Data and Reproducibility
The Journal of Islamic Humanities and Social Inquiry (JIHSI) is committed to the principles of transparency, openness, and the reproducibility of scholarly research. We believe that sharing the data and methodologies underlying research findings is essential for the advancement of knowledge in the Islamic humanities and social sciences. This policy outlines the expectations for authors regarding data management and the provision of information necessary for others to replicate or verify the study’s conclusions.
Principles of Data Transparency
Authors submitting to JIHSI are encouraged to make the data supporting their research findings available to the editorial team, reviewers, and, upon publication, the broader academic community.
• Definition of Data: For JIHSI, "data" encompasses a wide range of materials depending on the disciplinary approach, including but not limited to: quantitative datasets, interview transcripts, ethnographic field notes, coded qualitative data, and digital copies or detailed catalogs of rare primary textual sources.
• Integrity and Accuracy: Authors must ensure that all data presented in the manuscript are accurate and have been collected and analyzed according to the highest ethical standards of their respective disciplines.
Mandatory Data Availability Statement (DAS)
All research articles published in JIHSI must include a Data Availability Statement. This statement should be placed at the end of the manuscript and must clearly indicate:
• Whether the data are available in a public repository and provide the relevant persistent identifier (e.g., DOI) or link.
• Whether the data are available from the authors upon reasonable request.
• Whether the data are included within the manuscript or as supplementary files.
• Whether the data cannot be shared due to ethical, legal, or privacy restrictions (e.g., protecting the anonymity of interlocutors in sensitive fieldwork).
Reproducibility in Humanities and Social Inquiry
JIHSI recognizes that "reproducibility" in the humanities and qualitative social sciences often means methodological transparency rather than the exact replication of results. Authors must provide:
• Methodological Detail: A comprehensive description of the research design, including selection criteria for primary texts, sampling methods for fieldwork, and the theoretical frameworks used for interpretation.
• Analytical Transparency: A clear explanation of the steps taken to move from raw data (e.g., a 13th-century manuscript or a series of interviews) to the final conclusions.
Ethical Considerations and Data Protection
Given JIHSI's emphasis on Muslim societies and cultural traditions, authors must balance data sharing with the protection of human subjects.
• Anonymization: Data derived from fieldwork or interviews must be thoroughly anonymized unless participants have given explicit, written consent to be identified.
• Sensitive Information: Authors are not required to share data that would jeopardize the safety or privacy of individuals or communities involved in the research.
Recommended Repositories
JIHSI encourages authors to deposit their data in reputable, long-term digital repositories (such as Zenodo, Harvard Dataverse, or subject-specific archives) rather than hosting them on personal websites. This ensures the Digital Preservation of the data in alignment with JIHSI's commitment to the free exchange of knowledge.
