International Journal of Theological and Islamic Studies

International Journal of Theological and Islamic Studies - JIST (Marmara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi - MÜİFD) is a peer-reviewed, open-access, and multidisciplinary academic journal issued twice a year. It is one of the oldest and uninterruptedly published academic journals (since 1963) and one of the most respected ones in the fields of theological and Islamic studies in Turkey. The JIST is dedicated to bringing to the attention of the international scholarly community well-written original research articles by qualified specialists in theological and Islamic studies. It aims at providing a forum to share and discuss new academic findings and supporting the development of fresh scholarly discussions, examinations, reinterpretations, and approaches.

As a journal with the mission of contributing to high-quality academic studies, spreading academic knowledge and making it accessible to all parts of the society, the JIST maintains an open-access policy. All materials published in the journal are accessible, free of charge, via the website of the journal. All materials can be downloaded without membership or payment. No fee is expected from authors for any reason.

Issued by the Faculty of Theology of Marmara University, the JIST publishes research articles, research notes, book and conference reviews, and obituary notes related to any subdiscipline of theological and Islamic studies. These include historical studies and modern interpretations of Qur’anic and hadith studies, fiqh, kalam, Sufism, Islamic history, Islamic intellectual tradition as well as theological, religious, and philosophical studies. The journal considers articles in Turkish, English, and Arabic, and occasionally publishes scholarly contributions in Persian, German, and French.

• International Journal of Theological and Islamic Studies - JIST (Marmara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi) is a double-blind peer-reviewed,  and open access academic journal published twice a year (June and December) in the fields of theological and Islamic Studies.
• JIST publishes academic contributions under the following categories: research articles, research notes, book reviews, reviews of conferences and meetings, interviews, and obituary notes.
• JIST accepts contributions in Turkish, English, Arabic, Persian, German, and French.
• Manuscripts are expected to be related to at least one of the subfields of theological and Islamic studies.
• As a rule, JIST does not publish more than one research article of the same author in a single issue. It is, however, possible to publish more than one piece by the same author in different categories depending on the Editorial Board's decision.
• JIST is published twice a year (June 15, December 15). Research articles must be submitted at least three months before (March 15 for the June issue and August 15 for the December issue) and contributions in the other categories should be sent at least two months before the publication date (April 15 and September 15 respectively) to be considered for inclusion in the nearest issue. However, timely submission does not necessarily guarantee that the manuscripts will have undergone all the necessary steps to be published in that period of time. Articles whose reviewal and editorial processes have not been completed are published in the next issue.
• JIST expects manuscripts to be 35 pages or fewer, excluding bibliography, tables, and figures, but still considers longer manuscripts.
• JIST follows the Chicago Manual of Style for citations and bibliography in English articles and modifies it in articles in Turkish and other languages (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html).
• All articles should include a bibliography of the works cited. Arabic and Persian articles should also be appended with a bibliography in Roman script.
• JIST requires that all authors submit all manuscripts online through the Dergipark system. Authors who cannot submit online should contact (ilahiyat.dergi@marmara.edu.tr) to get help from the editorial team. The Journal does not require a submission fee.
• Authors are expected to read the JIST’s Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement beforehand.
  
• Prior to the submission of the manuscripts to the journal, authors are expected to peruse the JIST Publication Guide. Manuscripts should be written in Microsoft Office Word with the Times New Roman font in 11-point size and 1.5-spaced (.doc) or (.docx) extension, left-aligned, and all text, including headings, should be defined as normal text.
• All articles should include an abstract both in English and in Turkish of 700-750 words and 5-8 keywords. Turkish abstracts for the non-Turkish writings might be provided by the journal’s editorial team.
• JIST applies the full transliteration system for Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish. For this reason, it expects manuscripts to be transliterated according to the rules laid out in the JIST Transliteration Guide.
• The publication rights of the articles to be published belong to the JIST. For this reason, in the initial submission of the manuscripts, regardless of the category of the manuscript, the Copyright Transfer Agreement must be filled out duly and uploaded to the system together with the manuscript. Unfortunately, the JIST cannot make any payments to the authors if the articles are published.
• All or parts of the submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously or should not be under consideration elsewhere.
• Manuscripts are checked against plagiarism software during the initial evaluation process.
• All manuscripts undergo a two-tiered review: first, initial evaluation by the editorial staff for overall quality and interest, and second, peer-review process. The initial evaluation process normally takes approximately 15 days while the reviewing process takes approximately 30 days but occasionally longer. Please also note that after the revision by the authors the JIST may send the articles back to reviewers who can assess if their concerns and suggestions have been addressed satisfactorily.
• Articles that fit the JIST’s scope and standards are sent to two anonymous reviewers for evaluation. The publication of an article depends upon the approval of these reviewers, and authors must provide the necessary corrections demanded by them. If two of the reviewers accept an article as publishable, the article is published; if both of them reject the article, it is rejected and not published. If one of the reviewers accepts it and the other rejects it, then the article is sent to a third reviewer; if the third reviewer accepts the article, it is published, and if not the article is rejected. 
  
• The authors should avoid any self-reference that may reveal their identity to the reviewers. They can make the necessary changes and add the necessary references to the final version of the article.
• Articles accepted for publication are rigorously edited and their sources and references are meticulously checked by the editorial board. This may take a few weeks and may possibly delay the publication of the article.
  

• JIST is a double-blind peer-reviewed, open-access, and multidisciplinary academic journal issued twice a year. Submitted manuscripts are first assessed by the editorial board and only those articles that passed this initial process are sent to two anonymous reviewers for evaluation and peer-reviewing. In case both of the reviews are positive a manuscript is considered for publication; if both of them are negative, the manuscript is rejected and not published. If one of the reviews is positive and the other negative, then the manuscript is sent to a third reviewer; if this third reviewer is positive the manuscript is published, and if not the manuscript is rejected. However, the editorial board of JIST has the final decision to publish a manuscript after reviewing.
• Fair Play: JIST gives unbiased consideration to all manuscripts, judging each on its own academic merits without regard to the race, religion, nationality, sex, political philosophy, seniority, or institutional affiliation of the author.
• Confidentiality: The editor and the members of the editorial board should not disclose any information about a manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and other editorial advisers.
• Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Unpublished material disclosed in a manuscript submitted to JIST must not be used in the research of the members of the editorial board without the consent of the author.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF PEER-REVIEWERS

• Contribution to Editorial Decision: Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and may also help the authors in improving their work. JIST sends the revision requests to the authors and expects them to comply with the reviewers’ suggestions. JIST may reject an article on the ground that the revisions requested by the reviewers and the editorial board are not undertaken by the authors.
• Promptness: Normally JIST gives reviewers 15 days to review an article but this can be extended when and if necessary. Reviewers should only agree to review manuscripts for which they have the subject expertise required to carry out a proper assessment in a timely manner and should notify the editorial office of JIST immediately if they cannot fulfill this task so alternative reviewers can be assigned.
• Confidentiality: Reviewers should respect the confidentiality of peer review. They should not reveal any details of a manuscript or its review, during or after the assessment process to anyone except if authorized by the editör of JIST. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the consent of the author.
• Standards of Objectivity: Reviewers should be objective and constructive in their review. Decisions should solely depend on academic merit and relevance to the subject and should be expressed by supporting arguments. Any personal attacks against the authors are unacceptable. Reviewers should not reject or approve an article without any necessary explanation.
• Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editors’ attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.
• Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. A reviewer should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AUTHORS

• Reporting Standards: Authors should present an accurate account of the research performed, and offer an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately. The manuscript should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Dishonest, false, or incompetent statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works. The work and words of others must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms including self-plagiarism (text-recycling) is unethical and unacceptable. If JIST identifies plagiarism in an article, it is immediately removed from the evaluation process. If identified only after publication, JIST notifies relevant authorities of the situation.
• Multiple, Redundant and Concurrent Publication: The manuscript should offer new, original insights or interpretations that have not been published before and are not under consideration for publication in another journal. Submitting an article already published in any form and submitting the same article to multiple journals are unethical and unacceptable.
• Acknowledgment of Sources: Authors must properly acknowledge the works of others. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of their work.
• Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the article. All those who have made a significant contribution should be listed as co-authors. Others who have contributed in certain aspects should be listed in the acknowledgment section. All co-authors and responsible authorities should have approved the submitted version.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors should declare all funding sources and any actual or potential conflicts including any financial, personal, or other relationships with other people and organizations.
• Fundamental Errors in Published Works: Authors are obliged to promptly notify the editor of JIST to retract the article or publish an appropriate erratum if they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published works.
  

All materials published in the journal are accessible, free of charge, via the website of the journal. All materials can be downloaded without a membership or payment. No fee is expected from authors for any reason.