Information For Authors

Publishing in a peer-reviewed journal such as the Journal Intellectual Sufism Research (JISR) is an important contribution to the development and dissemination of scholarly knowledge. JISR is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, research ethics, transparency, and responsible scholarly communication.

Because JISR publishes interdisciplinary research on Sufism, spirituality, education, philosophy, psychology, culture, society, and related intellectual traditions, authors are expected to conduct and report their research with academic rigor, cultural sensitivity, and respect for diverse intellectual, religious, spiritual, and cultural perspectives.

This guide outlines the principal ethical responsibilities that all authors must observe when preparing, submitting, revising, and publishing manuscripts in JISR.

 

1. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must accurately reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript. All listed authors must have contributed meaningfully to the conception, design, methodology, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or development of the manuscript.

Each author must:

  • Make a substantial scholarly contribution to the research.

  • Participate in drafting or critically revising the manuscript.

  • Approve the final version before submission and publication.

  • Accept responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of their contribution.

Authors should avoid:

  • Gift or Guest Authorship: Including individuals who did not make a substantial contribution.

  • Ghost Authorship: Excluding individuals who made substantial contributions to the research or manuscript.

  • Honorary Authorship: Adding individuals solely because of their position, seniority, institutional status, or personal relationship.

All authors share responsibility for the integrity of the published work. Any addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors after submission must be justified and approved by all authors and the editorial office.

 

 

2. Originality, Plagiarism, and Responsible Citation

Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts are original and that all ideas, arguments, findings, quotations, data, figures, and materials derived from other sources are appropriately acknowledged.

Authors must avoid:

  • Verbatim copying without quotation and citation.

  • Paraphrasing another author's work without appropriate acknowledgment.

  • Presenting another person's ideas or intellectual contributions as their own.

  • Reusing copyrighted figures, tables, images, or other materials without appropriate permission.

  • Self-plagiarism or inappropriate text recycling that substantially reproduces previously published work.

  • Misrepresentation or manipulation of citations.

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate similarity-detection tools. Cases of suspected plagiarism will be investigated in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and recognized publication-ethics principles.

 

3. Research Integrity, Data Accuracy, and Transparency

Authors must report their research honestly, accurately, and transparently. Research data, analytical procedures, findings, and interpretations must not be fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or selectively presented in a misleading manner.

Authors should:

  • Clearly describe research methods and analytical procedures.

  • Report findings accurately, including unexpected or contradictory findings where relevant.

  • Explain important limitations of the research.

  • Preserve research data and supporting materials appropriately.

  • Provide access to data or research materials where ethically and legally appropriate.

Editors or reviewers may request additional information, methodological details, or supporting data when necessary to assess the validity of the research.

 

4. Ethical Research and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants must comply with appropriate ethical standards and applicable institutional or national requirements.

Where applicable, authors must obtain:

  • Appropriate ethical approval or institutional review.

  • Informed consent from participants.

  • Permission to collect, use, and publish relevant data.

  • Appropriate measures to protect privacy and confidentiality.

Authors should take particular care when research involves students, children, vulnerable individuals, religious or spiritual communities, or sensitive personal information.

Research involving Sufi communities, spiritual practitioners, religious traditions, cultural practices, sacred materials, or traditional knowledge must be conducted with appropriate respect, cultural sensitivity, and ethical awareness.

 

5. Respect for Religious, Spiritual, Cultural, and Intellectual Diversity

JISR welcomes critical, comparative, and interdisciplinary scholarship concerning Sufism, spirituality, religion, philosophy, education, and related traditions.

Authors are expected to distinguish between critical academic analysis and discriminatory or derogatory representation. Scholarly disagreement is encouraged, but arguments should be presented using appropriate evidence, respectful academic language, and sound reasoning.

Authors should:

  • Represent religious, spiritual, philosophical, and cultural traditions accurately.

  • Avoid stereotyping or discriminatory language.

  • Acknowledge diverse interpretations where relevant.

  • Respect the cultural and intellectual context of the communities or traditions being studied.

  • Clearly distinguish scholarly interpretation from personal belief or opinion.

Comparative research involving Sufism and other religious, spiritual, or philosophical traditions should maintain academic neutrality and avoid claims of superiority that are not supported by appropriate scholarly evidence.

 

6. Competing Interests and Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived competing interests that could influence the research, interpretation of findings, or publication process.

Relevant competing interests may include:

  • Financial relationships or funding.

  • Institutional or organizational affiliations.

  • Personal or professional relationships.

  • Academic or intellectual competition.

  • Commercial interests related to the research.

  • Other relationships that could reasonably affect scholarly judgment.

All sources of research funding must also be disclosed, including institutional, governmental, private, or nonprofit funding.

Where appropriate, authors should provide a statement such as:

“This research was supported by [Funding Agency] under Grant No. [XXXX]. The authors declare no competing interests.”

If no specific funding was received, authors should state this explicitly.

 

7. Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence

JISR recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools may support contemporary research and academic writing. Their use must be transparent, responsible, and consistent with research ethics.

AI tools may be used, where appropriate, for activities such as:

  • Language editing and proofreading.

  • Translation.

  • Literature screening or organization.

  • Data processing or analysis.

  • Coding and computational assistance.

  • Development of research materials or analytical support.

However, authors remain fully responsible for the submitted manuscript and must:

  • Verify all AI-generated information.

  • Check references, quotations, data, and factual claims.

  • Disclose substantive use of AI where required by the journal.

  • Protect confidential, personal, unpublished, and sensitive research information.

  • Ensure that AI use does not result in plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or copyright infringement.

  • Not list AI tools as authors or co-authors.

AI-generated content must not be presented as independently verified scholarly evidence. Authors remain responsible for all interpretations, arguments, and conclusions contained in the manuscript.

 

8. Multiple Submissions and Redundant Publication

Manuscripts submitted to JISR must not be simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

Authors must not:

  • Submit the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously.

  • Republish substantially identical research without appropriate justification and disclosure.

  • Duplicate findings across multiple publications in a misleading manner.

  • Engage in inappropriate salami slicing, where one study is unnecessarily divided into multiple publications to increase publication output.

If a manuscript substantially builds upon previously published work, the relationship between the publications must be clearly disclosed and appropriately cited.

 

9. Third-Party Material and Intellectual Property

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all third-party materials used in their manuscripts are appropriately cited and, where required, used with permission.

This includes:

  • Images and photographs.

  • Figures and diagrams.

  • Tables.

  • Audio and video materials.

  • Historical or archival materials.

  • Translations of copyrighted works.

  • Other protected intellectual property.

Authors must provide appropriate attribution and evidence of permission when required.

Particular care should be taken when reproducing sacred texts, manuscripts, traditional knowledge, cultural materials, or community-owned intellectual heritage.

 

 

10. Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Responsibilities

Authors have a continuing responsibility for the integrity of their published work.

If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy after publication, they should promptly notify the JISR Editorial Office and provide sufficient information to assess the issue.

Depending on the nature and significance of the problem, the journal may publish:

  • Correction: For an error that does not invalidate the principal findings.

  • Expression of Concern: When substantial concerns require further investigation.

  • Retraction: When findings are unreliable or serious ethical or publication misconduct has occurred.

Authors are expected to cooperate with reasonable editorial investigations concerning published or submitted work.

 

 

Ethics Checklist Before Submission

Before submitting a manuscript to JISR, authors should confirm that:

  • All listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria and have approved the manuscript.

  • The manuscript is original and is not under consideration by another journal.

  • All sources, ideas, quotations, data, figures, and third-party materials are appropriately acknowledged.

  • The manuscript contains no plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate text recycling.

  • Research involving human participants has received appropriate ethical approval and informed consent where required.

  • Research involving religious, spiritual, cultural, or traditional communities has been conducted with appropriate ethical and cultural sensitivity.

  • ll actual, potential, or perceived competing interests have been declared.

  • Data and research materials are accurately reported and available where ethically and legally appropriate.

  • Any substantive use of artificial intelligence has been used responsibly and disclosed where required.

  • AI tools have not been listed as authors or co-authors.

  • All copyrighted or third-party materials have appropriate attribution and permission where necessary.

  • The manuscript complies with the journal's editorial and publication-ethics policies.

JISR reserves the right to investigate suspected violations of these ethical principles and to take appropriate action in accordance with its Editorial Policies, applicable institutional requirements, and recognized publication-ethics standards.

By submitting a manuscript to JISR, authors acknowledge their responsibility to uphold these principles and to contribute to a trustworthy, respectful, and academically rigorous scholarly record.