Online Submission System

Research Journal Al-Qamar receives and manages manuscripts through its official Online Journal System (OJS). The OJS platform is used to make the submission, editorial screening, peer review, revision, copyediting, production, and publication process more organized, transparent, and efficient.

Authors are strongly encouraged to submit their manuscripts only through the official OJS submission portal of Research Journal Al-Qamar. Submissions sent through personal email, unofficial WhatsApp numbers, or informal communication channels are not normally considered part of the official editorial process unless specifically allowed by the editorial office.

Purpose of the Online Submission System

The online submission system helps the journal maintain a proper academic record of every manuscript submitted for publication. It allows authors, editors, reviewers, and the production team to work within a structured digital environment.

Through OJS, the journal can manage:

  1. Author registration and profile information
  2. Manuscript submission
  3. Initial editorial screening
  4. Plagiarism and similarity checking records
  5. Reviewer assignment
  6. Double-blind peer review process
  7. Editorial decisions
  8. Author revisions
  9. Copyediting and proofreading
  10. Production and publication files
  11. Article metadata
  12. Final online publication and archiving

This system helps ensure that every submission is handled according to the journal’s academic, editorial, and ethical standards.

Author Registration

Before submitting a manuscript, authors are required to register on the journal’s OJS platform. During registration, authors should provide accurate and complete information.

The author profile should normally include:

  1. Full name
  2. Institutional affiliation
  3. Designation
  4. Country
  5. Email address
  6. Contact information, where required
  7. ORCID ID, if available
  8. Research interests
  9. Short academic biography, where required

Authors must use a valid and active email address because all important notifications, editorial decisions, revision requests, and publication updates are usually sent through the OJS system.

Login and Author Dashboard

After registration, authors can log in to the OJS platform using their username and password. Once logged in, authors can access their personal dashboard.

The author dashboard allows authors to:

  1. Start a new submission
  2. View active submissions
  3. Check the status of submitted manuscripts
  4. Upload revised files
  5. Respond to editorial decisions
  6. Communicate with the editorial office
  7. Review copyediting or production files, where required
  8. Access previous submissions

Authors should regularly check their OJS dashboard and registered email for updates regarding their manuscripts.

Starting a New Submission

To submit a new manuscript, the author should select the option for a new submission in the OJS system. The submission process normally consists of several steps.

The author may be asked to:

  1. Select the appropriate section of the journal
  2. Confirm submission requirements
  3. Agree to the journal’s policies
  4. Upload the manuscript file
  5. Enter article metadata
  6. Add author and co-author details
  7. Provide abstract and keywords
  8. Upload supplementary files, where required
  9. Review the submission details
  10. Complete and confirm the submission

Authors must carefully complete every step before final submission.

Selection of Journal Section

During submission, authors may be required to select the appropriate section for their manuscript. The available sections may include:

  1. Research Articles
  2. Review Essays
  3. Book Reviews
  4. Monographs
  5. Scholarly Commentary
  6. Special Issue Submissions
  7. Other sections approved by the journal

Authors should choose the section that best matches the nature of their manuscript. If the wrong section is selected, the editorial office may move the submission to the appropriate section or request clarification from the author.

Submission Checklist

Before completing the online submission, authors must confirm that their manuscript follows the journal’s requirements.

The submission checklist may include confirmation that:

  1. The manuscript is original and unpublished.
  2. The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
  3. The file is in Microsoft Word format.
  4. The manuscript follows the journal’s formatting guidelines.
  5. The abstract and keywords are included.
  6. References are complete and accurate.
  7. All authors have approved the submission.
  8. The author contribution statement is provided, where applicable.
  9. Conflict of interest and funding statements are included.
  10. Ethical approval or permission has been obtained, where required.
  11. The manuscript is free from plagiarism and academic misconduct.
  12. The submitted file does not contain unnecessary identifying information if double-blind review is required.

Authors should not submit the manuscript until all checklist items have been properly completed.

Uploading the Manuscript File

Authors must upload the manuscript file through the OJS system. The preferred file format is usually Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) because it allows editing, review comments, formatting, and production processing.

The manuscript file should normally include:

  1. Article title
  2. Abstract
  3. Keywords
  4. Main text
  5. Footnotes or endnotes
  6. References / bibliography
  7. Tables and figures, where applicable
  8. Appendices, where required

If the journal requires anonymous submission for double-blind review, authors should remove identifying information from the main manuscript file. Author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, and self-identifying references should be provided separately where required.

Title Page and Author Details

The title page may be uploaded separately if required by the journal. It should include complete author information.

The title page should normally contain:

  1. Full title of the manuscript
  2. Full name of each author
  3. Designation and institutional affiliation
  4. Email address of each author
  5. ORCID ID, where available
  6. Corresponding author details
  7. Contact number, where required
  8. Funding statement
  9. Conflict of interest statement
  10. Author contribution statement

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all author details are correct before submission.

Entering Article Metadata

OJS requires authors to enter article metadata during the submission process. Metadata is very important because it helps in editorial processing, online publication, indexing, searching, and citation.

Authors should carefully enter:

  1. Article title
  2. Subtitle, where applicable
  3. Abstract
  4. Keywords
  5. Author names
  6. Affiliations
  7. References, where required
  8. Language of the manuscript
  9. Subject area
  10. Supporting agencies or funding information
  11. ORCID details, where available

Incorrect or incomplete metadata may delay the processing and publication of the manuscript.

Adding Co-Authors

If the manuscript has more than one author, the submitting author must add all co-authors in the OJS system. The order of authors should be the same as agreed by all authors before submission.

The submitting author must ensure that:

  1. All co-authors are included.
  2. Author names are spelled correctly.
  3. Affiliations are accurate.
  4. Emails are valid.
  5. The author order is correct.
  6. The corresponding author is clearly identified.
  7. All authors have approved the final submission.

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors after submission must follow the journal’s authorship policy.

Uploading Supplementary Files

Authors may be required or allowed to upload supplementary files. These files may include:

  1. Title page
  2. Similarity report
  3. Ethical approval certificate
  4. Research permission letter
  5. Data collection tool
  6. Questionnaire or interview guide
  7. Tables, images, or figures
  8. Copyright permission documents
  9. Author declaration form
  10. Funding or conflict of interest statement
  11. Response to reviewers, during revision
  12. Revised manuscript file

Supplementary files should be clearly named so that the editorial office can identify them easily.

Final Confirmation of Submission

Before final submission, authors should carefully review all details entered in the OJS system. Once the submission is completed, the system usually generates a confirmation message and may also send an email notification to the author.

Authors should verify that:

  1. The correct manuscript file has been uploaded.
  2. The title is accurate.
  3. The abstract is complete.
  4. Keywords are properly entered.
  5. All authors are listed correctly.
  6. Supplementary files are attached, where required.
  7. The selected journal section is correct.
  8. Submission requirements have been accepted.

After final confirmation, the manuscript enters the editorial workflow.

Tracking Submission Status

One of the main advantages of OJS is that authors can track the progress of their manuscript through the online system.

The submission status may show stages such as:

  1. Submission received
  2. Awaiting assignment
  3. Under editorial review
  4. Under review
  5. Revisions required
  6. Resubmitted
  7. Accepted
  8. Declined
  9. Copyediting
  10. Production
  11. Published

Authors should understand that the review and publication process may take time depending on the quality of the manuscript, availability of reviewers, revision requirements, and editorial workload.

Editorial Communication Through OJS

All official communication regarding a submitted manuscript should normally take place through the OJS system. This includes:

  1. Editorial queries
  2. Review decisions
  3. Revision requests
  4. Reviewer comments
  5. Copyediting communication
  6. Proofreading requests
  7. Final publication notices

Authors should respond to all OJS notifications in a timely and professional manner. Delayed responses may delay the processing of the manuscript.

Double-Blind Review and File Anonymity

Research Journal Al-Qamar follows a double-blind peer review process. Therefore, authors may be required to submit an anonymous manuscript file.

To support blind review, authors should remove:

  1. Author names
  2. Institutional affiliations
  3. Acknowledgment details
  4. Self-identifying statements
  5. File properties containing author identity
  6. Direct references that reveal authorship unnecessarily

The title page containing author details should be uploaded separately if required. The editorial office may return a manuscript for correction if it does not follow anonymity requirements.

Revision Submission Through OJS

If reviewers or editors request revisions, authors must submit the revised manuscript through the OJS system. Revised files should not normally be sent through informal channels unless specifically requested by the editorial office.

The revised submission should normally include:

  1. Revised manuscript
  2. Response to reviewers’ comments
  3. Highlighted or tracked-change version, where required
  4. Clean final version
  5. Updated references, where needed
  6. Updated declarations, where applicable

Authors should respond carefully to every comment and explain how the manuscript has been revised.

Copyediting Stage

After acceptance, the manuscript may move to the copyediting stage in OJS. At this stage, the editorial or copyediting team may review the manuscript for language, formatting, citation style, consistency, and presentation.

Authors may be asked to review or approve copyedited files. They should check the copyedited version carefully and respond within the given time.

Copyediting may include:

  1. Typographical correction
  2. Language improvement
  3. Formatting adjustment
  4. Reference standardization
  5. Footnote checking
  6. Transliteration consistency
  7. Correction of minor errors
  8. Preparation for production

Production Stage

After copyediting, the manuscript enters the production stage. In this stage, the article is prepared for final publication.

The production process may include:

  1. Typesetting
  2. PDF preparation
  3. Article layout
  4. Pagination
  5. Metadata finalization
  6. DOI or article link preparation, where applicable
  7. Proof generation
  8. Final publication scheduling
  9. Online issue arrangement
  10. Archiving

Authors may be asked to check final proofs before publication.

Proofreading Through OJS

The corresponding author may receive the final proof through OJS. The author must check the proof carefully and submit corrections within the given deadline.

At proof stage, only minor corrections are normally allowed, such as:

  1. Typographical errors
  2. Spelling mistakes
  3. Minor formatting issues
  4. Incorrect author details
  5. Minor reference corrections

Major changes in content, authorship, title, argument, methodology, or structure are not normally allowed after acceptance.

Publication and Online Availability

After completion of production, the article is published online on the journal’s official OJS platform. The article page may include:

  1. Article title
  2. Author names and affiliations
  3. Abstract
  4. Keywords
  5. Full-text PDF
  6. Citation details
  7. DOI or permanent link, where applicable
  8. Volume, issue, and year
  9. Page numbers
  10. Publication date
  11. References, where displayed
  12. Download and view statistics, where available

The OJS platform helps readers access published articles easily and allows authors to share official article links.

Benefits of OJS for Authors

The OJS platform provides several benefits for authors, including:

  1. Easy online submission
  2. Organized manuscript tracking
  3. Secure submission record
  4. Transparent editorial workflow
  5. Centralized communication
  6. Digital peer review management
  7. Easy revision upload
  8. Proper metadata entry
  9. Online article publication
  10. Long-term accessibility and archiving

Using OJS ensures that the manuscript remains properly recorded within the journal’s official system.

Author Responsibilities in OJS

Authors are responsible for using the online submission system carefully and honestly. They must ensure that all information entered in the system is accurate and complete.

Authors must:

  1. Submit only original work.
  2. Provide accurate author details.
  3. Upload the correct manuscript file.
  4. Enter complete metadata.
  5. Respond to editorial communication on time.
  6. Submit revisions through the system.
  7. Keep their login details secure.
  8. Avoid duplicate submissions.
  9. Follow journal policies and ethical standards.
  10. Inform the editorial office if any technical issue occurs.

Technical Issues

If authors face difficulty during registration, login, file upload, metadata entry, revision submission, or proof review, they may contact the journal’s technical or editorial support team.

When reporting a technical issue, authors should provide:

  1. Full name
  2. Registered email address
  3. Manuscript title
  4. Submission ID, if available
  5. Description of the problem
  6. Screenshot of the error, where possible
  7. Browser or device details, where relevant

The journal will try to assist authors in resolving genuine technical problems related to the OJS platform.

Important Submission Notice

Submission through OJS does not guarantee acceptance. Every manuscript must pass editorial screening, plagiarism checking, peer review, revision, and final editorial approval.

The journal does not accept manuscripts on the basis of personal recommendation, payment, institutional pressure, or informal communication. Acceptance depends only on academic quality, originality, relevance, ethical compliance, and successful completion of the review process.

Final Statement

By submitting a manuscript through the Research Journal Al-Qamar Online Journal System, authors confirm that the submission is original, ethically prepared, properly referenced, and not under consideration elsewhere. Authors also agree to follow the journal’s policies regarding authorship, plagiarism, peer review, revision, copyright, publication ethics, and online submission procedures.