Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

Manuscript file

Prepare your manuscript as a single file, arranged in this order: Title Page Information; Manuscript (Text); Figures and/or Tables. Only Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) format is accepted — please do not submit as PDF.

Submit two versions: one with author name(s) and affiliation(s), and one fully anonymized (without name and affiliation), to support double-blind peer review.

Language

Manuscripts must be written in clear, correct English — UK or US spelling, not a mixture of the two. Authors whose first language is not English are strongly advised to have the manuscript proofread by a fluent English speaker before submission. AL-MAQASID also accepts Bahasa Melayu and Arabic language articles. 

Manuscript style

  • Font: 10.5-point Palatino Linotype
  • Spacing: single-spaced
  • Page: A4, 1-inch margins on all sides
  • Continuous line numbers throughout
  • Section headings: bold, on their own line
  • Subheadings: italicized, on their own line (keep subsections to a minimum)
  • Italics for emphasis — do not use underlining

Manuscript structure

  • Abstract — single paragraph covering aims, method, results, and conclusions. No references. Uncommon abbreviations must be defined at first use.
  • Keywords — minimum 3, maximum 6, comma-separated on a single line.
  • Introduction / Literature Review — prior relevant work with references; state the research objectives clearly in the final paragraph.
  • Methods — precise enough to ensure reproducibility; cite established methods and note any modifications.
  • Results — clear and concise; avoid duplicating the same results in both text and tables/figures.
  • Discussion — significance, impact, and consequences of the results (may be combined with Results).
  • Conclusion — optional; recommended if the discussion is lengthy, to summarize interpretation and recommendations without repeating earlier points.

Author information

Full names, institutional affiliations, and (where available) ORCID iDs for all authors. Corresponding author's email and contact details must be clearly indicated.

Reference and citation style

AL-MAQĀṢID follows the APA 7th edition style for both in-text citations and the reference list.

In-text citations

Use standard APA author–date format: (Author, Year) or (Author, Year, p. XX) for direct quotations. For works with a translator, editor, or critical edition distinct from the original composition date, indicate this explicitly:

  • Critical/edited edition: (al-Ṭabarī, ed. 2001)
  • Translated work: (al-Ṭabarī, tr. 2018)

Reference list

References are arranged alphabetically at the end of the manuscript, formatted per APA 7th conventions (author, year, title, publisher/source).

Transliteration

  • All Arabic words, terms, and titles appearing in an English-language manuscript must be transliterated using a consistent, recognized romanization system (e.g., ALA-LC/Library of Congress Arabic Romanization Table). Do not mix romanization conventions within a single manuscript.
  • Where a reference's original title is in Arabic, provide the transliterated title in the reference list, followed by an English translation of the title in square brackets, e.g.:
    al-Ghazālī, A. (1997). Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn [The revival of the religious sciences]. Dār al-Maʿrifah.
  • Author names are transliterated (not translated) and listed in the reference list by surname, per standard APA ordering.

Scriptural citations

  • Qurʾānic citations should include the sūrah name, sūrah number, and verse number, e.g., [al-Baqarah 2:255].
  • Ḥadīth citations should include the collection, book/chapter, and ḥadīth number where available, following the standard reference edition used.
  • Only the English translation of Qurʾānic and ḥadīth text is required in the body text; the original Arabic may be included at the author's discretion where precision of wording is essential to the argument.

Foreign words in text

Non-English terms (Arabic or otherwise) should be italicized on first use, with an English gloss provided at first mention. Subsequent uses may drop the gloss if the term is unambiguous in context.

Charges

Charges may apply for revisions required due to poor manuscript preparation — authors are advised to proofread thoroughly before submitting for final review. Subsequent corrections after galley proof will also be charged; check the galley proof carefully.

Retraction/withdrawal

Authors wishing to retract or remove a published article must write to the Editorial Office with justification. This is strongly discouraged once a manuscript has been accepted, since the Journal has already provided full publishing services and can only recoup this investment through the APC. Retraction does not detract from services already rendered or from the journal's maintenance of the scientific record.

Withdrawal without notification after acceptance is treated as a serious breach of publishing ethics.