Publication Ethics  

el Harakah: Jurnal Budaya Islam adheres strictly to the publication ethics established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We uphold integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability at every stage to ensure responsible contributions to Islamic cultural studies. All authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher must comply with these standards. Below is a summary of our core principles; full guidance is available at COPE Core Practices.

Allegations of Misconduct

All allegations of misconduct submitted to the Editor-in-Chief are handled promptly, impartially, and confidentially. Following a preliminary assessment, cases requiring independent review or involving potential conflicts of interest are referred to the Head of the Academic Publication Center (Pusat Publikasi Ilmiah), LP2M Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim, who may form an investigating committee.

If misconduct is confirmed, the journal follows COPE guidelines to take corrective action, such as issuing corrections, retracting articles, revising authorship, suspending reviews, or appointing new reviewers. We remain committed to protecting academic integrity while ensuring fair process for all parties.

Authorship and Contributorship

Manuscripts must accurately identify all substantial contributors. The cover letter must outline each author’s role (e.g., conceptualization, data analysis, drafting, or revision) and confirm that all qualified contributors are listed.

Changes to authorship require a written explanation and written consent from all authors. No changes are allowed after final revision acceptance.

Manuscripts are limited to a maximum of five authors, each of whom must have made a significant intellectual contribution relevant to Islamic cultural studies.

Complaints and Appeals

el Harakah: Jurnal Budaya Islam handles complaints and appeals fairly, transparently, and in accordance with COPE guidelines. The Editor-in-Chief and handling editors manage all grievances regarding editorial decisions, procedures, and ethics.

Authors may submit a written appeal if they believe a rejection lacked scholarly justification. Rejections at the initial screening stage receive a brief explanation and may be reconsidered if the appeal provides strong grounds. Rejections following peer review are generally final, but appeals will be considered if there is clear evidence of reviewer-editor inconsistency, procedural errors, or unfair process.

Complaints about process delays or administrative issues will be investigated promptly. While peer review timing depends on reviewer availability, we strive to maintain efficiency. Where delays stem from journal oversight, corrective action will be taken. Ethics-related complaints follow COPE Core Practices, and all final decisions are communicated transparently.

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when personal, financial, institutional, or professional relationships could influence—or appear to influence—research conduct or publication. Given our focus on Islamic cultures and religious practices, full transparency is critical.

Authors must disclose all actual or potential conflicts upon submission, or immediately if one arises prior to publication. Editors and reviewers must disclose competing interests and recuse themselves from handling affected manuscripts.

When an undisclosed conflict is reported, the Editor-in-Chief conducts a preliminary review, notifies the authors, and requests a signed declaration (and may contact affiliated institutions if necessary). If an undisclosed conflict is confirmed, remedies range from publishing a correction or editorial notice to article retraction, depending on severity.

Data and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to share supporting research data as supplementary materials whenever ethically permissible. This is especially relevant for empirical Islamic cultural research (e.g., ethnographic, historical, sociological, or digital humanities studies), though restricted access is permitted when needed to protect human subjects, communities, or cultural heritage.

Authors are fully responsible for data authenticity. Data fabrication, falsification, and improper image manipulation are strictly prohibited.

If data integrity concerns arise, the Editor-in-Chief may consult internal or independent experts. If evidence suggests misconduct, authors must provide clarification and supporting documentation. Depending on findings, the journal may request corrections, issue an expression of concern, or retract the article in line with COPE guidance.

Ethical Oversight

All published research must comply with international ethical standards and institutional regulations. Particular attention is given to studies involving human participants, vulnerable groups, sacred cultural expressions, and sensitive heritage materials to ensure respect, informed consent, and scholarly responsibility.

Manuscripts must explicitly describe ethical approvals, informed consent procedures, and permissions obtained from relevant institutions or communities.

The Editor-in-Chief investigates all reports of ethical violations. Confirmed violations will result in corrective actions—such as formal corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions—proportionate to the severity of the offense.

Intellectual Property

Authors must ensure their work respects intellectual property laws. Permissions must be secured for reproducing copyrighted figures, tables, photos, maps, or archival materials, and all external ideas or content must be accurately cited.

While the journal allows a maximum similarity index of 15%, meeting this threshold does not bypass plagiarism checks. Unattributed borrowing, duplicate publication, and intentional plagiarism are strictly prohibited regardless of score.

Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, permitting open sharing with proper attribution.

Plagiarism or IP allegations are investigated under COPE guidelines. Minor issues may require formal corrections, while severe violations will lead to manuscript rejection, article retraction, or institutional notification.

Journal Management

el Harakah: Jurnal Budaya Islam is committed to maintaining high standards of editorial integrity and responsible scholarly publishing in the field of Islamic cultural studies. Although the journal is not a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), it follows the COPE Core Practices in managing authorship, peer review, editorial decision-making, and publication ethics. The journal also adheres to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing and maintains an open access policy consistent with the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) guidelines.

Post-Publication Discussions

el Harakah: Jurnal Budaya Islam welcomes constructive post-publication discussion that contributes to the advancement of scholarship on Islamic cultures, traditions, and societies. Concerns or critiques submitted by readers will be assessed by the Editor-in-Chief to determine whether they are evidence-based and presented in a professional manner. Submissions that are defamatory or unsupported will not be considered.

Where a concern is found to be valid, the journal will investigate the matter in accordance with COPE guidance. Depending on the findings, the journal may publish a correction, a reader's correspondence with the authors' response, an expression of concern, or a retraction.

Allegations of redundant or duplicate publication will also be investigated. Minor overlap may be resolved through correction and appropriate citation, whereas substantial redundancy may result in rejection or retraction. When necessary, the journal may notify the authors' affiliated institutions or the editors of other affected journals. The outcome of the investigation will be communicated to the individual who raised the concern.

Generative AI Statement

el Harakah: Jurnal Budaya Islam recognizes that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies can assist authors in improving the clarity and presentation of scholarly manuscripts. However, the use of GenAI must not compromise academic integrity, originality, or scholarly responsibility.

Authors must disclose any use of Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of their manuscript, including drafting, editing, language refinement, data analysis, or content generation. Such disclosure promotes transparency and supports the integrity of the editorial and peer-review process.

The authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, interpretation, and conclusions of their work. Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors, as they cannot assume responsibility for the content or meet accepted authorship criteria. The editorial team reserves the right to evaluate the appropriateness of AI use in accordance with the journal's ethical policies and prevailing academic standards.

Author Declaration: If Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have been used in preparing the manuscript, authors must include a Generative AI Statement in the manuscript using the journal's prescribed format. This requirement does not apply to basic writing aids, such as spelling or grammar checkers, or reference management software. If no Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used, no declaration is required.