Ethical Principles

Islamic Knowledge and Insight is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. In alignment with best practices and ethical guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), we ensure that all research published in our journal contributes positively to the body of knowledge and adheres to rigorous ethical standards. Our commitment to ethical publishing fosters trust among authors, editors, reviewers, and readers, strengthening the academic community's integrity.

The following sections outline the ethical standards expected of all parties involved in the publication process:

1. Ethical Expectations for Authors

Authors are expected to uphold integrity in research, data presentation, and intellectual property:

  • Authorship and Contribution: Only individuals who have substantially contributed to the research design, execution, data interpretation, or writing should be listed as authors. All listed authors must approve the final manuscript before submission and agree to its publication. In cases of minor contributions, these should be acknowledged in the acknowledgment section rather than as authors.

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure their work is original and free of plagiarism. Direct copying, paraphrasing without acknowledgment, and submission of previously published work as new are strictly prohibited. Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using iThenticate; any indication of plagiarism will lead to immediate rejection.

  • Data Accuracy and Transparency: Authors must provide accurate, honest, and verifiable data. Any fabrication, falsification, or intentional omission of data is considered research misconduct. Authors should retain their research data and be prepared to provide it for editorial review if necessary.

  • Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or personal conflicts of interest that may influence the research or interpretation of results. This includes financial support, consulting roles, or institutional affiliations that could be viewed as potential biases.

  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Proper acknowledgment of others’ work is essential. Authors must cite all sources of information, data, and ideas, giving credit to previous research and contributions that influenced their study.

  • Ethical Approval for Research Involving Human/Animal Subjects: For studies involving human or animal subjects, authors must confirm they have obtained ethical approval from an appropriate ethics review committee. This includes informed consent for human subjects and adherence to international guidelines for animal welfare.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors play a crucial role in maintaining ethical standards in publishing:

  • Editorial Independence and Confidentiality: Editors operate independently and make decisions solely based on the manuscript’s scientific merit, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope. Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and relevant editorial board members.

  • Impartiality in Decision Making: Editors are responsible for making fair and unbiased decisions regarding manuscript submissions, avoiding discrimination based on gender, race, religion, citizenship, or other personal characteristics. Manuscript decisions are based purely on content, quality, and alignment with the journal's mission.

  • Handling Conflicts of Interest: Editors should avoid handling manuscripts where they have a personal or financial conflict of interest. They are required to declare any such conflicts and delegate the review and decision-making process to another qualified editor or editorial board member.

  • Addressing Ethical Misconduct and Retractions: Editors have a responsibility to investigate any reports or suspicions of ethical misconduct, including plagiarism, falsification, or duplicate publication. If ethical violations are confirmed, editors will take appropriate actions, such as issuing a correction, retraction, or expression of concern, in line with COPE guidelines.

3. Ethical Standards for Reviewers

Reviewers are essential to the peer-review process and are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely feedback:

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. They should not discuss, share, or disclose the manuscript’s content with others without authorization from the editor. Reviewers are prohibited from using any information obtained during the peer-review process for personal advantage.

  • Objectivity and Constructive Feedback: Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts impartially, providing feedback that is objective and constructive. They should highlight strengths and identify areas for improvement without using offensive or derogatory language.

  • Conflict of Interest Disclosure: If a reviewer has any conflict of interest, such as a personal, financial, or academic connection to the research or authors, they must promptly disclose this to the editor and recuse themselves from the review process if necessary.

  • Timeliness and Accountability: Reviewers should complete their evaluations within the agreed timeframe. Delayed reviews compromise the publication process and hinder the advancement of knowledge. If a reviewer is unable to review within the allotted time, they should inform the editor as soon as possible.

4. Handling Misconduct and Ethical Violations

The journal adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards unethical practices in publication:

  • Identification and Investigation of Misconduct: If unethical behavior, such as plagiarism, falsification, or data manipulation, is suspected, the editorial team will conduct a thorough investigation. This process may involve communicating with the authors, their institutions, and relevant ethics committees to verify and resolve concerns.

  • Corrective Actions: If ethical misconduct is confirmed, the journal will take appropriate actions, including retracting or withdrawing the publication, issuing corrections or clarifications, and notifying relevant parties. The journal is committed to transparency in addressing ethical concerns, following COPE guidelines to ensure a fair and thorough process.

5. Intellectual Property and Copyright Compliance

The journal respects and safeguards authors’ intellectual property rights and encourages transparent licensing:

  • Licensing under CC BY-NC 4.0: All accepted articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license allows others to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided appropriate credit is given to the authors and source.

  • Protection of Author Rights: Authors retain copyright of their work while granting the journal the right to publish. This arrangement ensures that authors maintain control over their intellectual property and can disseminate their research widely, provided it adheres to the licensing terms.

6. Addressing Allegations of Ethical Violations

In the event of ethical concerns raised before or after publication, the journal follows these steps:

  • Receipt of Complaint: Any allegation of ethical misconduct, whether raised by authors, reviewers, readers, or third parties, is taken seriously. The journal will acknowledge receipt of the complaint promptly and initiate a confidential investigation.

  • Confidential Investigation and Verification: The editorial team will evaluate the evidence of ethical violations, consulting with the authors and relevant institutions if necessary. The process is conducted with confidentiality and in compliance with COPE guidelines.

  • Decision and Remediation: Upon confirmation of ethical violations, the journal will take corrective actions, which may include retraction, publication of corrections, or expressions of concern. The decision will be communicated transparently to all relevant parties.

7. Data Transparency and Reproducibility

The journal supports transparency in research data to facilitate validation and reproducibility of findings:

  • Data Availability: Authors are encouraged to make their research data available whenever possible, enhancing transparency and enabling reproducibility. Authors should indicate data availability within the manuscript and, when feasible, provide supplementary data files or deposit data in recognized repositories.

  • Data Integrity and Verification: Authors should ensure that all reported data is accurate, complete, and verifiable. Editors and reviewers may request data access to verify findings, and any discrepancies found during the review may result in requests for clarification or revision.

Transparency Statement on the Use of Artificial Intelligence

In light of the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic writing, translation, data analysis, and editorial processes, our journal is committed to ensuring full transparency and ethical responsibility in the use of such technologies throughout the submission, peer review, and publication processes.

To uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and align with the recommendations of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), our journal has adopted the following principles regarding the use of AI:

  1. Transparent and Responsible Use: Authors are required to clearly disclose any use of AI tools—such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, DeepL, or others—at any stage of manuscript preparation (e.g., literature review, results description, discussion writing, language editing, or translation). This disclosure should appear in the acknowledgments section or a footnote on the title page.

  2. AI Tools Cannot Be Authors: According to the WAME guidelines, AI tools cannot be credited as authors of scientific manuscripts. These tools do not meet authorship criteria because they lack legal responsibility and the ability to consent to publication or accountability for the content.

  3. Human Oversight and Validation: All AI-generated content must be critically reviewed, edited, and validated by human authors. The final responsibility for the accuracy, coherence, and integrity of the manuscript lies solely with the human contributors.

  4. Use in Peer Review: Peer reviewers using AI tools to assist with manuscript evaluation must ensure they do not share confidential information with such tools. Any AI use during review must comply with confidentiality and data protection standards.

  5. Misuse and Ethical Violations: The inappropriate use of AI—such as generating fabricated content, falsifying data, or committing plagiarism—will be treated as a serious ethical violation and subject to disciplinary action in accordance with publication ethics.

  6. Policy Review and Updates: This policy will be reviewed regularly in response to evolving AI technologies and ethical considerations. Any updates will be published on the journal’s official website.

Our journal is committed to transparency, integrity, and accountability in scientific publishing. We fully adhere to the WAME statement entitled “Recommendations on Chatbots and Generative Artificial Intelligence in Relation to Scholarly Publications.”

For the complete text of WAME’s recommendations, please visit:
https://wame.org/page3.php?id=106