Author Guidelines

Islamicate Futures: Knowledge, Ethics, and Muslim Societies

The Author Guidelines of Islamicate Futures: Knowledge, Ethics, and Muslim Societies have been developed in accordance with international academic publishing standards and the scholarly orientation of the journal. Authors are strongly encouraged to read these guidelines carefully before submitting their work for editorial consideration. The journal publishes original and high-quality research focusing on Islamicate futures studies, Islamic knowledge traditions, Islamic ethics, maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah, Qur’anic and Hadith studies, digital Islam, artificial intelligence and religious authority, Muslim societies, Islamic education, sustainability, public policy, and future-oriented approaches to Islamic and Islamicate studies.

Publishing an article in Islamicate Futures: Knowledge, Ethics, and Muslim Societies means that the author(s) retain copyright of the published work while granting the journal the right of first publication. The journal applies the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited. Authors are therefore allowed to archive, distribute, and share their published work for academic and non-commercial purposes.

Shortcuts

Article Submission Overview

Article Preparation

Article Structure

References and Citation Style

Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Materials

Submission Checklist

Please

Authors are expected to read the Focus and Scope carefully to ensure that the submitted article is relevant to the scholarly orientation of the journal. All submissions should be prepared using the official Microsoft Word template provided by the journal. Authors must ensure that issues related to publication ethics, originality, plagiarism, authorship, citation format, research data, research integrity, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence have been properly addressed prior to submission. All listed authors must approve the final submitted version. Authors are also encouraged to provide a brief academic biography during the submission process.

Article Submission Overview

Types of Publications

Islamicate Futures: Knowledge, Ethics, and Muslim Societies accepts original research articles that make a substantial contribution to the development of future-oriented Islamic and Islamicate studies. The journal prioritizes articles that demonstrate conceptual clarity, methodological rigor, theoretical originality, international relevance, and strong engagement with current scholarly debates.

The journal welcomes articles on Islamicate futures studies, Islamic ethics, maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah, Islamic knowledge traditions, Qur’anic and Hadith studies, digital Islam, artificial intelligence and religious authority, Muslim digital publics, Islamic education, sustainability, environmental ethics, public policy, Muslim societies, religious authority, gender, citizenship, migration, humanitarian issues, and global futures. Articles that are purely devotional, apologetic, polemical, descriptive without analysis, or unrelated to the journal’s Focus and Scope are not suitable for publication.

The recommended article length is approximately 10000–12500 words, including references, tables, figures, and notes. Review articles, systematic literature reviews, and bibliometric studies may range between 11000–14000 words, depending on the scope and depth of analysis. Articles submitted to the journal must not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted to another publication.

Submission Process

All articles must be submitted electronically through the journal’s Open Journal System (OJS). The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of all submitted information and confirming that all co-authors have approved the article. Authors must register and log into the journal submission system before uploading the article and supplementary files.

The submitted manuscript will undergo an initial editorial screening to assess its relevance to the journal’s Focus and Scope, originality, academic quality, methodological clarity, language quality, and adherence to publication ethics. Manuscripts that pass the initial screening will proceed to a double-blind peer review process involving at least two independent reviewers.

Accepted File Formats

Articles must be prepared in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format using the official journal template. Authors are encouraged to insert tables, figures, diagrams, models, and illustrations directly into the main text near their first citation. Any identifying information related to the authors should be removed from the article file prior to peer review to maintain the integrity of the double-blind review process.

Supplementary files may be submitted in common non-proprietary formats where necessary. These may include datasets, appendices, interview guides, transliteration notes, bibliometric data, coding sheets, manuscript descriptions, digital corpus materials, or additional tables.

Article Preparation

General Considerations

Research articles submitted to Islamicate Futures: Knowledge, Ethics, and Muslim Societies should consist of the following components:

Title

Author Information and Affiliations

Abstract and Keywords

Introduction

Method

Results and Discussion

Conclusion

Acknowledgments, if applicable

Funding Statement, if applicable

Data Availability Statement, if applicable

References

Arabic transliteration must be applied consistently throughout the article. Authors are encouraged to follow internationally recognized transliteration standards. Terms such as Qur’an, Hadith, tafsir, fiqh, maqāṣid, sharī‘ah, fatwa, ijtihād, isnād, matn, turāth, kalām, ulama, and ummah may be written in widely accepted academic forms, provided that consistency is maintained throughout the article.

Front Matter

Title

The title must be concise, specific, and academically relevant, clearly reflecting the focus and contribution of the study. Authors are encouraged to avoid abbreviations, overly general titles, rhetorical expressions, or titles that do not indicate the object and contribution of the research. The title should be written in English and preferably contain approximately 15–20 words.

A strong title should clearly indicate the central issue, theoretical orientation, and scholarly contribution of the article.

Author Information and Affiliations

Authors’ full names must be written without academic titles. Institutional affiliations and countries must be clearly stated. One corresponding author must be identified along with an active email address. Authors are encouraged to include ORCID IDs where available.

All listed authors must have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, analysis, interpretation, writing, or revision of the article. Individuals who contributed only to technical assistance, proofreading, administrative support, or data collection without intellectual contribution should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section rather than listed as authors.

Abstract

The abstract must function as a complete and concise miniature of the article, presenting the research problem as introduced in the Introduction, the methodological approach employed in the Method section, the principal findings derived from the Results, and the core scholarly contribution developed in the Discussion and Conclusion. The abstract should provide a coherent overview of the entire study without introducing new information that is not discussed in the main text. Authors are expected to briefly explain the background of the study, research objective, methodological approach, major findings, and theoretical contribution of the research. The abstract must be written in a single paragraph consisting of approximately 200–250 words. The abstract should not contain citations, undefined abbreviations, unsupported claims, or excessive technical details.

Keywords

Authors must include 3–5 keywords written in lowercase and separated by commas. Keywords should represent the principal concepts discussed in the article and support indexing and discoverability in international academic databases. Authors are encouraged to use specific and discipline-relevant keywords.

Research Article Sections

Introduction

The introduction should systematically position the study within a broader scholarly and socio-intellectual context by moving from general discussion to specific research problems. Authors are expected to explain the broader research context, including relevant global or contemporary issues, empirical realities, and the significance of the topic within Islamic studies, Islamicate studies, religious studies, ethics, law, education, digital religion, or Muslim social studies.

The introduction must clearly identify the specific research problem, theoretical tension, interpretive debate, methodological limitation, empirical gap, or unresolved scholarly issue addressed in the study. Authors are required to provide a concise and critical review of relevant previous studies in order to position the article within existing scholarship by synthesizing major scholarly trends, approaches, and debates rather than listing studies individually.

A clear and explicit research gap, whether conceptual, methodological, empirical, interpretive, contextual, or theoretical, must be identified as the principal justification for the study. The introduction must also formulate focused research questions and clearly state the research objectives. Authors should briefly introduce the main theoretical framework, concepts, or analytical perspectives employed in the study and explain their relevance to the research problem.

The introduction should conclude with a concise statement emphasizing the academic significance, theoretical contribution, international relevance, and explicit novelty of the study as its principal scholarly contribution.

Method

The method section must provide sufficient detail to allow the study to be understood and academically evaluated. Authors should clearly describe the research design, whether qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, textual, philological, historical, hermeneutical, comparative, legal, philosophical, ethnographic, bibliometric, systematic review-based, or digital humanities-based.

For textual and hermeneutical studies, authors must explain the primary sources, criteria for source selection, analytical framework, and interpretive procedure. For empirical studies, authors should describe the research setting, participants or data sources, data collection techniques, and data analysis procedures. For studies on digital Islam, artificial intelligence, online fatwas, religious apps, social media, or Muslim digital publics, authors should explain the digital corpus, platform selection, data collection process, ethical considerations, coding procedure, analytical tools, and limitations of the digital analysis.

For systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and bibliometric studies, authors must describe the databases used, search strings, inclusion and exclusion criteria, screening process, analytical software, and data interpretation procedures. Any modification to established methods must be clearly justified. Authors are expected to demonstrate methodological transparency and ensure that the selected method is appropriate for addressing the research objectives.

Results and Discussion

The Results and Discussion section constitutes the analytical core of the article and must be organized systematically in each sub-section. Authors should begin each discussion with a clear topic sentence presenting the principal finding or argument.

Findings must be supported by specific data, textual evidence, primary sources, field materials, manuscripts, digital corpora, statistical findings, interview materials, legal documents, fatwas, policy documents, or documented sources with appropriate citations. The findings should be analyzed using the theoretical framework introduced earlier. The discussion must critically engage with previous studies and demonstrate whether the findings support, refine, expand, or challenge existing theories and scholarship.

Authors are also expected to explain the theoretical implications, methodological significance, and academic contribution of the findings. For articles in Islamicate Futures, the discussion should clearly show how the findings contribute to future-oriented Islamic and Islamicate studies, particularly in relation to Islamic knowledge traditions, ethics, digital transformation, religious authority, sustainability, public policy, or Muslim social change.

Each sub-section should conclude with a concise statement reinforcing the principal analytical point. Tables, figures, diagrams, models, and illustrations should be integrated within this section and properly captioned.

Conclusion

The conclusion must provide concise and direct answers to the research objectives and synthesize the principal findings into a coherent academic argument. Authors should highlight the theoretical contribution, academic significance, broader implications of the study, and possible directions for future research.

The conclusion must not merely repeat the abstract or restate descriptive findings. It should not introduce new arguments, new citations, or additional data that have not been discussed in the article.

Acknowledgments

If applicable, this section is dedicated to any parties who contributed significantly to the production or preparation of the article. This may include research grant sponsors, academic advisors, initial readers, research assistants, institutional support, collaborators, translators, field facilitators, or technical assistance.

Acknowledgments should be concise and should not be used to include individuals who meet the criteria for authorship.

References and Citation Style

References must follow the Chicago Manual of Style, Notes and Bibliography system, using footnotes for citations. Authors must use full bibliographic notes at first citation and shortened notes for subsequent citations. A complete bibliography must be provided at the end of the article and arranged alphabetically by the authors’ last names.

Authors are expected to demonstrate strong engagement with international scholarship. Articles should use recent and relevant scholarly sources, particularly peer-reviewed journal articles, academic books, edited volumes, primary Islamic sources, manuscripts, legal documents, policy documents, and reputable digital academic resources. Articles should contain approximately 30–45 references, with a strong preference for peer-reviewed and internationally recognized sources. Review articles, systematic reviews, and bibliometric studies should contain a broader and more comprehensive body of references. DOI numbers should be included whenever available.

Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference management software such as Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote to ensure consistency and accuracy in Chicago footnote formatting.

Examples of Chicago footnote style:

First footnote citation for a book:

Wael B. Hallaq, A History of Islamic Legal Theories: An Introduction to Sunni Usul al-Fiqh (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 45.

Shortened subsequent citation:

Hallaq, A History of Islamic Legal Theories, 52.

Bibliography entry for a book:

Hallaq, Wael B. A History of Islamic Legal Theories: An Introduction to Sunni Usul al-Fiqh. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.

First footnote citation for a journal article:

Angelika Neuwirth, “Qur’an and History: A Disputed Relationship,” Journal of Qur’anic Studies 5, no. 1 (2003): 2–3.

Shortened subsequent citation:

Neuwirth, “Qur’an and History,” 7.

Bibliography entry for a journal article:

Neuwirth, Angelika. “Qur’an and History: A Disputed Relationship.” Journal of Qur’anic Studies 5, no. 1 (2003): 1–18.

First footnote citation for an edited book chapter:

Talal Asad, “The Idea of an Anthropology of Islam,” in Reader in the Anthropology of Religion, ed. Michael Lambek (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2002), 115.

Shortened subsequent citation:

Asad, “The Idea of an Anthropology of Islam,” 118.

Bibliography entry for an edited book chapter:

Asad, Talal. “The Idea of an Anthropology of Islam.” In Reader in the Anthropology of Religion, edited by Michael Lambek, 114–128. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2002.

Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Materials

Figures, tables, charts, schemes, conceptual models, maps, and illustrations should be placed near their first citation in the article and numbered consecutively. Each table and figure must include a concise title and explanatory caption. High-resolution images are strongly recommended to ensure publication quality.

Tables should be created using the table function in Microsoft Word. Figures and images should be submitted in high resolution, preferably 300 dpi or higher. All visual materials must be original or used with proper permission and citation.

Supplementary materials may be submitted separately if necessary. These may include datasets, images, appendices, interview guides, transliteration lists, manuscript descriptions, digital corpus materials, coding sheets, bibliometric files, or additional tables. Authors are encouraged to make supporting datasets available whenever ethically and legally possible in order to promote research transparency and scholarly reproducibility.

Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

Authors must ensure that the manuscript complies with international standards of publication ethics and research integrity. Manuscripts must be free from plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, redundant publication, citation manipulation, authorship manipulation, and undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Manuscripts involving human participants, interviews, surveys, ethnographic fieldwork, digital communities, institutional data, or sensitive religious communities must include a clear statement regarding ethical approval, informed consent, confidentiality, and data protection. Authors are responsible for ensuring that research involving online communities, social media data, religious apps, or digital platforms follows appropriate ethical standards.

All submitted manuscripts will be screened using plagiarism or similarity detection software. Manuscripts with excessive similarity, inappropriate paraphrasing, unattributed text, fabricated references, or duplicated publication may be rejected at any stage of the editorial process.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors may use AI-assisted tools for grammar checking, language refinement, reference organization, or preliminary idea mapping. However, AI tools must not be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and accountability of scholarly work.

If AI-assisted tools are used in manuscript preparation, authors must disclose their use in a statement at the end of the manuscript. Authors remain fully responsible for the final content, including arguments, citations, translations, data, interpretations, and references. AI-generated references, fabricated quotations, false citations, unsupported claims, and unverified data are strictly prohibited.