Manuscript Writing Guidelines

Manuscript Writing Guidelines (APA 7th Edition)
All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Islamic Humanities and Social Inquiry (JIHSI) must adhere strictly to the following formatting and structural requirements. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in the manuscript being returned to the author before the peer-review process begins.

General Document Formatting
To ensure a professional and uniform appearance, authors must apply the following settings:
•    Font: Use standard fonts such as Times New Roman (12 pt) or Arial (11 pt).
•    Spacing: The entire manuscript, including the reference list and block quotes, must be double-spaced.
•    Margins: Use 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides.
•    Alignment: Text should be left-aligned (ragged right margin). Do not justify the text.
•    Paragraph Indentation: Indent the first line of every paragraph by 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) using the Tab key.

Manuscript Structure
Given JIHSI’s focus on interdisciplinary inquiry, manuscripts should generally follow the IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) structure for empirical studies, or a thematic structure for conceptual essays.
•    Title Page (Anonymized): To facilitate JIHSI’s double-blind peer review, the main manuscript file must NOT contain author names or affiliations. The title should be concise and reflective of the study's interdisciplinary focus.
•    Abstract: A single paragraph of 150–250 words that summarizes the research objective, methodology (e.g., textual analysis or fieldwork), key findings, and conclusions.
•    Keywords: Provide 3–5 descriptive keywords, separated by commas, to enhance digital discoverability.
•    Introduction: State the research problem, provide a brief literature review, and clearly define the research aim.
•    Methods: For JIHSI, this section is crucial. Authors must detail their approach, whether it involves textual analysis of primary Islamic sources, ethnography, or comparative frameworks.
•    Results and Discussion: Present findings clearly and interpret them within the broader context of Islamic humanities and social inquiry.
•    Conclusion: Summarize the main contributions and suggest directions for future research.

In-Text Citations (Author-Date System)
JIHSI follows the APA 7th edition author-date system for all citations:
•    One Author: (Ahmed, 2023) or Ahmed (2023) argued...
•    Two Authors: (Ahmed & Hassan, 2022).
•    Three or More Authors: (Ahmed et al., 2021).
•    Direct Quotes: Always include page numbers, e.g., (Nasr, 2010, p. 45).

Reference List Guidelines
The reference list must begin on a new page at the end of the manuscript. Every in-text citation must have a corresponding entry in the reference list.
•    Format: Use a hanging indent (0.5 inches) for each entry.
•    DOI: Include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for all sources where available, presented as a functional URL (e.g., https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx).
•    Transliteration: For sources in Arabic or other non-Latin scripts, authors should provide a transliterated version according to international standards (e.g., ALA-LC), followed by an English translation in brackets.

Tables and Figures
•    Labeling: Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively (e.g., Table 1, Table 2).
•    Titles: Provide a brief, italicized title for each table or figure below the label.
•    Placement: Insert tables and figures within the text close to where they are first mentioned.