Peer Review Policy

Al-Shajarah: Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC-IIUM) adheres to a rigorous peer-review process to maintain high academic and ethical standards.

All submissions undergo a double-blind peer review, where the identities of both authors and reviewers remain confidential.

Initial Editorial Screening
All manuscripts are first reviewed by the editorial office to determine their relevance to the journal’s scope, compliance with submission guidelines, and originality. Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria may be returned to the authors without external review.

External Review
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are sent to at least two independent reviewers. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the subject area.

Evaluation Criteria
Reviewers assess manuscripts based on originality, scholarly contribution, methodological soundness, clarity of presentation, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

Editorial Decision
Decisions are made based on the reviewers’ recommendations. The possible outcomes include acceptance, minor revisions, major revisions, or rejection. In cases of conflicting recommendations, the editor may consult an additional reviewer.

Ethical Standards
The journal follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and upholds principles of integrity, confidentiality, and impartiality throughout the review process.

Editorial and Review Workflow

  1. Manuscript submission through the online system.

  2. Initial editorial screening for scope, format, and originality.

  3. Plagiarism check using Turnitin or iThenticate.

  4. Assignment to reviewers (minimum of two) under the double-blind system.

  5. Peer review evaluation according to scholarly and ethical standards.

  6. Editorial decision (accept, minor revisions, major revisions, or reject).

  7. Revision and resubmission, where required.

  8. Final acceptance, copyediting, and proofreading by the editorial office.

  9. Publication in the journal and archiving in indexing databases.