Author Guidelines

The Riphah Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization (RJITC) welcomes original, unpublished, and high-quality scholarly manuscripts that fall within the journal's aims and scope. Authors are advised to read and comply with the following guidelines before submitting their manuscripts.

1. Submission Guidelines

  • Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal's Online Journal System (OJS).
  • The corresponding author is responsible for completing the online submission and uploading all required files.
  • The submitted manuscript must be original, unpublished, and must not be under consideration by another journal or publisher.
  • The manuscript should present original research that makes a significant scholarly contribution to the field and falls within the journal's scope.
  • Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of all information provided during submission.

2. Authors and Contributors

RJITC follows a double-blind peer review process. Therefore, the manuscript must not contain the names, affiliations, acknowledgements, ORCID iDs, funding details, or any other information that may reveal the identity of the authors.

Author information must be entered only through the journal's Online Journal System (OJS).

  • Every author must have an active account in the journal's OJS before submission.
  • Every author must provide a valid ORCID iD, linked to their OJS account.
  • During submission, the corresponding author must add all co-authors through the Contributors section in the correct order.
  • The corresponding author must ensure that each author's full name, institutional affiliation, country, email address, and ORCID iD are correctly entered in the submission system.
  • Only individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research should be listed as authors.
  • All authors must review and approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.
  • Any request to add, remove, or change the order of authors after submission will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and requires the written consent of all authors and approval of the Editor.

3. Publication Timeline and Withdrawal Policy

The average publication process is approximately three months, including editorial screening, peer review, revision (where required), copyediting, proofreading, and publication.

Authors may withdraw a manuscript before it is assigned for peer review. Once the manuscript has entered the peer review process, withdrawal requests will only be considered under exceptional circumstances and must be submitted in writing to the Editor.

4. Manuscript Preparation

Article Length

Research Articles should normally be 4,000–8,000 words, excluding references.

File Format

  • Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
  • A4 page size

Formatting Requirements

Element

English

Times New Roman  

Arabic

Traditional Arabic  

Urdu

Jameel Noori Nastaleeq
Title               14 pt, Bold 16 pt, Bold 16 pt, Bold
Headings 13 pt, Bold 14 pt, Bold 14 pt, Bold
Main Text 12 pt 14 pt 14 pt
Footnotes 10 pt 10 pt 10 pt

Additional formatting requirements:

  • Single line spacing throughout.
  • First-line paragraph indentation: 0.5 inch.
  • Pages should be numbered consecutively.

5. Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts should normally contain the following components:

  • Title
  • Abstract (200–250 words)
  • 4–6 Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Research Objectives
  • Literature Review
  • Conceptual Framework (where applicable)
  • Research Methodology
  • Data Collection and Analysis (where applicable)
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Recommendations and Future Research (where applicable)
  • References/Bibliography

Title

The title should be concise, informative, and accurately reflect the content of the manuscript.

Abstract and Keywords

The abstract should summarize the:

  • Background
  • Objectives
  • Methodology
  • Principal findings
  • Conclusion

Provide 4–6 keywords immediately after the abstract.

6. References and Citation Style

RJITC follows the Chicago Manual of Style (18th Edition) using footnotes and bibliography.

Authors should provide complete bibliographic information for all cited books, journal articles, Qur'anic verses, Hadith, archival materials, and electronic resources.

For manuscripts written in English, Arabic and Urdu words, names, and titles should be transliterated according to recognized academic conventions.

RJITC recommends that authors use a reference management software such as Zotero or Mendeley to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and completeness of citations and bibliographic references.

7. Publication Ethics

Authors must ensure that:

  • the manuscript is original and free from plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and inappropriate data manipulation;
  • the manuscript has not been submitted simultaneously to another journal or publisher;
  • all sources are properly acknowledged;
  • any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest are disclosed;
  • all sources of research funding are acknowledged, where applicable;
  • all authors have approved the submitted version; and
  • any errors identified after submission or publication are promptly reported to the Editor.

Authors must comply with the journal's Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy and the COPE Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

8. Similarity Policy

RJITC follows the plagiarism policy of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan.

  • Overall similarity must not exceed 19%.
  • Similarity from any single source must not exceed 5%.

Manuscripts exceeding these limits may be returned for revision or rejected.

9. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors must disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of their manuscript.

AI tools may only be used to improve language, grammar, or formatting and must not be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and scholarly content of their work.

10. Peer Review

All eligible manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment followed by a double-blind peer review conducted by at least two independent experts in the relevant field.

Detailed information regarding the review process is available on the journal's Peer Review and Editorial Process page.

11. Copyright and Open Access

RJITC is an open-access journal. Copyright, licensing, and the reuse of published articles are governed by the journal's Copyright and Licensing Policy.

12. Publication Charges

RJITC currently does not charge any submission, processing, or publication fees (APCs) unless otherwise announced on the journal's official website.

13. Contact

For queries regarding manuscript submission or publication, authors may contact the Editorial Office using the contact information available on the journal's website.