Peer Review Process

USROTUNA: Journal of Islamic Family Law and Islamic Family Ethics employs an online submission and double-blind peer review system. Under this system, the identities of authors and reviewers remain confidential to one another throughout the review process. All manuscript submissions and peer review processes are managed through the Online Journal System (OJS) and evaluated in accordance with the peer review policies established by USROTUNA.

1. Manuscript Submission and Initial Screening

   Manuscripts must be submitted through the Online Journal System (OJS). Upon successful submission, authors will receive an online confirmation. Each submitted manuscript is initially screened by the Managing Editor to ensure compliance with the journal's focus and scope, author guidelines, manuscript format, and other submission requirements.

   Manuscripts that are clearly outside the scope of USROTUNA or do not comply with the journal's submission guidelines may be rejected without being sent for peer review. In general, manuscripts may be rejected at this stage due to: (1) incompatibility with the focus and scope of the journal; (2) failure to meet the journal's author guidelines; or (3) substantial deficiencies in academic and technical requirements. Authors will normally be notified of the initial screening decision within one week of submission.

2. Editorial Evaluation

   Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are evaluated by the Managing Editor and/or Editor-in-Chief. The evaluation considers the overall academic quality and suitability of the manuscript, including the clarity of research objectives, appropriateness of research methods, adequacy and accuracy of data or evidence, quality and relevance of references, consistency of analysis and conclusions, originality and novelty, academic contribution, and potential impact on the development of Islamic family law and Islamic family ethics.

3. Plagiarism and Technical Check

   Manuscripts that meet the initial editorial requirements are forwarded to the Section Editor for further processing and reviewer selection. At this stage, the manuscript will undergo a similarity/plagiarism check using an appropriate plagiarism detection tool. USROTUNA applies a maximum similarity tolerance of 20%, while the final assessment considers the nature and source of the similarity.

   The Section Editor may return the manuscript to the author for minor technical corrections, such as formatting inconsistencies, typographical errors, incomplete references, or inappropriate citation styles. Authors are required to make the necessary corrections and resubmit the revised manuscript within a maximum of one week.

4. Double-Blind Peer Review

   Manuscripts that pass the editorial and similarity checks are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise in Islamic family law, Islamic family ethics, or related fields.

   Reviewers are selected based on their academic expertise, research interests, publication record, and suitability for the subject matter of the manuscript. The review is conducted under a double-blind system, in which the identities of both authors and reviewers are kept confidential.

   Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on its academic quality, originality, relevance, theoretical framework, methodology, analysis, discussion, references, ethical considerations, and contribution to the development of knowledge in Islamic family law and Islamic family ethics.

   Reviewers are normally given two weeks to complete their review and provide one of the following recommendations:

   • Accept
   • Minor Revision
   • Major Revision
   • Reject

5. Revision and Resubmission

   After receiving the reviewers' recommendations, the Editor communicates the decision and review comments to the corresponding author.

   Manuscripts receiving a Reject decision will not be considered for revision within the same review cycle.

   For manuscripts requiring Major Revision, authors are normally given a maximum of one month to revise and resubmit the manuscript. The revised manuscript may be subject to a new round of peer review.

   For manuscripts requiring Minor Revision, authors are normally given a maximum of two weeks to complete the required revisions.

   Authors are required to address all comments and recommendations provided by the reviewers and the editorial board. A point-by-point response explaining how each comment has been addressed should accompany the revised manuscript. Where necessary, authors may be requested to improve the language of the manuscript through professional proofreading or review by a qualified language editor.

   Authors may request an extension of the revision period when there are reasonable circumstances. Authors who fail to submit the revised manuscript or respond within the specified period may be considered to have withdrawn their manuscript from the publication process.

6. Review of Revised Manuscripts

   The Editor will examine the revised manuscript and the author's response to ensure that the reviewers' comments and editorial recommendations have been adequately addressed.

   When necessary, the revised manuscript will be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation. For Minor Revision, reviewers are normally given up to three days to assess whether the revisions adequately address their recommendations. For Major Revision, reviewers are normally given up to one week.

   Reviewers may provide additional comments or recommendations if further clarification or revision is required. The manuscript may undergo several rounds of review and revision, depending on the nature of the reviewers' comments and the quality of the author's revisions.

   The review process is considered complete when the reviewers and/or editorial board determine that the manuscript has satisfactorily addressed the required revisions.

7. Final Editorial Decision

   The final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief of USROTUNA. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision based on the reviewers' recommendations, the quality of the revisions, the manuscript's contribution to the field, and the journal's editorial standards.

   Manuscripts approved for publication are forwarded to the production stage for copyediting, layout, and proofreading.

8. Galley Proof and Publication

   Before publication, the corresponding author will receive a galley proof for final verification of the manuscript's content, layout, names, affiliations, references, tables, figures, and other publication details.

   Authors are expected to carefully review the galley proof and report only necessary corrections within the specified period. At this stage, substantial changes to the manuscript are not permitted unless approved by the Editor-in-Chief.

   Prior to publication, authors may also be required to complete the journal's copyright and publication agreement. Authors who fail to provide corrections or feedback on the galley proof within the specified period may be deemed to have approved the version prepared for publication.

Review Timeline

USROTUNA strives to conduct the peer review process efficiently while maintaining rigorous academic standards. The duration of the review process may vary depending on reviewer availability, the complexity of the manuscript, the number of revision rounds, and the author's responsiveness to editorial and reviewer comments.