About the Journal

Introduction

Research Journal Al-Qamar is a double-blind peer-reviewed open access academic journal devoted to Islamic Studies and related disciplines. It is published by Al-Qamar Islamic Research Institute, Lahore, Pakistan, an independent research organization established to promote serious scholarly inquiry, responsible publication, and academic exchange among researchers working in religious studies, humanities, law, ethics, education, history, language, civilization, and Muslim societies.

The journal carries ISSN Print 2664-438X and Online 2664-4398. It is recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan in Y Category and provides a professional publication platform for scholars writing in Urdu, English, and Arabic. Its multilingual character reflects the intellectual reality of Islamic Studies, where research may require engagement with Arabic sources, Urdu scholarship, English-language academic debates, and classical or contemporary materials from several traditions.

Institutional Background

The foundation of the journal was laid after a period of academic planning, editorial development, policy preparation, and institutional organization. Its first issue was published in 2017. The journal grew out of the research activity of Al-Qamar Islamic Research Institute and reflects the institute commitment to publishing work that is original, documented, methodologically sound, ethically responsible, and useful for researchers, teachers, postgraduate scholars, libraries, and academic institutions.

Since its launch, the journal has received a very large number of submissions from Pakistan and abroad. More than one thousand peer-reviewed articles have been published through the journal record. This volume of scholarly activity requires clear editorial systems, consistent policy language, transparent procedures, and careful attention to quality assurance.

Academic Vision

The journal aims to connect classical Islamic scholarship with contemporary academic research. It encourages studies that examine primary sources, evaluate historical evidence, analyze legal and ethical arguments, study Muslim intellectual traditions, explore interfaith and social questions, and contribute to responsible academic debate. The journal values scholarship that is precise, balanced, evidence-based, and respectful of the complexity of religious and scholarly traditions.

Scholarly Scope

Research Journal Al-Qamar considers work in Quranic Studies, Hadith Studies, Sirah, Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic law, usul al-fiqh, theology, philosophy, Sufism, Islamic ethics, Islamic education, Muslim history, civilization, comparative religion, Orientalism, interfaith studies, Arabic and Urdu scholarship, manuscript studies, textual criticism, intellectual history, Muslim societies, and interdisciplinary research relevant to Islamic Studies.

The journal also welcomes research that engages the humanities and social sciences where the argument remains relevant to the journal field. Studies of law, education, sociology, culture, history, language, public ethics, religious harmony, contemporary Muslim communities, and institutional development may be considered when they show a clear scholarly contribution.

Peer Review and Quality Assurance

The journal follows a double-blind peer review model. Submitted manuscripts are first screened by the editorial office for scope, completeness, originality, formatting, ethical suitability, reference quality, and language clarity. Manuscripts that satisfy initial requirements may be assigned to reviewers with relevant subject expertise. Reviewers are asked to comment on originality, method, argument, structure, use of sources, citation accuracy, contribution, and suitability for publication.

The editorial board makes decisions after considering reviewer reports, editorial assessment, journal scope, ethical requirements, and the quality of revisions. Acceptance is never automatic and is not based on payment, personal connection, institutional pressure, or non-academic considerations.

Publication Ethics and Scholarly Record

The journal expects authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial board members to follow principles of honesty, transparency, confidentiality, fairness, and accountability. Plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated data, false authorship, manipulated references, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and misuse of the review process are not acceptable. Where a concern arises, the journal may request clarification, correction, withdrawal, expression of concern, retraction, or other appropriate action.

National and International Role

Research Journal Al-Qamar serves national and international researchers by providing open access to scholarly content and by maintaining article metadata suitable for discovery through search engines, indexing services, library catalogues, citation tools, and academic databases. The journal is committed to digital accessibility, long-term availability, and responsible preservation of its published record.

Editorial Documentation and Evidence

For this page, the journal treats documentation as an essential part of quality assurance. Relevant 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 explain decisions, respond to queries, maintain continuity when editors change, and protect the accuracy of the scholarly record.

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 international publication practice.

Communication and Transparency

Official communication should normally take place through the journal submission system or through authorized editorial email. Authors should not rely on informal messages, third-party promises, or personal contacts as substitutes for the editorial record. Editors should communicate decisions clearly, identify required revisions, and distinguish between mandatory changes and recommendations where possible. Reviewers should write comments in a professional tone and should support criticism with academic reasons.

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

Application to Islamic Studies

Because the journal works in Islamic Studies and related fields, the application of this page requires special care in the use of primary texts, religious terminology, sectarian or legal classifications, historical claims, and translations. Authors should avoid presenting contested interpretations as undisputed fact unless the evidence supports that claim. They should identify schools of thought, historical periods, editions, narrations, and scholarly positions accurately and respectfully.

The journal encourages critical scholarship, but criticism should 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, or inflammatory language. This standard protects academic seriousness and supports responsible debate among scholars from different traditions and regions.

Quality Control and Periodic Review

The editorial board may review the implementation of this page periodically 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 improve consistency, reduce avoidable delays, strengthen author guidance, and maintain confidence in the journal processes.

Where this page overlaps with another policy, the policies should be read together. For example, author instructions connect with publication ethics, peer review, plagiarism, citation accuracy, research data, conflicts of interest, and corrections. Governance connects with indexing, preservation, privacy, DOI, metadata, and website terms. The goal is an integrated publishing framework rather than isolated statements.