ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND PUBLICATION POLICY
AL-MAJALLA Journal of Islamic Studies conducts transparent and reliable publication processes to ensure that scientific knowledge is produced and disseminated in a neutral, reputable, original, universal, and methodologically sound manner. These processes require authors, reviewers, editors, and other stakeholders to act with a sense of responsibility.
1. Ethical Standards and Stakeholder Responsibilities: The journal defines the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and the publisher in accordance with ethical publication principles. These principles are prepared based on COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and internationally accepted ethical standards in Islamic studies.
2. Publication Ethics Principles: Minor scientific or typographical errors in published articles may be corrected through an erratum. Articles containing significant errors affecting results or conclusions may be retracted. In cases of suspected misconduct during research or publication, editors may issue an expression of concern. All actions follow COPE guidelines.
3. Plagiarism and Academic Integrity: AL-MAJALLA Journal of Islamic Studies prioritizes intellectual property rights and originality. Plagiarism or unethical behavior is strictly prohibited. Suspected plagiarism is initially reviewed by the Ethics or Editorial Board, and authors are given two weeks to respond; failure to respond results in notification to affiliated institutions.
Procedures for detected plagiarism include:
a) Removal of the article from the journal website and marking it as “Plagiarized Article,”
b) Suspension of the author account and rejection of future submissions for at least three years,
c) Notification of the author’s affiliated institutions.
Plagiarism checks are conducted using iThenticate or equivalent software. The similarity rate should not exceed 20% before or after acceptance.
4. Research Requiring Ethics/Editorial Board Approval: When required, Ethics/Editorial Board approval must be obtained for all research studies. Approval details must be indicated on the first page of the manuscript and uploaded to the Dergipark system. Information about the approval (board name, approval date, reference number) must be included in the methodology section. Additionally, consent forms for case studies must be indicated after the references.
5. Special Issues and Publication Process: AL-MAJALLA may publish a special issue once per year upon the request of the Editorial Board. Submissions to special issues follow standard publication policies, including preliminary review, plagiarism screening, and double-blind peer review.
6. Authorship and Scientific Responsibility: Authors must prepare their manuscripts in accordance with the ISNAD 2nd Edition Footnote Citation System and AL-MAJALLA Article Template. References must be complete and accurate; Arabic references must also include a Latinized version. Republishing the same research or splitting it into multiple articles is unethical. Fabricated data, misrepresentation, or false information are strictly prohibited. All co-authors must have contributed meaningfully, and authorship order must be fair and transparent. Contributors who did not participate must not be listed as authors.
7. Peer Review and Editorial Responsibilities: Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts impartially, confidentially, and without conflicts of interest. Reviewer identities are kept confidential, and preventive measures against plagiarism and ethical violations are applied. Editors make publication decisions objectively and transfer authority in cases of conflict of interest.
8. Complaints and Appeals: Readers may submit complaints about articles or the publication process via mecelle@fsm.edu.tr. Complaints are evaluated carefully, and transparent information on the process is provided.
9. Publication and Evaluation Fee Policy: Supported by FSMVÜ, AL-MAJALLA does not charge authors any fees for submission, review, or publication. The journal prioritizes academic accessibility and the public good.

ARTICLE EVALUATION POLICY AND PUBLICATION PROCESS
Manuscripts that pass the plagiarism check are evaluated by the editor for originality, methodology, topic significance, and relevance to the journal scope. Editors make unbiased decisions regardless of authors’ race, gender, religion, nationality, or political beliefs. The editor has full authority in reviewer selection and prevents conflicts of interest.
1. Peer Review Process: Eligible manuscripts are sent to at least two independent national or international reviewers using the double-blind peer review system. Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on scope, originality, methodology, use of references, language quality, and scientific contribution, providing a minimum 150-word justified report. Reviewers maintain confidentiality and report any copyright or plagiarism concerns to the editor. Those unable to complete the review on time may withdraw.
2. Author-Revision and Corrections: Reviewers’ requested corrections are communicated to the author, who must submit revisions highlighted in red within 10 days. The area editor reviews and approves the changes within a maximum of 10 days. Insufficient revisions lead to rejection.
3. Language Editing: Accepted manuscripts are checked by the Turkish, Arabic, or English Language Editor depending on the manuscript language. Abstracts are reviewed by editors of all three languages. Additional language corrections may be requested from authors. Each language review phase should not exceed 10 days.
4. Editorial Board Decision: After completing all technical, academic, and language reviews, manuscripts are evaluated by the Editorial Board, which decides on publication based on reviewers’ reports and editorial recommendations. Objections among members are resolved by majority vote.
5. Typesetting, Layout, and Final Reading: Manuscripts approved for publication undergo typesetting and layout. After layout completion, a final reading is performed, and the manuscripts are ready for publication.
6. Publication and Indexing: The e-version of the published issue is sent to national and international reference libraries within 60 days. Metadata of published articles is submitted to relevant indexes within 15 days.
7. Key Evaluation Criteria for Reviewers:
a) Is the article new, original, and contributing to the field?
b) Does the abstract clearly and accurately describe the study?
c) Are the methodology explanations clear, coherent, and understandable?
d) Are the findings and conclusions consistent and supported?
e) Is the literature and reference usage sufficient?
f) Is the language and writing quality appropriate?

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
All articles published in AL-MAJALLA Journal of Islamic Studies retain copyright with the authors. Authors permit their work to be published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which allows free sharing and reproduction for non-commercial purposes, provided the work is not modified and proper attribution is given. Authors acknowledge copyright protection and authorize AL-MAJALLA to manage publication rights accordingly.

OPEN ACCESS POLICY
AL-MAJALLA Journal of Islamic Studies adopts the principle that free and unrestricted public access to scientific research enhances global knowledge sharing. The journal provides immediate open access to all published content, promoting dissemination and strengthening scientific communication.