Ethical Policy

All manuscripts submitted to Al-Amīn must comply with recognized principles of publication ethics and scholarly integrity, including, where applicable:

• COPE Core Practices: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices
• UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: UNESCO AI Ethics

• COPE Flowcharts for handling ethical concerns: COPE Flowcharts
• Applicable Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan policies and academic integrity requirements.

Research published in Al-Amīn must be conducted and presented with honesty, accuracy, transparency, and academic responsibility.

• Research must be conducted and reported honestly and responsibly.
• Fabrication, falsification, distortion, or deliberate misrepresentation of evidence is strictly prohibited.
• Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and scholarly integrity of their submissions.
• Proper citation and acknowledgment of previous scholarship are mandatory.
• Primary and secondary sources must be accurately identified and represented.
• Quotations, translations, interpretations, and references to classical and contemporary sources must be presented accurately and in their proper context.
• Authors must not manipulate historical, textual, linguistic, religious, or documentary evidence to support predetermined conclusions.
• Research involving communities, interviews, oral histories, or fieldwork must be conducted with appropriate ethical consideration.
• Any suspected research or publication misconduct may be investigated in accordance with recognized publication-ethics procedures.

Because Al-Amīn publishes research primarily in Islamic Studies and related humanities disciplines, authors are expected to observe particular care when dealing with religious texts, traditions, historical sources, communities, and culturally sensitive subjects.

• Treat the Qur’an, Hadith, classical Islamic texts, manuscripts, historical records, and scholarly sources accurately and responsibly.
• Provide complete and verifiable references for quotations, translations, interpretations, and textual evidence.
• Clearly distinguish between primary sources, secondary scholarship, personal interpretation, and established scholarly positions.
• Avoid selective quotation, decontextualization, or deliberate misrepresentation of religious or historical sources.
• Respect legitimate differences of scholarly interpretation and avoid presenting contested interpretations as universally established facts.
• Maintain academic objectivity when discussing theological, jurisprudential, sectarian, historical, cultural, or philosophical issues.
• Avoid language that promotes hatred, discrimination, hostility, or unjustified personal attacks against individuals or communities.
• Respect the dignity, cultural heritage, intellectual traditions, and legitimate sensitivities of communities represented in scholarly research.
• Obtain appropriate consent where research involves interviews, oral histories, observations, or other direct engagement with individuals.

Authors must ensure that all sources used in their research are properly documented and acknowledged.

• Accurate citation of Qur’anic verses and Hadith sources.
• Proper identification of editions, translators, editors, manuscripts, and archival materials where applicable.
• Accurate attribution of classical and contemporary scholarly works.
• Proper acknowledgment of previously published arguments, interpretations, translations, and intellectual contributions.
• Clear distinction between the author's original contribution and ideas derived from other scholars.
• Verification of references to the extent reasonably possible.

Research involving interviews, oral histories, surveys, observations, focus groups, field studies, or other direct interaction with human participants must be conducted ethically.

• Appropriate ethical approval or institutional permission should be obtained.
• Participants should be informed about the nature and purpose of the research.
• Informed consent should be obtained where required.
• Privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity must be protected.
• Sensitive personal, religious, cultural, or community information must be handled responsibly.
• Vulnerable participants require appropriate additional safeguards.
• Participants should not be subjected to unnecessary harm, pressure, exploitation, or deception.
• Authors must comply with applicable institutional and national requirements governing research involving human participants.

Al-Amīn recognizes the increasing use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in scholarly research and publishing.

• The use of significant AI tools in manuscript preparation, translation, analysis, coding, or other scholarly activities should be appropriately disclosed where relevant.
• AI tools are not listed as authors.
• Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, interpretation, arguments, citations, and conclusions presented in the manuscript.
• AI tools must not be used to fabricate quotations, references, historical evidence, Hadith citations, Qur’anic references, data, or scholarly sources.
• Authors must independently verify AI-generated information before including it in a manuscript.
• AI-generated content must not be presented as original human scholarship without appropriate disclosure where disclosure is required.
• Confidential manuscripts, unpublished research, or sensitive personal information must not be submitted to AI systems in ways that compromise confidentiality or intellectual property.

Al-Amīn maintains zero tolerance for plagiarism and serious forms of academic misconduct.

• Plagiarism and unauthorized use of another person's work.
• Self-plagiarism and substantial duplication of previously published material.
• Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism.
• Unacknowledged translation or reproduction of another author's work.
• Fabrication or falsification of sources or evidence.
• Manipulation or misrepresentation of quotations or references.
• Citation manipulation.
• Duplicate or simultaneous submission.
• Unethical appropriation of another researcher's ideas or unpublished work.

Where serious misconduct is identified, the journal may take appropriate action, including rejection, correction, expression of concern, retraction, notification of the relevant institution, or other measures considered appropriate.

The journal also takes into account applicable HEC Pakistan Anti-Plagiarism Policy and recognized international publication-ethics principles.

Authorship must accurately reflect meaningful scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript.

• All listed authors must have made a genuine scholarly contribution to the work.
• All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript.
• All authors must accept responsibility for their contribution to the work.
• Ghost, guest, and honorary authorship are prohibited.
• Individuals who do not qualify for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged where applicable.
• Changes to authorship after submission must be justified and approved by all relevant authors.
• Any financial, institutional, personal, academic, or other conflict of interest that could influence the research or publication process must be disclosed.
• Funding sources and any role played by sponsors in the research must be transparently declared.

Al-Amīn follows a double-blind peer-review process to promote fairness, confidentiality, and objective scholarly assessment.

• Evaluate manuscripts objectively and solely on academic and scholarly merit.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts.
• Declare any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest.
• Avoid using unpublished information from manuscripts for personal, professional, or academic advantage.
• Provide constructive, respectful, and academically relevant comments.
• Avoid discrimination based on nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, religious background, ethnicity, or other irrelevant characteristics.
• Maintain the confidentiality of the identities of authors and reviewers in accordance with the journal's double-blind review process.

The journal remains committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record after publication.

Where significant errors, ethical concerns, or evidence of misconduct are identified after publication, Al-Amīn may take appropriate corrective action.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, the journal may:

• Publish a correction or clarification.
• Issue an expression of concern.
• Retract an article where serious ethical or scholarly violations are established.
• Investigate allegations concerning published work.
• Request clarification or supporting documentation from authors.
• Notify relevant institutions or authorities where appropriate.