Author Guidelines

AKSEN Journal of Islam and Humanities (AJIH) Published by AKSEN (Akademika Semesta Nusantara)

1. Scope of Submissions

Manuscripts submitted to AJIH must fall within the journal's Focus and Scope — original scholarship on Islamic Studies and/or Muslim Societies, approached through textual, historical, social-scientific, philosophical, or comparative methods. Editors will desk-reject submissions that do not substantively engage Islam or Muslim societies, regardless of quality.

Authors are strongly encouraged to review the journal's Focus and Scope statement before submission to confirm fit.

2. Manuscript Languages

AJIH accepts manuscripts written in:

  • English, or
  • Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)

Manuscripts must be written entirely in one language; mixed-language manuscripts will not be accepted. Regardless of the language of the main text, the following elements must be provided in both English and Indonesian:

  • Title
  • Abstract (150–250 words)
  • Keywords (4–6 words/phrases)

Authors who are not native speakers of their chosen submission language are strongly encouraged to have their manuscript proofread by a competent English or Indonesian editor/proofreader prior to submission. Manuscripts with substantial language difficulties that impede scholarly evaluation may be returned to authors for revision before entering peer review.

3. Manuscript Types

  • Original Research Article (6,000–9,000 words including references)
  • Review Article (6,000–10,000 words) — synthesizing and critically evaluating existing scholarship on a defined topic
  • Short Communication / Research Note (3,000–5,000 words) — preliminary findings, focused arguments, or responses to previously published work

Word counts are inclusive of abstract, main text, and footnotes, but exclusive of references and appendices.

4. Manuscript Structure

All research articles should generally follow this structure, adapted as appropriate for textual/normative studies versus empirical studies:

  1. Title (concise, informative, max 15 words)
  2. Author name(s) and affiliation(s) (removed from the manuscript file for blind review; submitted separately)
  3. Abstract (150–250 words; single paragraph; no citations) — should state the problem, approach/method, and key findings or argument
  4. Keywords (4–6 items, alphabetized)
  5. Introduction — problem statement, significance, brief literature positioning, and article roadmap
  6. Literature Review / Theoretical Framework (may be integrated into the introduction for shorter pieces)
  7. Methods (for empirical/field-based research; for textual/normative studies, this may instead describe sources, hermeneutical approach, or analytical framework)
  8. Discussion / Analysis — the substantive body of the argument or findings
  9. Conclusion — summary of contribution, limitations, and implications for future research
  10. References (APA 7th edition — see Section 6)
  11. Appendices (if applicable)

5. Formatting Specifications

  • File format: Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx)
  • Page size: A4
  • Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides
  • Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt
  • Line spacing: 1.5
  • Alignment: Justified
  • Paragraph indentation: First line indent, 1.25 cm
  • Page numbers: Bottom center
  • Headings: Use a clear hierarchical numbering or consistent style (Heading 1 / Heading 2 / Heading 3) for section titles
  • Transliteration: Arabic terms should be transliterated consistently using a recognized system (e.g., the IJMES transliteration system); authors should state which system they use in a footnote at first use
  • Qur'anic and hadith citations: Cite surah name and verse number (e.g., QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 183) or hadith collection and number in-text; full source details should also appear in the reference list where applicable
  • Tables and figures: Numbered sequentially, with descriptive captions above tables and below figures; referenced in-text before their appearance

A manuscript template file reflecting these specifications should be downloaded from the journal website and used as the basis for submission.

6. Referencing Style: APA 7th Edition

AJIH uses the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th edition citation style for both in-text citations and the reference list.

In-text citations follow the author–date format:

  • One author: (Rahman, 2020)
  • Two authors: (Rahman & Ahmad, 2020)
  • Three or more authors: (Rahman et al., 2020)
  • Direct quotations must include page numbers: (Rahman, 2020, p. 45)

Reference list entries should be alphabetized by author surname and formatted per APA 7th edition conventions, for example:

  • Journal article: Rahman, F. (2020). Islam and modernity: Transformation of an intellectual tradition. Journal of Islamic Studies, 12(3), 45–67.

  • Book: Nasr, S. H. (2003). Islam: Religion, history, and civilization. HarperOne.

  • Chapter in an edited book: Ahmad, K. (2015). Islamic law and social change. In A. Rahman (Ed.), Contemporary Muslim thought (pp. 88–104). Routledge.

  • Classical/primary sources (e.g., classical Islamic texts) should be cited using the author's commonly recognized name and the edition consulted, with full publication details in the reference list, following APA conventions for historical or reprinted works (e.g., al-Ghazali, 1997/1058).

Authors are strongly encouraged to manage references using citation software (e.g., Mendeley, Zotero, EndNote) set to APA 7th edition style to ensure consistency. Footnotes should be used only for substantive commentary, not for citations.

7. Ethical and Originality Requirements

  • Manuscripts must be original and not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere.
  • Similarity/plagiarism screening will be conducted on all submissions; a similarity threshold (to be set by the editorial board, commonly around 20%, excluding references and quotations) applies.
  • All data, translations, and interpretations of primary sources must be presented accurately and with appropriate attribution.
  • Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest and, where relevant, ethical approval for research involving human subjects.
  • Authorship should be limited to those who made substantive intellectual contributions to the work; all listed authors must approve the final submitted version.

8. Submission Process

  1. Register and log in to the journal's online submission system (e.g., OJS).
  2. Prepare the manuscript using the official AJIH template.
  3. Anonymize the manuscript file for blind peer review (remove author names, affiliations, and self-identifying acknowledgments).
  4. Submit a separate title page containing author name(s), affiliation(s), ORCID iD (recommended), and corresponding author contact details.
  5. Complete the submission checklist and copyright/licensing agreement.

9. Peer Review Process

Submissions undergo initial editorial screening for scope and formatting compliance, followed by double-blind peer review by at least two reviewers. Editorial decisions (accept, minor revision, major revision, reject) will typically be communicated within [editorial board to specify turnaround time] of submission.

10. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright of their work and grant AJIH the right of first publication. Published articles are distributed under a Creative Commons license (e.g., CC BY 4.0), the specific terms of which should be confirmed by the editorial board and stated on the journal website.

Notes for the editorial board:

  • Bracketed items (similarity threshold, review turnaround time, license terms) are placeholders — insert your board's actual policies before publishing this document.
  • Word count ranges, structure, and transliteration system are suggested defaults common in Islamic Studies journals; adjust to match your board's preferences.
  • This document should be published alongside the actual manuscript template file, submission checklist, and copyright agreement referenced within it.