Journal Sections

Purpose of Journal Sections

Research Journal Al-Qamar publishes scholarly work in three main sections only. These sections are designed to organize submissions according to their academic form, purpose, length, depth, method, and scholarly contribution. The classification of a manuscript into a particular section does not reduce the journal’s requirements regarding originality, research ethics, plagiarism policy, citation accuracy, respectful language, academic structure, and editorial quality.

The three main sections of the journal are:

  1. Research Papers
  2. Review Essays
  3. Monographs

The Editorial Board may assign a manuscript to the section that best reflects its scholarly nature. If a submission is placed in an unsuitable section by the author, the journal reserves the right to move it to the appropriate section during editorial screening.

1. Research Papers

Research Papers are original, unpublished, research-based academic articles that make a clear contribution to Islamic Studies and related disciplines. A research paper should present a well-defined research problem, research question, thesis, or central argument. It should explain its method, engage relevant scholarship, analyze evidence, and offer conclusions that logically follow from the discussion.

A research paper must not be a general essay, sermon, lecture note, compilation of quotations, unsupported opinion piece, or purely descriptive writing without analysis. It should demonstrate academic seriousness, originality, proper structure, and responsible use of sources.

A strong research paper normally includes:

  1. Title
  2. Abstract
  3. Keywords
  4. Introduction
  5. Statement of the problem
  6. Objectives of the study
  7. Research questions or hypothesis, where applicable
  8. Literature review, where relevant
  9. Research methodology
  10. Main analysis and discussion
  11. Findings
  12. Conclusion
  13. Acknowledgements, where required
  14. Complete references / bibliography

A research paper may demonstrate originality through:

  1. New evidence
  2. New interpretation
  3. Fresh comparison
  4. Critical evaluation
  5. Methodological clarity
  6. Re-reading of classical or modern sources
  7. Application of Islamic scholarship to contemporary issues
  8. Contribution to an ongoing scholarly debate
  9. Correction of a misunderstanding in previous scholarship
  10. Presentation of a well-supported academic argument

Research papers may be submitted in areas such as Qur’anic Studies, Hadith, Seerah, Islamic Jurisprudence, Islamic Thought, Theology, Philosophy, Sufism, Comparative Religion, Muslim Societies, Arabic Studies, Urdu Studies, Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, Ethics, History, and related fields.

The journal expects research papers to be properly referenced, clearly written, ethically prepared, and suitable for double-blind peer review.

2. Review Essays

Review Essays are critical, analytical, and research-based discussions of books, research trends, scholarly debates, intellectual traditions, classical texts, academic movements, or emerging fields of inquiry. A review essay must go beyond summary. Its purpose is not merely to introduce, announce, or praise a publication, but to evaluate its scholarly value and place it within a wider academic conversation.

A review essay may discuss:

  1. One important academic book
  2. Two or more books on the same theme
  3. A scholar’s intellectual contribution
  4. A major debate in Islamic Studies or related fields
  5. A recent research trend
  6. A classical text and its modern relevance
  7. A school of thought or intellectual movement
  8. A body of literature on a particular issue
  9. A translated work, edited volume, or critical edition
  10. A contemporary religious, legal, social, or ethical debate

A strong review essay should evaluate:

  1. Main argument
  2. Methodology
  3. Use of sources
  4. Historical and intellectual context
  5. Strengths of the work
  6. Limitations of the work
  7. Originality and contribution
  8. Relevance to current scholarship
  9. Relationship with existing literature
  10. Possibilities for future research

Review essays should be balanced, properly referenced, professionally written, and academically respectful. Personal criticism, exaggerated claims, sectarian language, unsupported dismissal, promotional writing, and emotional judgment are not acceptable.

Depending on the nature, length, and claims of the submission, the Editorial Board may require editorial review, external peer review, or both. Review essays may also be returned for revision if they are only descriptive summaries and do not provide critical academic engagement.

3. Monographs

Monographs are extended scholarly works that are broader, deeper, and more detailed than ordinary research articles. A monograph focuses on a single subject, theme, scholar, text, issue, period, school of thought, manuscript, legal problem, intellectual tradition, or research question in a sustained and systematic manner.

Monographs may include:

  1. Long-form research studies
  2. Detailed textual studies
  3. Edited academic texts
  4. Critical editions
  5. Translations with scholarly introduction and notes
  6. Thematic investigations
  7. Historical studies
  8. Bibliographic studies
  9. Manuscript-based research
  10. Comprehensive studies in Islamic Studies and related fields

A monograph must demonstrate originality, academic depth, strong structure, proper methodology, accurate referencing, unity of argument, coherence, research value, and sustained engagement with primary and secondary sources.

A monograph should not be an expanded essay, loosely connected collection of notes, general compilation, or unstructured material. It must have a clear academic purpose and a coherent scholarly argument.

Authors may be required to provide:

  1. Title page
  2. Abstract
  3. Keywords
  4. Table of contents
  5. Introduction
  6. Statement of the problem
  7. Objectives of the study
  8. Research questions, where applicable
  9. Methodology
  10. Main chapters or sections
  11. Analysis and discussion
  12. Conclusion
  13. Bibliography
  14. Appendices, where required

Monographs may be subject to additional review, longer editorial assessment, special formatting requirements, and approval by the Editorial Board. The journal may publish a monograph within a regular issue, special section, supplement, or independent scholarly publication according to editorial policy.

All monograph submissions must follow the journal’s author guidelines, publication ethics, plagiarism policy, referencing style, copyright policy, and editorial requirements.

Editorial Documentation and Evidence

For all three sections, Research Journal Al-Qamar treats documentation as an essential part of quality assurance. Relevant editorial records may include submission files, author declarations, reviewer reports, editorial notes, revised manuscripts, proof corrections, metadata changes, correspondence, permissions, similarity reports where used, production files, DOI information where applicable, and post-publication notices.

Documentation helps the Editorial Board:

  1. Explain editorial decisions
  2. Respond to author queries
  3. Maintain continuity when editors change
  4. Verify manuscript history
  5. Track revisions and corrections
  6. Protect the accuracy of the scholarly record
  7. Support transparency in publication procedures
  8. Preserve evidence in case of disputes or appeals

Authors should therefore provide clear and complete information at the time of submission. Where a manuscript involves translations, archival material, fieldwork, interviews, human participants, institutional data, religious citations, legal claims, or sensitive contemporary issues, the journal may request additional evidence.

Such requests are not intended to burden authors unnecessarily. They are part of responsible scholarly verification and are consistent with good academic publishing practice.

Communication and Transparency

Official communication should normally take place through the journal’s online submission system or authorized editorial email. Authors should not rely on informal messages, third-party promises, social media communication, or personal contacts as substitutes for the official editorial record.

Editors should communicate decisions clearly and identify required revisions where possible. They should distinguish between mandatory changes and recommendations when appropriate. Reviewers should write comments in a professional tone and support criticism with academic reasons.

Transparency does not mean that every confidential editorial detail can be disclosed. Reviewer identities, internal editorial deliberations, confidential allegations, and sensitive ethical investigations may require protection. However, the journal should be able to explain the procedural basis of decisions and provide authors with appropriate information about revision requirements, rejection reasons, correction procedures, and appeal routes.

Application to Islamic Studies

Because Research Journal Al-Qamar works in Islamic Studies and related fields, manuscripts require special care in the use of primary texts, religious terminology, sectarian classifications, legal categories, historical claims, translations, and references to classical scholarship.

Authors should avoid presenting contested interpretations as undisputed fact unless the evidence supports such a claim. They should accurately identify schools of thought, historical periods, editions, narrations, legal positions, theological perspectives, and scholarly debates.

The journal encourages critical scholarship, but criticism must be grounded in evidence and expressed in academic language. Articles may disagree with earlier scholars, modern writers, institutions, public policies, or intellectual trends, but they should not rely on insult, exaggeration, selective quotation, polemical language, or inflammatory expression.

This standard protects academic seriousness and supports responsible debate among scholars from different traditions, regions, institutions, and intellectual backgrounds.

Quality Control and Periodic Review

The Editorial Board may periodically review the implementation of the journal sections policy by examining accepted and rejected manuscripts, reviewer feedback, author queries, correction requests, indexing requirements, metadata quality, publication timelines, and reader concerns.

Such review helps the journal:

  1. Improve consistency
  2. Reduce avoidable delays
  3. Strengthen author guidance
  4. Maintain editorial quality
  5. Improve peer-review standards
  6. Clarify section requirements
  7. Enhance transparency
  8. Protect the credibility of the journal

Where this page overlaps with another journal policy, the policies should be read together. For example, journal sections are connected with author instructions, publication ethics, peer review, plagiarism policy, citation accuracy, research data policy, conflicts of interest, corrections, retractions, governance, indexing, preservation, privacy, DOI, metadata, and website terms.

The goal is to maintain an integrated publishing framework rather than isolated policy statements.

Final Statement

Research Journal Al-Qamar publishes scholarly work in three main sections: Research Papers, Review Essays, and Monographs. Each section has its own academic purpose, but all submissions must meet the journal’s standards of originality, ethical responsibility, accurate referencing, methodological clarity, respectful language, and editorial quality.

Through these sections, the journal aims to promote serious research, critical scholarship, long-form academic inquiry, and responsible intellectual engagement in Islamic Studies and related disciplines.