Author Guidelines

AL-FIKRAH: Jurnal Studi Ilmu Pendidikan dan Keislaman is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that focuses on scholarly studies in education and Islamic studies. The journal welcomes original research, theoretical and conceptual studies, and applied research that contribute to the development of knowledge, practice, and academic discourse in these fields.

Authors are required to ensure that their manuscripts fall within the journal's focus and scope, meet academic and ethical standards, and follow the guidelines below.

1. Types of Manuscripts

AL-FIKRAH accepts the following types of scholarly manuscripts:

  1. Empirical research articles.

  2. Library or literature research articles.

  3. Theoretical or conceptual articles.

  4. Interdisciplinary studies relevant to education and Islamic studies.

Manuscripts should present a clear research problem, relevant theoretical or conceptual foundations, appropriate research methods, adequate analysis, and a clear academic contribution.

2. Language

Manuscripts may be written in Indonesian or English using clear, effective, and consistent academic language.

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of grammar, spelling, terminology, and overall language quality throughout the manuscript.

3. Manuscript Format

Manuscripts should follow these formatting requirements:

  • Paper size: A4.

  • File format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).

  • Font: Palatino Linotype.

  • Main text font size: 12 pt.

  • Line spacing: 1.0.

  • Text alignment: Justified.

  • Margins: Follow the journal's official manuscript template.

  • Article length: 5,000 to 8,000 words, including footnotes and references.

  • Authors must use the official AL-FIKRAH manuscript template when preparing their manuscripts.

4. Title

The title should:

  • be concise, clear, informative, and specific;

  • accurately reflect the main focus and substance of the article;

  • avoid unnecessary or uncommon abbreviations;

  • be written in Palatino Linotype, 12 pt, bold.

The title should be written in the language used for the manuscript.

5. Author Information

Authors should provide their full names without academic or professional titles.

The author information must include:

  • full name;

  • institutional affiliation;

  • department or study program, where relevant;

  • city and country;

  • email address;

  • ORCID, if available.

For manuscripts written by multiple authors, one author must be designated as the corresponding author. The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the editorial office throughout the publication process.

6. Abstract

Each manuscript must include an abstract in Indonesian and English.

The abstract should contain 150 to 200 words and must be able to stand independently from the main text.

For empirical research articles, the abstract should include:

  • research background or problem;

  • research objective;

  • research method;

  • main findings;

  • conclusion or principal implication.

The abstract should not contain citations, tables, figures, or footnotes.

Keywords

Each manuscript must include 3 to 6 keywords in both Indonesian and English.

Keywords should represent the main concepts of the article and facilitate indexing and retrieval.

7. Article Structure

Introduction

The Introduction should explain:

  • the background and context of the study;

  • the research problem;

  • relevant previous studies;

  • the research gap;

  • the research objective;

  • the novelty or contribution of the study.

The Introduction should be supported by relevant and up-to-date scholarly sources.

Methods

The Methods section should clearly explain how the study was conducted.

For empirical research, this section should, where applicable, describe:

  • research approach and design;

  • research setting or context;

  • population and sample or research participants;

  • data collection techniques;

  • research instruments, where applicable;

  • data analysis techniques;

  • research procedures;

  • research ethics considerations, where applicable.

For library or literature research, authors should explain the sources of data, literature selection criteria, search strategy, and analytical approach.

Results and Discussion

The Results and Discussion section should present and analyze the research findings systematically.

Authors should:

  • present findings according to the research objectives or questions;

  • analyze the findings;

  • relate the findings to relevant theories;

  • compare the findings with previous studies;

  • explain similarities, differences, and implications;

  • demonstrate the contribution of the findings to the development of knowledge.

Subheadings may be used to organize the discussion. Authors should avoid excessive use of subheadings.

Conclusion

The Conclusion should directly address the research objectives or questions based on the findings and discussion.

The conclusion should not merely repeat the results. It should emphasize the principal findings and their academic significance.

Where relevant, authors may include research implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research.

The Conclusion does not require citations unless necessary.

8. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures must:

  • be relevant to the content of the manuscript;

  • be numbered consecutively;

  • have clear and informative titles;

  • be explicitly referred to in the main text;

  • be placed close to the relevant discussion.

Tables should use a simple and readable format.

Figures should have adequate resolution. Sources must be acknowledged when figures or other visual materials are not the original work of the authors.

9. Arabic Text and Transliteration

Arabic quotations and terms should be presented consistently throughout the manuscript.

Arabic quotations should be accompanied by an Indonesian or English translation where necessary to facilitate understanding.

Transliteration of Arabic terms into Latin characters should follow the Guidelines for Arabic-Latin Transliteration based on the Joint Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, No. 158 of 1987 and No. 0543b/U/1987.

10. Footnotes

AL-FIKRAH uses a footnote-based citation system for references within the manuscript.

Footnotes should be used consistently and contain sufficient bibliographic information to allow readers to identify and locate the cited source.

Authors are encouraged to use reference management software such as Zotero or Mendeley to maintain consistency in citations and references.

11. References

The reference list should contain only sources that are cited in the manuscript.

Authors must ensure that:

  • every source cited in the manuscript appears in the reference list;

  • every source listed in the references is cited in the manuscript;

  • bibliographic information is complete and accurate;

  • DOI information is provided when available;

  • primary and peer-reviewed scholarly sources are used appropriately.

Authors are encouraged to use relevant and recent scholarly sources, particularly peer-reviewed journal articles.

12. Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must be original works of the authors.

Manuscripts must not:

  • have been previously published;

  • be under consideration for publication in another journal;

  • contain plagiarism;

  • use other people's data or work without proper attribution;

  • involve duplicate publication or inappropriate self-plagiarism.

The editorial team may screen submitted manuscripts using plagiarism or similarity detection software.

13. Publication Ethics

Authors must comply with recognized principles of publication ethics.

Authors are responsible for:

  • the originality of the manuscript;

  • the accuracy and integrity of research data;

  • appropriate citation and attribution;

  • accurate acknowledgment of all authors' contributions;

  • disclosure of potential conflicts of interest;

  • compliance with applicable research ethics requirements;

  • notifying the editor if a significant error is identified in a published article.

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.

14. Research Data and Transparency

Authors should provide sufficient information about research data, instruments, procedures, and analytical methods to enable readers and reviewers to understand and assess the research.

Where research data can be shared ethically and legally, authors are encouraged to provide information regarding data availability and access.

15. Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any potential conflict of interest that may influence the research, manuscript preparation, interpretation of findings, or publication process.

If no conflict of interest exists, authors should state:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest related to this research or publication.

16. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Declaration

AL-FIKRAH recognizes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies may be used as supporting tools in research and scholarly writing. The use of AI must be responsible, transparent, and remain under the control and responsibility of the authors.

Authors may use AI-based tools for purposes such as grammar checking, language editing, translation, organization of ideas, or other technical assistance. However, AI must not replace the authors' intellectual responsibility for formulating research problems, conducting analysis, interpreting findings, and drawing conclusions.

AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot take responsibility for the integrity, originality, and content of the manuscript.

Authors remain fully responsible for verifying all information, data, quotations, references, arguments, and statements generated or assisted by AI. Authors must ensure that the use of AI does not result in plagiarism, fabricated data, manipulated findings, inaccurate references, copyright infringement, or other violations of publication ethics.

When AI is used substantively in the preparation of the manuscript, authors must disclose its use transparently. The declaration may be placed in a separate section before the References, for example:

AI Use Declaration: In preparing this manuscript, the authors used [name and version of AI tool] to assist with [describe the purpose of use]. All content of the manuscript, including the analysis, interpretation, conclusions, and references, was reviewed and verified by the authors. The authors take full responsibility for the content and integrity of the manuscript.

If no substantive AI use occurred, authors may state:

AI Use Declaration: The authors declare that no Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used substantively in the preparation of this manuscript.

The use of AI to generate or manipulate research data, fabricate research findings, falsify references, create unverifiable citations, or produce an entire manuscript without meaningful intellectual involvement by the authors is not permitted.

The editorial team may request clarification regarding AI use if there are reasonable concerns about the originality, integrity, or academic quality of a submitted manuscript.

17. Author Contributions

For manuscripts with multiple authors, each author must have made a substantial contribution to the research and/or preparation of the manuscript.

The corresponding author is responsible for confirming that:

  • all listed authors have made meaningful contributions;

  • all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript;

  • all authors have agreed to submit the manuscript to AL-FIKRAH.

18. Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted online through the AL-FIKRAH Open Journal Systems (OJS).

Authors must register an account and provide accurate manuscript metadata, including:

  • article title;

  • full names of all authors;

  • institutional affiliations;

  • email addresses;

  • abstract;

  • keywords;

  • references;

  • ORCID, where available.

Authors must upload the manuscript according to the journal's prescribed format.

19. Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts will undergo an initial editorial screening to assess their relevance to the journal's focus and scope and their compliance with the Author Guidelines.

Manuscripts that meet the initial requirements will proceed to the journal's peer review process.

The final decision regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection rests with the editorial team based on the results of the editorial assessment and peer review.

20. Submission Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

☐ The manuscript falls within the focus and scope of AL-FIKRAH.
☐ The manuscript is original and has not been previously published.
☐ The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
☐