Transparency, Integrity, and Excellence

At HIKMA PUBLISHER, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly publishing. Below you will find our unified policies governing all journals under our imprint, including the Hikma Journal of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies and Hikma: Journal of Religion and Theology.

1. Author Instructions

Submission Guidelines

Authors are requested to read the specific instructions of the journal they are submitting to, but the following general rules apply to all HIKMA publications:

• Format: Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) format.
• Language: Articles must be written in clear, grammatically correct English.
• Structure: Papers should generally follow the structure: Title, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Methodology, Results/Discussion, Conclusion, and References.
• References: We strictly adhere to standard citation styles (APA or Chicago, as specified by the individual journal).
• Originality: The manuscript must be original and not under consideration by any other journal.

2. Peer Review & Editorial Policy

Double-Blind Peer Review

We employ a rigorous Double-Blind Peer Review process to ensure impartiality.

1. Initial Screening: The Editorial Office checks the manuscript for formatting and scope.
2. Reviewer Assignment: Two independent experts in the field are assigned. The reviewers do not know the author’s identity, and the author does not know the reviewers’ identities.
3. Decision: Based on the reviewers’ reports, the Editor-in-Chief makes a final decision: Accept, Minor Revisions, Major Revisions, or Reject.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based solely on the scientific merit of the work and its relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the authors’ political views, ethnic origin, or institutional affiliation.

3. Ethics & Integrity Policy

Plagiarism & Malpractice

HIKMA PUBLISHER has a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism and academic misconduct.

• Plagiarism Check: All submissions are screened using anti-plagiarism software prior to review.
• Data Fabrication: Any instance of data fabrication or falsification will result in immediate rejection or retraction.
• COPE Guidelines: We aspire to follow the Core Practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Conflict of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors must declare any potential conflict of interest that could influence the review process or the publication decision.

4. APCs & Waiver Policy

Article Processing Charges (APC)

As an Open Access publisher, HIKMA PUBLISHER may levy an Article Processing Charge (APC) to cover the costs of publication, web hosting, and archiving. Specific APC amounts are listed on each individual journal’s page. There are no submission charges; fees are only payable upon acceptance.

Waiver Policy

We believe financial constraints should not prevent the publication of quality research.

• Partial/Full Waivers: Available for authors from Low-Income and Lower-Middle-Income countries (as classified by the World Bank).
• Hardship: Authors demonstrating financial hardship may apply for a waiver by contacting the editorial office prior to submission.

5. Copyright & Licensing

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

All articles published by HIKMA PUBLISHER are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

• You are free to: Share (copy and redistribute) and Adapt (remix, transform, and build upon) the material for any purpose, even commercially.
• Under the following terms: You must give appropriate credit (Attribution), provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
• Copyright Retention: Authors retain the copyright to their work without restrictions.

6. Indexing & Archiving

Digital Preservation

We are dedicated to the permanent availability and preservation of scholarly research.

• DOI (Digital Object Identifier): Every published article is assigned a unique DOI via Zenodo, ensuring it is always findable and citable.
• Archiving:
  • Internet Archive: Full-text issues are deposited into the Internet Archive for long-term preservation.
  • SSRN: We utilize SSRN (Social Science Research Network) for broader dissemination and archival of relevant papers.
  • Zenodo: All datasets and supplementary materials (where applicable) are archived in Zenodo communities.

7. Open Access (OA) Policy

Immediate Open Access

HIKMA PUBLISHER operates under a full Open Access model. All articles are made freely available to the public immediately upon publication. We do not have embargo periods.

• Benefits: This maximizes the visibility, readership, and citation impact of the research.
• Accessibility: Researchers, students, and the general public can access our content without a subscription or paywall.