The editorial approach of the Journal of Islamic Finance and Sustainability (JIFS) is firmly aligned with internationally recognized standards for scholarly publishing integrity. To ensure our practices are current and robust, the journal's publisher adheres to the core practices and ethical guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for managing potential misconduct. We also draw upon established industry resources, such as the Elsevier Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK) to inform our workflows.

The principles outlined in this policy are binding for every party involved in the publication lifecycle, including the publisher, editorial team, authors, and peer reviewers. These guidelines address critical aspects of scholarly communication, such as maintaining reviewer objectivity, ensuring equitable treatment of all submissions, safeguarding originality and preventing plagiarism, upholding confidentiality, and managing potential conflicts of interest or data manipulation.

JIFS is dedicated to preserving the trust of the academic community by enforcing the highest ethical standards and actively taking preventative measures against any form of publication malpractice. As part of this commitment, authors submitting their work to JIFS confirm that their manuscript represents original research, has not been published previously in any form, and is not currently under review by another publication.

Publisher's Responsibilities: Global Scientific Hub

As the publisher of the Journal of Islamic Finance and Sustainability (JIFS), Global Scientific Hub is committed to upholding the highest standards of scholarly publishing integrity in alignment with the core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The publisher guarantees the complete editorial independence of the Editor-in-Chief and editorial board, ensuring that all editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit without interference from business or financial considerations. To support the journal's operations, Global Scientific Hub provides the necessary technological infrastructure, including a secure submission system and perpetual digital preservation through archiving services, while also ensuring that editorial team members receive ongoing training on ethical guidelines and plagiarism detection tools such as Crossref Similarity Check.

The publisher bears permanent responsibility for safeguarding the scholarly record, ensuring that all published content remains accessible through reputable digital archives and that any corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern are issued promptly and transparently in accordance with COPE guidelines. In matters of ethical oversight, Global Scientific Hub actively supports the editorial team in investigating allegations of misconduct, collaborating directly with the Editor-in-Chief on cases involving potential legal or reputational risk to ensure thorough and impartial inquiries. The publisher also maintains full transparency regarding the journal's business model, confirming that JIFS charges no article processing charges or submission fees, and ensures that all articles are published under a clear Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, with copyright remaining with the authors. Finally, the publisher ensures the journal's compliance with international standards set by COPE and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), including rigorous plagiarism screening and unwavering commitment to open access principles.

Editors' Responsibilities

Role in Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief holds the ultimate authority for determining which submissions advance to publication. This responsibility is exercised based on a manuscript's contribution to the field, its novelty, the coherence of its presentation, and its alignment with the journal's stated aims and scope. In this process, the editor may seek counsel from members of the editorial board or expert peer reviewers to inform their final judgement.

Commitment to Impartiality

In all evaluations, the editorial team guarantees that manuscripts are assessed strictly on their scholarly merit. Decisions are made without consideration of the authors' background, including but not limited to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or political stance.

Safeguarding Confidentiality

The Editor-in-Chief and editorial board members are obligated to protect the confidentiality of all submitted material. Information pertaining to a manuscript is shared only with the corresponding author, assigned reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisors, or the publisher, strictly on a need-to-know basis.

Managing Conflicts of Interest and Privileged Information

Unpublished work disclosed in a submitted manuscript is considered privileged. Editors and board members are prohibited from using such material for their own research without the explicit written consent of the author. Furthermore, any insights or confidential information gained during the review process must be held in confidence and not exploited for personal or professional advantage.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Influence on Editorial Outcomes

The peer review process serves a dual purpose: it provides editors with the expert assessment necessary to make informed publication decisions, and it offers authors constructive feedback to strengthen their work. It is the duty of each reviewer to evaluate the manuscript thoroughly and impartially prior to its potential publication.

Timeliness and Declination

Reviewers who feel they lack the requisite expertise to assess a manuscript or who foresee that they cannot complete the review within the established timeline should promptly notify the editor and withdraw from the process. This ensures the efficiency and integrity of the review cycle.

Confidentiality Obligations

Any manuscript received for review must be regarded as a privileged and confidential document. Reviewers are prohibited from disclosing or discussing its contents with any unauthorized individuals, limiting conversation to those expressly permitted by the Editor-in-Chief.

Maintaining Objectivity

Assessments must be conducted objectively and grounded in scholarly merit. Personal criticism of the authors is unacceptable. Feedback should be articulated clearly, with well-reasoned arguments and, where appropriate, suggestions for improvement.

Duty to Verify Sources

Reviewers should alert the editor to any instances where relevant published work has not been appropriately cited. They are also expected to verify that observations or arguments derived from other sources are properly credited. If a reviewer becomes aware of substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript and another published work, they have an obligation to bring this to the editor's attention.

Conflict of Interest and Ethical Use of Information

Any privileged information or ideas encountered during the review process must be kept strictly confidential and must not be exploited for personal or professional gain. Reviewers should decline to assess manuscripts where they have a competing interest—whether competitive, collaborative, or personal—with the authors, their institutions, or affiliated organizations. If a reviewer suspects any ethical breach or questions the integrity of the work, they are expected to report their concerns confidentially to the Editor-in-Chief.

Authors' Responsibilities

Standards for Reporting

When submitting original research, authors are expected to provide a precise and honest account of their work, alongside an impartial discussion of its relevance and implications. All data presented must accurately reflect the findings of the study. Manuscripts should include sufficient methodological detail and references to enable other researchers to replicate the work. Knowingly including false or misleading information constitutes a serious ethical breach and will not be tolerated.

Data Transparency, Access, and Reproducibility

During the review process, authors may be requested to supply raw data related to their submission. They are also expected to retain this data for a reasonable period following publication. Authors are strongly encouraged to make their original datasets and methodologies publicly available, where feasible, to promote openness and support the reproducibility of their research. Upon publication, authors should indicate where their data can be accessed, ensuring that any sharing arrangements comply with applicable privacy and confidentiality standards. Manuscripts must provide a thorough description of the methods and analytical techniques used, allowing other scholars to verify or build upon the findings. Authors bear the responsibility of guaranteeing the authenticity and integrity of their data, in keeping with the fundamental principles of academic integrity.

Originality, Attribution, and Plagiarism

Plagiarism—the uncredited use of another's ideas, work, or intellectual property—is a serious violation of ethical standards and may carry legal consequences under copyright or patent law. The journal considers plagiarism in any form to be unacceptable and is committed to publishing only material that is original and not under consideration elsewhere.

Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original, and any words, ideas, or findings derived from others must be properly cited or quoted. Publications that have significantly influenced the reported research should also be acknowledged through appropriate citation. The journal actively screens all submissions for plagiarism. The inclusion of unattributed or unpermitted content is regarded as misconduct.

JIFS employs Crossref Similarity Check Powered by iThenticate to identify potentially overlapping or unoriginal text in manuscripts. Manuscripts may be checked against this database at any point from submission through to publication. Any allegations of plagiarism received will be investigated thoroughly. If a claim is substantiated, the authors will be asked to clarify the duplicated material. An unsatisfactory response will result in rejection of the manuscript, and future submissions may also be declined.

If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal may issue a correction or, in more severe cases, retract the article entirely. The decision will depend on the extent of the plagiarism, its context, and its impact on the integrity of the published work. The journal encourages readers, reviewers, and editors to report suspected plagiarism directly to the Editor-in-Chief.

Image Integrity and Data Fabrication

All data presented must be genuine and not fabricated. Image files should not be altered in any way that could distort or misrepresent the information conveyed by the original image. If such manipulation is detected, the manuscript will be rejected outright. Figures and images should be included only when they contribute meaningfully to the scholarly value of the work.

Copyright and Licensing

All articles published in JIFS are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This allows users to access, download, share, and reproduce the material in any medium or format, provided proper attribution is given to the original author(s) and the source. Copyright of the work remains with the authors. By submitting to JIFS, authors grant the journal the right of first publication. Readers may freely read, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of articles without seeking prior permission, as long as the original source is appropriately credited. Submission of a manuscript, whether via email or the online system, constitutes acknowledgment and acceptance of this copyright policy.

Avoiding Redundant or Concurrent Submission

Manuscripts that describe substantially the same research should not be submitted to more than one journal. Submitting identical or closely related work to multiple venues concurrently is considered unethical and is grounds for rejection. Work that has already been published in a copyrighted format elsewhere is ineligible for submission. Similarly, manuscripts currently under review at JIFS must not be submitted elsewhere.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship is reserved for individuals who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All such individuals should be named as co-authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors meet this criteria and that no unauthorized persons are included. The corresponding author must also confirm that every co-author has reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and has consented to its submission for publication.

Disclosure of Interests and Funding

All authors are required to include a statement disclosing any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation. Additionally, all sources of financial support for the work must be clearly acknowledged.

Research Involving Surveys or Questionnaires

Survey questions must be designed to be clear, objective, and free from bias. Leading questions that steer respondents toward a particular answer, as well as hypothetical or potentially embarrassing questions, should be avoided. Participation in survey-based research must be based on informed, voluntary consent. Respondents should not be misled or coerced into participating. They must be provided with a clear explanation of the nature and purpose of the research, as well as any potential drawbacks, using language appropriate to the audience. Participants retain the right to ask questions and to withdraw from the study at any time. Unless there are compelling reasons to do otherwise, respondents should be guaranteed anonymity. If personally identifiable information is collected, authors must ensure that individuals cannot be identified in any published report. Authors may be asked to provide supporting documentation—such as raw data, samples, or records—to verify the validity of their findings. Confidential or proprietary information is excluded from this requirement.

Policies for Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions

The Journal of Islamic Finance and Sustainability (JIFS) is committed to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record. In accordance with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines, the Editor-in-Chief and the Publisher share responsibility for addressing errors or misconduct identified in published articles through transparent and ethical post-publication actions.

The journal may undertake three types of post-publication actions. A correction (issued as an erratum for journal errors or a corrigendum for author errors) addresses honest mistakes that do not invalidate the article's conclusions, such as formatting errors or minor inaccuracies. An Editorial Expression of Concern alerts readers to potential issues while an investigation is ongoing or inconclusive. A retraction is the most serious action, reserved for cases where findings are no longer reliable due to major errors, research fraud, plagiarism, redundant publication, or unethical practices.

When concerns regarding a published article arise, they should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief via email. Upon receipt, each complaint is formally documented and acknowledged. The Editor-in-Chief conducts an initial assessment of the complaint. If the matter warrants further scrutiny, a formal investigation follows, and a dedicated investigative team may be convened. This team may contact relevant parties, including the authors, their institutions, or independent experts, to gather additional context or clarification.

After a thorough review, the editorial board renders a decision grounded in the available evidence and consistent with established ethical standards. The individual who raised the complaint is then informed of the outcome and the reasoning behind it. Should the complainant wish to contest the decision, they may submit an appeal within 30 days. The appeal is reviewed by an independent committee, whose ruling is final.

In cases where an author is determined to have engaged in fraudulent activity or other serious misconduct, the journal will launch a formal investigation in cooperation with the author's affiliated institutions or other relevant bodies where appropriate. Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• Issuing a formal correction or erratum linked to the original article
• Publishing an editor's note or an editorial expression of concern to alert readers
• In the most serious cases, retracting the article entirely

Each corrective action is accompanied by a public notice explaining the rationale. All corrective notices are published and permanently linked to the original article, ensuring full transparency. In the event of a retraction, the original article remains accessible on the journal's platform but is clearly marked as "Retracted," with the reason for retraction detailed in an accompanying note. The journal maintains a complete record of all post-publication actions, upholding accountability and compliance with industry best practices.

Ongoing Ethical Oversight

All submissions to the journal are subject to ethical review to ensure compliance with the standards set forth in this policy. Members of the editorial and publishing teams receive regular training to remain current on ethical guidelines, detection methodologies, and best practices for handling potential violations.