Guidelines For Author(s)

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ)

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) welcomes original scholarly contributions within the scope of the journal. The journal publishes research that demonstrates academic rigor, originality, appropriate methodology, sound argumentation, and engagement with relevant scholarly literature.

Authors are required to read these Guidelines for Authors and the journal's relevant policies before submitting a manuscript. Submission of a manuscript constitutes an acknowledgment that the author(s) agree to comply with the journal's editorial, ethical, peer-review, copyright, licensing, and publication requirements.

1. Types of Manuscripts

The journal considers the following types of scholarly manuscripts:

  • Original Research Articles

  • Review Articles

  • Theoretical and Conceptual Articles

  • Case Studies, where appropriate

  • Historical, textual, documentary, qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, and interdisciplinary research relevant to the journal's scope

The journal may also publish other scholarly or editorial content where appropriate. The review process applied to each submission will depend on its type and nature.

2. Originality and Exclusive Submission

Authors must submit original work that has not been published previously in substantially the same form.

A manuscript submitted to AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) must not simultaneously be under consideration by another journal.

Authors must disclose any previous publication, presentation, preprint, conference version, dissertation or other publicly available version that substantially overlaps with the submitted manuscript.

Submission of substantially identical manuscripts to more than one journal at the same time constitutes unethical publishing practice.

Where a manuscript is based on previously published or publicly available material, the author must clearly disclose this information and provide appropriate references.

3. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must be based on substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript.

All listed authors must:

  • Have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, research, analysis, interpretation, or development of the manuscript;

  • Have participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript;

  • Have approved the final version;

  • Agree to be accountable for the work; and

  • Agree to the order in which authors are listed.

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and for confirming that all listed authors have approved the submission.

Gift authorship, guest authorship, honorary authorship, and ghost authorship are not permitted.

Individuals who have contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be acknowledged appropriately.

Any request to add, remove, or change the order of authors after submission must be supported by written agreement from all affected authors and will be considered in accordance with the journal's Authorship & Contributorship Policy.

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

4. Manuscript Preparation

Authors should prepare manuscripts in a clear, coherent, and academically appropriate format.

Manuscripts should generally include, where applicable:

  1. Title

  2. Author name(s)

  3. Institutional affiliation(s)

  4. ORCID iD, where available

  5. Corresponding author's email address

  6. Abstract

  7. Keywords

  8. Main text

  9. Appropriate headings and subheadings

  10. References

  11. Tables, figures, or other supplementary material where applicable

  12. Required ethical, funding, conflict-of-interest, data-availability, and other declarations where applicable

The manuscript should be written in clear academic language and should be carefully proofread before submission.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of factual statements, quotations, references, transliterations, names, dates, statistical results, and other information presented in the manuscript.

5. Abstract and Keywords

Research articles should include a concise and informative abstract that accurately represents the content of the manuscript.

The abstract should normally indicate the research problem or purpose, methodology or approach where applicable, major findings, and principal conclusion.

Authors should provide appropriate keywords that accurately describe the subject matter of the manuscript.

6. References and Citations

Authors must properly acknowledge all sources used in their research.

All quotations, ideas, data, arguments, translations, images, tables, and other material derived from other sources must be appropriately cited.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

  • All sources cited in the text appear in the reference list where applicable;

  • All references are accurate and complete;

  • Citations are relevant to the claims being made;

  • Sources are not deliberately misrepresented; and

  • References are formatted consistently according to the journal's required citation style.

Authors should avoid unnecessary or excessive self-citation. There is no fixed percentage limit on self-citation; however, citations must be relevant, academically justified, and used responsibly.

Citation manipulation, including excessive or irrelevant citation intended to increase citation counts, is not permitted.

7. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original and that the work of others is appropriately acknowledged.

Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable, including:

  • Direct plagiarism;

  • Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism;

  • Unattributed paraphrasing;

  • Improper reuse of previously published text;

  • Duplicate or redundant publication;

  • Misrepresentation of sources; and

  • Other forms of research misconduct.

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) uses Turnitin as part of its editorial screening and similarity-checking process.

A Turnitin similarity report is an editorial screening tool and does not by itself establish whether plagiarism has occurred. The editorial team considers the nature, sources, context, quotations, references, commonly used terminology, and extent of overlap when assessing a manuscript.

Where significant or inappropriate textual overlap is identified, the manuscript may be returned to the author for clarification or revision, rejected, or subjected to further investigation in accordance with the journal's Plagiarism, Similarity & Research Misconduct Policy.

Plagiarism or research misconduct identified after publication may result in correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other appropriate editorial action.

8. Research Misconduct

Authors must not engage in:

  • Fabrication of data or findings;

  • Falsification or manipulation of research results;

  • Plagiarism;

  • Duplicate or redundant publication;

  • Citation manipulation;

  • Misrepresentation of sources;

  • Unethical manipulation of figures or images;

  • Improper authorship practices; or

  • Any other form of research misconduct.

Where concerns arise, the journal may request clarification, supporting documentation, institutional involvement, or other appropriate evidence.

The journal follows its Publication Ethics & Research Integrity Policy and Plagiarism, Similarity & Research Misconduct Policy when investigating concerns.

9. Research Ethics and Ethical Approval

Authors conducting research involving human participants, personal data, interviews, surveys, vulnerable groups, or other research requiring ethical oversight must comply with applicable ethical requirements.

Where applicable, manuscripts should include an appropriate statement regarding:

  • Ethical approval;

  • Name of the approving institution or committee;

  • Informed consent;

  • Consent for publication;

  • Protection of personal information; and

  • Anonymization or confidentiality procedures.

Where ethical approval or informed consent is not applicable, authors may state this where appropriate.

Textual, historical, documentary, theoretical, or library-based research may not require formal ethical approval depending on its nature, but authors remain responsible for appropriate scholarly and ethical conduct.

10. Data Availability and Reproducibility

Where applicable, authors should provide a Data Availability Statement describing the availability of research data, supporting materials, or other relevant resources.

Where no separate research dataset exists, authors may state that data availability is not applicable.

Authors should provide sufficient methodological and analytical information to enable readers to understand and, where reasonably possible, reproduce the research.

Sensitive, confidential, personal, or restricted data must not be publicly disclosed in violation of ethical, legal, contractual, or privacy requirements.

11. Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could reasonably be considered relevant to the research or its publication.

Where no conflict exists, authors may use the following statement:

“The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.”

Conflicts may include financial, institutional, professional, personal, or other relationships that could influence or appear to influence the research or publication process.

12. Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose financial support received for the research or publication.

Where applicable, authors should identify:

  • Name of the funding organization;

  • Grant or project number, where applicable; and

  • Role of the funder in the research, analysis, writing, or decision to submit the manuscript.

Where no specific funding was received, authors may state:

“This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”

13. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors may use generative artificial intelligence and other automated tools where appropriate, but substantive use must be disclosed.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and scholarly quality of their manuscripts.

AI tools:

  • Cannot be listed as authors or co-authors;

  • Must not replace the authors' intellectual responsibility;

  • Must not be used to fabricate data, references, quotations, sources, or findings;

  • Must not be cited as a scholarly source; and

  • Should be disclosed where their use goes beyond straightforward language correction, editing, or formatting.

Authors should verify all AI-assisted content before submission.

If AI-generated images, figures, tables, analysis, or other substantive material are used, this should be appropriately disclosed.

The journal's complete AI Policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and other participants in the publication process.

14. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright in their published work in accordance with the journal's Copyright & Licensing Policy.

Articles published by AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, unless otherwise clearly indicated.

The CC BY 4.0 license permits lawful reuse, sharing, adaptation, and distribution with appropriate attribution.

Authors grant the journal the right of first publication and the necessary non-exclusive publishing rights for the journal to publish and disseminate the work.

Authors may share permitted versions of their work, including the preprint, Author's Accepted Manuscript, and Version of Record, subject to the journal's Copyright & Licensing and Repository & Self-Archiving policies.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for third-party copyrighted material where required.

15. Peer Review

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) follows a double-anonymous (double-blind) peer-review process for research articles.

The editorial process normally includes:

  1. Initial editorial screening;

  2. Assessment of scope, originality, academic quality, and basic ethical requirements;

  3. Similarity screening;

  4. Assignment to appropriate independent reviewers;

  5. Peer review;

  6. Editorial consideration of reviewers' reports;

  7. Revision where required; and

  8. Final editorial decision.

Normally, research manuscripts are evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.

Reviewers are selected on the basis of relevant expertise, academic qualifications, independence, and absence of conflicts of interest.

Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and must not use confidential manuscript information for personal or professional purposes.

Reviewers and editors must not use generative AI tools to generate assessments of confidential manuscripts.

The journal may request revisions and, where necessary, send revised manuscripts for further review.

Possible editorial decisions include:

  • Accept;

  • Minor Revisions;

  • Major Revisions; or

  • Reject.

Peer-review decisions are based on scholarly and editorial considerations. Payment of publication charges has no influence on editorial decisions.

The journal does not guarantee acceptance or publication of any submitted manuscript.

The journal's complete Peer Review Policy provides further details.

16. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based on scholarly, ethical, and editorial considerations.

Publication charges, funding arrangements, commercial interests, personal relationships, or other external considerations must not determine editorial decisions.

Where an editor or editorial board member submits a manuscript to the journal, the manuscript must be handled through an independent process that prevents the author's position within the journal from influencing the editorial decision.

17. Manuscript Withdrawal

Authors who wish to withdraw a manuscript should contact the editorial office as soon as possible.

Withdrawal requests will be considered in accordance with the journal's publication ethics and editorial procedures.

Authors should not withdraw a manuscript in order to submit substantially the same work simultaneously to another journal while the manuscript is under active consideration, unless the withdrawal has been formally confirmed by the journal.

Where a manuscript has already been accepted or published, withdrawal requests will be handled according to the journal's publication ethics, corrections, and retractions procedures.

18. Publication Charges

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) charges a publication fee of:

PKR 10,000 per accepted research article.

There is:

  • No submission fee;

  • No fee for initial editorial screening;

  • No separate peer-review fee; and

  • No additional mandatory page, colour, or online publication fee unless clearly announced in advance.

The publication fee is payable only after editorial review and formal acceptance.

The payment of a publication fee does not influence peer-review or editorial decisions.

The journal currently does not offer a waiver or discount.

For complete details, authors should consult the journal's Publication Charges Policy.

19. Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Issues

Authors are expected to notify the journal promptly if they discover a significant error in their published work.

The journal may publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when appropriate.

Published articles constitute part of the permanent scholarly record. Corrections or retractions will be handled transparently and in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures.

The journal does not silently alter the published scholarly record.

20. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that the decision involved a significant procedural error, misunderstanding of the manuscript, or other legitimate grounds.

Appeals must provide a clear explanation and relevant evidence.

The journal will consider appeals through an appropriate independent process where possible.

Authors may also raise concerns regarding peer review, publication ethics, conflicts of interest, editorial conduct, publication charges, or other aspects of the publication process.

Complaints and appeals are handled confidentially and without retaliation.

Further details are provided in the journal's Complaints & Appeals Policy.

21. Post-Publication Discussion

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) welcomes legitimate scholarly discussion concerning published research.

Authors may be contacted regarding substantive concerns about their published work.

Where appropriate, the journal may publish corrections, author responses, expressions of concern, or retractions to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

22. Submission Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

  • The manuscript falls within the journal's scope.

  • The manuscript is original.

  • The manuscript is not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere.

  • All authors meet the journal's authorship criteria.

  • All listed authors have approved the submitted version.

  • The corresponding author has obtained the agreement of all authors.

  • All sources are properly cited.

  • The manuscript has been checked for plagiarism and inappropriate textual overlap.

  • Turnitin screening has been considered where applicable.

  • Ethical approval and informed consent statements are included where applicable.

  • Conflict of interest has been disclosed.

  • Funding information has been disclosed.

  • Data Availability Statement has been included where applicable.

  • AI use has been disclosed where applicable.

  • Copyright and third-party permissions have been considered.

  • The manuscript follows the journal's formatting and reference requirements.

  • The manuscript has been carefully proofread.

  • The authors understand the journal's publication charge of PKR 10,000 after acceptance.

23. Editorial Screening and Final Decision

All submissions are subject to initial editorial screening.

The editorial team may return a manuscript without external peer review where it:

  • Falls outside the journal's scope;

  • Does not meet basic scholarly or formatting requirements;

  • Raises substantial ethical or originality concerns;

  • Contains serious methodological or academic deficiencies; or

  • Does not comply with the journal's submission requirements.

A manuscript passing initial screening is not guaranteed acceptance.

The final decision rests with the journal's authorized editorial decision-makers after considering the relevant scholarly and peer-review evidence.

24. Contact

For submission-related questions, manuscript correspondence, or publication matters, authors should contact:

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ)
Email: editor@alimanjournal.com

Authors are encouraged to use the official online submission system where available and to provide complete and accurate contact information during submission.

Related Journal Policies

Authors are encouraged to read the following policies before submission:

  • Publication Ethics & Research Integrity Policy

  • Authorship & Contributorship Policy

  • Peer Review Policy

  • Plagiarism, Similarity & Research Misconduct Policy

  • Research Ethics & Ethical Oversight Policy

  • Conflict of Interest & Funding Policy

  • AI Policy

  • Copyright & Licensing Policy

  • Archiving & Digital Preservation Policy

  • Data Sharing, Data Availability & Reproducibility Policy

  • Corrections, Retractions & Post-Publication Policy

  • Complaints & Appeals Policy

  • Publication Charges Policy

  • Revenue Sources and Advertising Policy