Editorial Policies

International Journal of Islamic Civilization and Leadership (IJICL)

1 About the Journal

The International Journal of Islamic Civilization and Leadership (IJICL) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal established by Hormuud University. IJICL provides an international forum for rigorous scholarship on Islamic civilization, ethical leadership, governance, institutions, knowledge traditions, and the contemporary experiences of Muslim societies. The journal gives particular attention to underrepresented contexts while welcoming work of global and comparative relevance. IJICL is academically independent, nonpartisan, and committed to scholarly pluralism, respectful inquiry, and the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2 Aims and Scope

IJICL welcomes empirical, theoretical, historical, textual, interpretive, qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, comparative, review, and applied contributions. Manuscripts must demonstrate a clear method or evidential basis and make an original contribution to scholarship, ethical leadership, policy, education, institutional practice, or understanding of Islamic civilization. Indicative subject areas include:

• Islamic Civilization and History: the formation, development, institutions, knowledge traditions, social organization, and global interactions of Muslim societies across historical periods

• Qur'anic, Hadith, and Prophetic Studies: academically rigorous research on scripture, hadith, sirah, Prophetic leadership, and their civilizational, ethical, educational, or institutional significance

• Islamic Thought, Philosophy, and Ethics: theology, philosophy, intellectual history, moral thought, maqasid al-shariah, contemporary ethics, and the renewal of Islamic thought

• Governance and Political Thought: Islamic perspectives on authority, consultation, justice, accountability, citizenship, public institutions, constitutionalism, diplomacy, and international relations

• Leadership and Management: ethical leadership, organizational behavior, strategic leadership, human-resource development, entrepreneurship, institutional performance, and leadership in public, private, educational, and nonprofit settings

• Islamic Education and Knowledge: curriculum, pedagogy, higher education, scholarly traditions, educational leadership, literacy, knowledge integration, and the development of learning institutions

• Islamic Economics and Social Finance: economic thought, Islamic finance, waqf, zakat, philanthropy, social enterprise, poverty reduction, and sustainable development

• Law, Society, and Public Policy: Islamic jurisprudence and legal history, public policy, legal pluralism, access to justice, contemporary governance, and the relationship between law, ethics, and society

• Peace, Dialogue, and Human Security: conflict transformation, reconciliation, mediation, humanitarian action, interfaith and intercivilizational dialogue, pluralism, human rights, and peacebuilding

• Community, Family, and Social Development: family and youth studies, gender and society, community leadership, migration and diaspora, social welfare, civil society, and changing Muslim communities

• Culture, Heritage, and the Arts: literature, language, manuscripts, architecture, archaeology, material culture, calligraphy, heritage preservation, media, and cultural expression in Muslim societies

• Science, Technology, and the Environment: Islamic perspectives on science, bioethics, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, environmental stewardship, climate responsibility, and sustainable futures

• Regional and Comparative Studies: Somalia, the Horn of Africa, Africa, and other Muslim societies, including comparative and interdisciplinary studies of civilization, institutions, and leadership

Submissions are welcomed from authors worldwide and from diverse academic, intellectual, and methodological traditions. Normative or faith-informed arguments are eligible when their premises, sources, interpretive method, and scholarly contribution are stated clearly. Sectarian polemic, unsupported preaching, political propaganda, discriminatory content, and work that lacks a research basis fall outside the journal's scope.

3 Peer Review Process

Research articles, reviews, historical studies, textual or conceptual studies, leadership case studies, and policy analyses undergo single-blind peer review. Reviewer identities are concealed from authors. The Editor-in-Chief or a delegated editor first screens each submission for scope, originality, scholarly rigor, ethical compliance, respectful treatment of religious and cultural materials, and conformity with the author guidelines. Suitable manuscripts are normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with appropriate disciplinary, linguistic, regional, or source-based expertise. Reviewers recommend:

• Accept

• Minor Revision

• Major Revision

• Reject

Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers. The journal targets a first decision within 6-8 weeks, although manuscripts requiring rare language, manuscript, jurisprudential, or regional expertise may take longer. The Editor-in-Chief has final responsibility for acceptance decisions.

4 Plagiarism and Text Similarity Policy

IJICL publishes original work and does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, or unattributed translation or paraphrase. Similarity reports support editorial judgment and are not treated as automatic findings of plagiarism.

4.1 Similarity Threshold

Every manuscript is screened using a recognized text-similarity tool, such as Turnitin or iThenticate, before peer review. Reference lists, correctly quoted and attributed passages, Qur'anic verses, hadith texts, standard legal or doctrinal formulations, and unavoidable technical wording may be excluded or interpreted in context. The following thresholds are indicative:

• 0%-25%: acceptable for editorial consideration.

• 26%-40%: revision is normally required before review.

• Above 40%: normally rejected, with resubmission considered only after substantial rewriting and proper attribution.

Editors assess the location, source, and nature of overlap rather than relying only on the percentage. Self-plagiarism and undisclosed reuse of translated or previously published material are evaluated under the same principles.

5 Generative AI Policy

5.1 Use by Authors

Generative AI and AI-assisted tools may support limited language improvement, transcription checking, translation support, coding, or formatting, provided authors verify every output. AI must not replace scholarly judgment, conduct undisclosed interpretation of sacred or classical texts, fabricate quotations or chains of transmission, invent references, create or alter research data, or produce arguments presented as the authors' own work. Substantive use of AI as a method or object of study must be explained sufficiently for evaluation. Any use must be disclosed in a 'Declaration of Generative AI Use' immediately before the reference list, naming the tool, version where available, purpose, and extent of use. Authors remain responsible for accuracy, source verification, originality, permissions, and integrity.

5.2 Authorship

AI tools do not qualify for authorship and may not be listed or cited as authors because they cannot approve the manuscript, accept accountability, disclose conflicts of interest, or respond to questions about research integrity.

5.3 Use by Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors must not upload unpublished manuscripts, images, source transcriptions, reviewer reports, or confidential correspondence to public generative AI systems. Limited language polishing of their own text is acceptable only when no confidential manuscript content is disclosed and the individual remains responsible for the final report or decision.

6 Authorship Criteria and Responsibilities

Authorship is limited to individuals who made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, source collection, fieldwork, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the work; drafted or critically revised the manuscript; approved the final version; and accept accountability for it. Contributors who do not meet these criteria should be acknowledged. Authors must confirm originality, verify citations and translations, obtain permissions, disclose funding and conflicts of interest, and ensure that the work is not under consideration elsewhere. The corresponding author coordinates submission and confirms the approval of all co-authors.

7 Research Publication and Religious Source Ethics

• Research involving human participants requires appropriate ethics-review approval or a justified exemption, informed consent, and safeguards for privacy and confidentiality.

• Research involving children, displaced people, conflict-affected communities, religious minorities, or other potentially vulnerable groups must explain enhanced protections and risk management.

• Interviews, ethnography, oral history, and community-based research must address consent, representation, reciprocity, anonymity, and possible harms arising from publication.

• Qur'anic, hadith, jurisprudential, and classical sources must be quoted accurately, identified precisely, translated responsibly, and interpreted through a method appropriate to the discipline.

• Claims concerning hadith authenticity, legal rulings, historical events, or attributed statements must identify the evidential basis and distinguish the author's analysis from the position of a source or school of thought.

• Disagreement must be presented in scholarly and respectful language. Content that incites hatred, denigrates communities, or treats sectarian assertion as evidence is not acceptable.

• Authors must obtain permission to reproduce manuscripts, archival documents, photographs, calligraphy, maps, recordings, translations, or other copyrighted or culturally sensitive materials.

• All financial, institutional, ideological, and personal conflicts of interest and all sources of support must be disclosed.

• Editors and reviewers must preserve confidentiality, declare conflicts, evaluate work on scholarly merit, and follow COPE procedures when misconduct is suspected.

8 Correction Retraction Withdrawal and Version Control

Minor errors that do not change the central interpretation of a published article are corrected through a formal corrigendum. Errors that materially undermine the validity or integrity of the work, or confirmed serious misconduct, may result in retraction under COPE guidance. Notices are linked to the original article and state the reason for the action.

8.1 Withdrawal Policy

Before publication, authors may request withdrawal in writing. The request must be approved by all authors and state the reason. Withdrawal during screening or review is acknowledged by the Editorial Office. Withdrawal after acceptance is considered only in exceptional circumstances and requires the Editor-in-Chief's approval. Published articles are handled through correction or retraction rather than withdrawal.

9 Open Access Copyright and Licensing

IJICL is fully open access. Submission fees and article processing charges are waived for manuscripts submitted through December 2027. Published articles are freely available immediately. Authors retain copyright and grant IJICL and Hormuud University a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute the work in print and digital form under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Authors are responsible for permissions and culturally appropriate use of third-party content.

10 Article Types

IJICL accepts the following manuscript types for editorial consideration and peer review:

Article Type Description Approximate Word Limit
Original Research Article Empirical, historical, qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, or textual research presenting original findings 5,000-8,000
Review Article Systematic, scoping, integrative, or critical review of scholarship on a defined topic 6,000-10,000
Civilizational or Historical Study Archive-, manuscript-, material-, or historiography-based study of Islamic civilization and Muslim societies 5,000-9,000
Islamic Textual or Conceptual Study Methodologically explicit analysis of Qur'anic, hadith, jurisprudential, philosophical, ethical, or intellectual sources 4,000-8,000
Leadership Case Study In-depth analysis of leadership, governance, institutional practice, or organizational change 4,000-7,000
Policy or Practice Analysis Evidence-based analysis of public policy, education, peacebuilding, social finance, development, or professional practice 4,000-7,000
Short Communication Concise report of preliminary findings, a source discovery, methodological innovation, or timely scholarly insight 2,000-3,500
Book or Source Review Critical review of a significant book, edition, translation, manuscript catalogue, or digital scholarly resource 1,500-2,500

11 Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts must be prepared for single-blind review, with identifying information removed from the main file. Every submission must include the following core components:

• Cover Letter (optional): confirmation of originality and exclusive submission, a concise statement of contribution, and the names and affiliations of all authors.

• Title Page: full title, author names, affiliations, ORCID identifiers where available, and corresponding-author details.

• Title and Abstract: an informative abstract of approximately 200-300 words stating the purpose, approach, principal argument or findings, contribution, and conclusion.

• Keywords: 5-8 specific terms immediately below the abstract.

• Main Text: a coherent structure appropriate to the article type, disciplinary tradition, and source base.

• Conclusion: the principal contribution, implications, limitations where relevant, and directions for further scholarship or practice.

• Declarations: acknowledgements; funding; conflict of interest; ethics and consent where applicable; data, source, or archive availability; author contributions; and generative AI use where applicable.

• References: complete, accurate, and formatted according to APA 7th edition and the journal's guidance for Islamic primary and classical sources.

• Tables Figures and Source Images: placed near their first discussion, labelled consistently, captioned, credited, and supplied separately in suitable resolution when requested.

12 Formatting Language and Transliteration

Authors must prepare manuscripts according to the following requirements:

• Font: Times New Roman throughout, including headings, body text, tables, and captions.

• Font size: 12 pt for body text; headings may be bold and slightly larger.

• Line spacing: 1.5 lines throughout the body of the manuscript.

• Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.

• Page size: A4, with consecutive page numbers at the bottom.

• Alignment: justified body text, with paragraph spacing or first-line indentation applied consistently.

• Language: manuscripts must be written in clear academic English. Arabic, Somali, or other original-language text may be included when analytically necessary and must be accompanied by an accurate English translation.

• Transliteration: use one recognized system consistently. IJMES transliteration is recommended for Arabic; commonly anglicized names and terms may be written without diacritics when usage is consistent.

• Dates: identify the calendar used. When both Hijri and Gregorian dates are important, present them consistently, for example 732 AH/1332 CE.

• Tables, figures, manuscript images, and diagrams: number or label consistently, caption and credit them, cite them in the text, and provide source and permission information where required.

Manuscripts that do not conform to these requirements may be returned for technical correction before peer review.

13 Reference Style

IJICL uses the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style, 7th edition, for contemporary publications, supported by the following journal conventions for Islamic primary and classical sources.

• Contemporary sources: use the APA author-date system, for example (Ahmed & Yusuf, 2025). Direct quotations include a page or paragraph number where available.

• Qur'an: cite surah and verse in the text, for example (Qur'an 4:58). When quoting a published translation, identify the translator or edition at first use and include that edition in the reference list.

• Hadith: identify the collection, book or chapter where relevant, and hadith number, for example (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 7138). Cite the consulted edition or translation in the reference list.

• Classical works: give the author's standard name, title, editor or translator where applicable, edition or volume information, publication year, and publisher. If the original composition date is important, discuss it in the text rather than substituting it for the edition used.

• Arabic and other non-English works: retain the original or transliterated title and provide an English translation in square brackets when it assists readers. Apply one transliteration system consistently.

• Reference list: title it 'References,' arrange entries alphabetically by the cited author's standard name, apply a hanging indent, present DOIs as URLs, and include stable URLs where appropriate.

• Correspondence: every in-text author-date citation must match a reference-list entry, while primary-text citations presented only by canonical locator should follow the journal conventions above.

Illustrative templates:

• Journal article - Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, volume(issue), page-page. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Modern book - Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (Edition). Publisher.

• Translated classical work - Classical Author. (Year of consulted edition). Title of work (T. Translator, Trans.; E. Editor, Ed.; Vol. x). Publisher. (Original work composed ca. year, if relevant)

• Qur'an translation - Translator, A. A. (Trans.). (Year). The Qur'an. Publisher.

• Hadith edition - Compiler, A. A. (Year). Title of collection (T. Translator, Trans.; Vols. x-y). Publisher.

• Archival manuscript - Author or attributed author. (Date, if known). Title or supplied description [Manuscript]. Collection, shelf mark, repository, city.

Authors should consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition) and apply the journal's primary-source conventions consistently throughout the manuscript.

14 Publication Frequency and Fees

IJICL publishes biannually, with Issue 1 released in September and Issue 2 in March. It operates as a fully open-access journal. Submission fees and article processing charges are waived for manuscripts submitted through December 2027.

15 Editorial Contact and Governance

IJICL is governed by an Editor-in-Chief who holds academic, ethical, and administrative responsibility for the journal, supported by an Editorial Board representing Islamic studies, history, civilization studies, leadership and management, governance, education, economics and finance, law, peace studies, and relevant interdisciplinary fields. Board membership should reflect intellectual, disciplinary, regional, and gender diversity. Manuscripts are submitted through Hormuud University's Open Journal Systems portal. Editorial, submission, ethics, and permissions enquiries may be directed to the IJICL Editorial Office at ijicl@hu.edu.so.

Preservation and Long Term Access

Published content is maintained on the Hormuud University journal platform with regular backups. The journal intends to participate in distributed preservation services available to Open Journal Systems journals and to support repository deposit. Persistent identifiers will be assigned when registration and publishing arrangements are complete.

Recommending IJICL to Your Institution

Librarians may add IJICL to electronic-journal lists, discovery systems, subject guides, and open-access directories and may inform researchers in Islamic studies, history, leadership, governance, management, education, economics, law, peace studies, heritage, and regional studies of its scope and free availability.