowed or adapted from another scholar, the source should be acknowledged. Authors should not present another person’s translation as their own.

Transliteration

Transliteration should be consistent throughout the manuscript.

Technical terms, personal names, book titles, and words whose original form is important to the argument may be transliterated more fully.

Common words already established in English need not be made unnecessarily complicated.

Consistency and readability are more important than excessive use of diacritics where these do not assist the reader.

Quotations

Direct quotations should reproduce the source accurately and should be accompanied by an appropriate reference.

Quotations should support the discussion rather than replace it.

Long passages may be appropriate in textual or historical research, but the author should explain their significance and relation to the argument.

References and Bibliography

References should be complete and presented consistently.

Authors should check author names, titles, publication details, dates, page ranges, volume and issue information, and DOI details where relevant.

At submission stage, consistency and accuracy are more important than elaborate formatting.

The editorial team may make normal adjustments to references during preparation for publication.

Tables, Figures, and Images

Tables, figures, manuscript images, diagrams, photographs, and other visual material should be included only where they contribute to the scholarly discussion.

Each item should be clearly identified and accompanied by an appropriate caption or source statement.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted material where permission is required.

Authorship

Only individuals who have made a genuine contribution to the research and preparation of the manuscript should be listed as authors.

All authors should approve the submitted version and the order in which their names appear.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the information supplied about co-authors is accurate.

Those who assisted the work without making an authorship-level contribution may be acknowledged separately.

Funding and Conflicts of Interest

Any funding directly connected with the research should be disclosed where relevant.

Authors should also disclose relationships or interests that could reasonably be considered relevant to the interpretation or publication of the work.

Disclosure is intended to provide transparency and does not itself imply that the research is compromised.

Research Ethics

Where research involves interviews, human participants, private correspondence, personal information, or other sensitive material, authors should follow appropriate ethical standards.

Consent, permission, or institutional approval should be obtained where required.

Authors are responsible for respecting confidentiality and for avoiding the publication of private or identifiable information without an appropriate basis.

Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted work should be original.

Material taken from other authors must be acknowledged whether it consists of words, ideas, arguments, translations, data, or other intellectual content.

The journal may use similarity-checking tools during editorial assessment, but similarity is considered in context rather than judged solely by a numerical score.

Authors should refer to the journal’s Plagiarism and Originality Policy for further guidance.

AI-Assisted Tools

Authors remain responsible for everything submitted under their names.

AI-assisted tools cannot be listed as authors and should not be used to invent sources, quotations, evidence, references, or research findings.

Where AI has made a substantive contribution to writing, translation, analysis, or another important part of the manuscript, its use should be disclosed where appropriate.

Routine spelling or grammar assistance does not need to be treated as a research method.

Language and Presentation

Manuscripts should be written in clear scholarly language.

Authors should avoid unnecessary repetition, excessive jargon, and overly complicated sentences where a simpler expression would communicate the same idea more effectively.

The journal may make normal editorial changes for clarity and consistency, but manuscripts should already be sufficiently polished to undergo academic review.

File Preparation

The manuscript should be submitted in an editable format accepted by the journal’s online system.

Authors should use straightforward formatting, clear headings, consistent references, and readable Arabic or other non-Latin scripts.

Elaborate page design is not required at submission stage. Accepted manuscripts will be prepared according to the journal’s publication format during production.

Final Check

Before submitting, authors should read the manuscript once more as a complete article rather than only as separate sections.

They should make sure that the argument is clear, quotations and references have been checked, translations are accurate, authorship information is correct, and any necessary ethical or funding information has been included.

A carefully prepared manuscript gives editors and reviewers the best opportunity to assess the scholarship on its merits.