Editorial Policies

Publication Ethics Statement

HEUTAGOGIA: Journal of Islamic Education is a peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal committed to advancing rigorous research and critical inquiry in Islamic education. The journal upholds high scholarly standards based on integrity, transparency, accountability, editorial independence, and respect for ethical research principles.

This Publication Ethics Statement defines the ethical responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and the publisher. The journal's policies are guided by internationally recognized publication ethics standards, including the principles and core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). These standards apply to all stages of editorial management, including submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, publication, correction, retraction, and post-publication oversight.

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

The publication of peer-reviewed articles is a core element in the development of credible academic knowledge in Islamic education. Editorial decisions are made independently and must not be influenced by advertising, sponsorship, institutional pressure, commercial considerations, or personal interests. Commercial or institutional revenue must not affect editorial judgment. The journal, editorial board, and publisher are committed to safeguarding academic freedom, editorial independence, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

Research Misconduct and Publishing Malpractice

Research misconduct and publishing malpractice include, but are not limited to, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, self-plagiarism without disclosure, duplicate or redundant publication, undisclosed conflicts of interest, citation manipulation, authorship manipulation, peer-review manipulation, image manipulation, data misrepresentation, and unethical use of artificial intelligence. Detailed requirements for plagiarism screening and responsible AI use are stated separately in the Plagiarism Policy and AI Tool Policy.

Any allegation of misconduct or publishing malpractice will be handled seriously, confidentially, fairly, and in a timely manner. The journal may request explanations, raw data, ethics approval documents, authorship clarification, funding disclosure, or institutional confirmation from the authors, and may consult editorial board members, independent experts, funders, or relevant institutions.

If misconduct is confirmed before publication, the manuscript may be rejected. If confirmed after publication, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the severity of the case. Other measures may include suspension of editorial processing, requests for documentation, notification to relevant institutions, and other proportionate actions necessary to clarify the situation and protect the scholarly record.

Allegations of Misconduct

When the journal receives a complaint or allegation of possible research misconduct, ethical breach, or publishing malpractice, the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the allegation is credible and supported by sufficient information. This assessment may include similarity reports, editorial correspondence, peer-review records, metadata, and supporting documents.

If the allegation appears credible, the corresponding author will be contacted and invited to provide a written explanation on behalf of all co-authors. Where necessary, the journal may request further information or refer the matter to the authors' institution, funder, or another competent authority for formal investigation. During the investigation, the journal may suspend editorial processing, delay publication, reject the submission, or issue an expression of concern if a published article may be unreliable and the matter cannot be resolved promptly.

Complaint and Appeal Process

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a formal written justification to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals must address reviewer comments, editorial concerns, or procedural issues with clear academic arguments. An independent editor, editorial board member, or additional reviewer who was not directly involved in the original assessment may be assigned to review the appeal and submit an independent recommendation. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision on the appeal. If the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest or is the subject of the complaint, responsibility for the appeal will be delegated to a qualified independent editor or editorial board member who was not involved in the original decision.

Complaints regarding editorial conduct, peer-review practice, conflicts of interest, ethical concerns, or post-publication decisions may be submitted to the editorial office. All complaints will be handled confidentially, impartially, and in accordance with established ethical standards.

Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief has full and final authority over publication decisions and ensures that all editorial determinations are made independently, objectively, and in accordance with recognized ethical publishing standards. Decisions are based on the manuscript's relevance to the aims and scope of the journal, originality, scholarly contribution, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, clarity of presentation, and overall academic merit. Reviewers provide scholarly recommendations, while Editors serving as Handling Editors coordinate peer review and submit editorial recommendations; neither reviewer recommendations nor Handling Editor recommendations constitute the journal's final publication decision.

All decisions are also subject to applicable legal requirements concerning defamation, copyright infringement, permissions, privacy, research ethics, and related regulatory standards.

The journal maintains formal procedures for author corrections, publisher corrections, addenda, editor's notes, retractions, and other post-publication amendments. Detailed procedures, linking requirements, indexing treatment, and record-preservation provisions are set out in the Corrections & Retractions policy.

Duties of Editors

Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for managing manuscripts fairly, confidentially, efficiently, and independently. Editors serving as Handling Editors assess manuscripts and reviewer reports and submit editorial recommendations based solely on academic merit, relevance, methodological soundness, and ethical compliance. The Editor-in-Chief retains final authority over all publication decisions.

Fair Play

Editors evaluate manuscripts without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, political philosophy, institutional affiliation, or other non-scholarly considerations.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts, peer-review reports, correspondence, reviewer identities where applicable, and associated documents as confidential.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Editors must avoid conflicts of interest in handling manuscripts. An editor must not oversee a manuscript if they have a personal, professional, institutional, financial, collaborative, or supervisory relationship with any author, reviewer, or organization connected to the submission that could affect impartial judgment. In such cases, the editor must immediately declare the conflict and recuse themselves from editorial handling.

All editorial conflicts of interest must be disclosed as soon as identified, and reassignment of editorial responsibility must be documented by the editorial office. When the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, editorial responsibility must be delegated to another qualified editor or an independent editorial board member.

Integrity of the Scholarly Record

Editors must ensure that appropriate procedures are in place for corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, and retractions, and must take reasonable steps to identify and prevent publication when research misconduct, publishing malpractice, or ethical violations have occurred.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to the Editorial Process

Peer review assists the Handling Editor in preparing an editorial recommendation and supports the Editor-in-Chief in reaching the final publication decision. Reviewer recommendations are advisory and also help authors improve the quality, clarity, rigor, and scholarly value of their manuscripts.

Promptness

Any invited reviewer who feels unqualified to review the manuscript, or unable to complete the review in a timely manner, must promptly notify the Handling Editor or editorial office and decline the invitation.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, discuss, copy, or use the manuscript or its contents except as explicitly authorized by the Handling Editor or editorial office.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews must be conducted objectively, fairly, and constructively. Reviewers should express their views clearly and support their evaluations with academic arguments and relevant evidence.

Acknowledgment of Sources and Citations

Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by the authors and inform the Handling Editor of any substantial similarity, overlap, plagiarism, or ethical concern they identify. Reviewers must not recommend citations to their own work, or that of colleagues or associates, unless such citations are genuinely necessary for scholarly reasons.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, financial, institutional, or personal relationships with any of the authors or organizations connected to the submission.

Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards

Authors must present an accurate, clear, and honest account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Data, methods, and findings must not be fabricated, falsified, selectively misrepresented, or inappropriately manipulated.

Data Access and Retention

Authors may be asked to provide raw data, instruments, ethics approval documents, consent procedures, or other supporting materials for editorial review. Authors should retain research data for a reasonable period after publication and comply with applicable ethical, legal, and institutional standards.

Originality, Acknowledgment, and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their work is original, properly acknowledge publications that influenced the conception, design, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of the study, and comply with the journal's Plagiarism Policy. When words, ideas, figures, tables, or data from others are used, proper citation or quotation must be provided.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Publication of substantially similar work in more than one venue without proper justification, transparency, and cross-reference constitutes unethical publishing behavior.

Authorship of the Manuscript

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made significant scholarly contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the study. All those who meet authorship criteria must be listed as co-authors, and all listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial, institutional, personal, or other substantive conflicts of interest that could influence the work, its interpretation, or its presentation. All funding sources and relevant support must be clearly acknowledged.

Ethical Oversight, Human or Animal Subjects, and Sensitive Research

Research involving human participants, animals, hazardous materials, confidential data, vulnerable or sensitive communities, or sensitive cultural settings must comply with recognized ethical and legal standards. Where applicable, authors must provide evidence of ethics approval, ethics exemption, or other clearance from an appropriate institutional review board, ethics committee, or legal authority.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

When authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, they must promptly notify the journal and cooperate with the editors and publisher in issuing a correction, clarification, or retraction as appropriate.

Permissions

Authors who reproduce figures, tables, images, extended text passages, or other copyrighted material from previously published sources must obtain written permission from the copyright holder for both print and online publication.

Editorial Board Accountability

Editorial board members are selected on the basis of academic expertise and professional integrity. They are expected to uphold ethical publishing standards, support editorial quality, avoid conflicts of interest, and contribute to the continuous improvement of journal policy and practice.

Duties of the Publisher

Guardianship of the Scholarly Record

The publisher has a fundamental responsibility to safeguard the integrity, continuity, accessibility, and preservation of the scholarly record.

Handling of Unethical Publishing Behavior

In suspected or confirmed cases of misconduct, the publisher works with the editors to support investigation, documentation, communication with relevant parties, and implementation of approved corrective action.

Implementation of Post-Publication Notices

The publisher implements approved post-publication notices and ensures the technical integrity of the journal record in accordance with the Corrections & Retractions policy.

Safeguarding Editorial Independence

The publisher must ensure that editorial decisions remain independent and free from interference by commercial interests, sponsors, owners, advertisers, or other external parties.

Technical, Procedural, and Legal Support

The publisher provides technical infrastructure, administrative support, publication systems, and, where necessary, legal guidance to support ethically sound editorial decisions.

Education and Promotion of Publication Ethics

The publisher promotes awareness of publication ethics by providing guidance, resources, and support to editors, reviewers, and authors.

Copyright Notice

All articles published in HEUTAGOGIA: Journal of Islamic Education are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Under this license, users may share and adapt the material for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author and source, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated. Authors retain copyright in their work while granting the journal the right of first publication.

Corrections & Retractions

HEUTAGOGIA: Journal of Islamic Education will issue corrections, retraction statements, and other post-publication updates, including Editor's Notes on published content.

The following are categories of corrections and post-publication updates to peer-reviewed primary research and review-type articles and certain kinds of non-peer-reviewed article types. Substantial errors to Supplementary Information and Extended Data are corrected similarly to amendments to the main article. Except for Editor's Notes, all categories below are bi-directionally linked to the original article and indexed.

Author Correction

An Author Correction may be published to correct an important error(s) made by the author(s) that affects the scientific integrity of the published article, the publication record, or the reputation of the authors or the journal.

Publisher Correction

A Publisher Correction may be published to correct an important error(s) made by the journal that affects the scientific integrity of the published article, the publication record, or the reputation of the authors or the journal.

Addendum

An addendum is generally published when significant additional information crucial to the reader's understanding of the article has come to light following publication.

Editor's Note

An Editor's Note alerts readers if the journal has initiated an inquiry in response to concerns raised about a published article. It is an online-only update, made only to the HTML version of the record of the published article. It is not indexed.

Retraction

An article may be retracted when the integrity of the published work is substantially undermined due to errors in the study's conduct, analysis, or reporting. Violation of publication or research ethics may also result in retraction. The original article is marked as retracted, but a PDF version remains available to readers, and the retraction statement is bi-directionally linked to the original published paper. Retraction statements will typically include a statement of assent or dissent from the authors.

When making corrections to articles, in most cases, the original article (PDF and HTML) is corrected and is bi-directionally linked to and from the published amendment notice, which details the original error. For the sake of transparency, when changes made to the original article affect data in figures, tables, or text, for example when data points or error bars change or curves require redrawing, the amendment notice will reproduce the original data.

When it is impossible to correct the original article in both HTML and PDF versions, for example for articles published many years before the error is raised, the article will remain unchanged but will contain bi-directional links to and from the published amendment notice.

Open Access Statement

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Revenue Sources

HEUTAGOGIA: Journal of Islamic Education is an open-access journal published in both online and print versions. Its principal source of income is institutional support from the faculty, which is used to maintain administrative and printing costs. A small proportion of revenue also comes from subscriptions.

Archiving Policy

HEUTAGOGIA: Journal of Islamic Education ensures long-term digital preservation and accessibility of published content through recognized archiving mechanisms. The journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving network among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of journal content for preservation and restoration purposes.

The publisher is committed to maintaining the permanent availability, discoverability, continuity, and integrity of published scholarly research.

Plagiarism Policy

Authors are required to submit manuscripts that are free from plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct. Before publication, the journal conducts similarity screening against available offline and online sources. The process may include comparison with the offline database developed by the Faculty of Education and Teaching Science at State Islamic University (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Indonesia, as well as available online databases.

HEUTAGOGIA uses Crossref Similarity Check (iThenticate), Turnitin, and other recognized similarity-detection tools to assess overlap between submitted manuscripts and existing published or unpublished materials.

The maximum similarity threshold tolerated by the journal is 15 percent, excluding references, bibliographies, and properly quoted material. Similarity reports are interpreted carefully and are not used mechanically. Editorial judgment is applied to distinguish acceptable overlap from plagiarism, redundant publication, or textual recycling.

Authors must not use the words, data, images, figures, tables, or ideas of others without proper acknowledgment. All sources must be cited at the point of use, and reused wording must be appropriately quoted or attributed.

Forms of Plagiarism

1. Word-for-Word Plagiarism: copying text verbatim from another author without proper citation or quotation.
2. Source-Based Plagiarism: using ideas or material from another source without sufficient attribution.
3. Authorship Plagiarism: claiming credit for work that was substantially authored or produced by another person.

Manuscripts containing plagiarism or substantial unacknowledged overlap may be rejected. If plagiarism or serious overlap is discovered after publication, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction as necessary.

AI Tool Policy

For Authors, Reviewers, and Editors

Starting from 2025, every manuscript submitted to HEUTAGOGIA: Journal of Islamic Education must include a declaration describing the extent of self-determined learning engagement undertaken by the author(s) in preparing the article.

Introduction

In response to the dynamic transformation of global education and knowledge production in the digital era, HEUTAGOGIA: Journal of Islamic Education positions heutagogy as a foundational framework for advancing higher-order learning, intellectual autonomy, and transformative scholarship within Islamic education.

Heutagogy emphasizes learner agency, capability development, reflective inquiry, double-loop learning, and epistemic responsibility. Within the scope of this journal, these principles guide scholarly engagement that critically constructs, interrogates, and validates knowledge across diverse formal and non-formal educational settings.

The journal affirms that self-determined learning strengthens intellectual independence, critical inquiry, and methodological rigor in addressing contemporary educational challenges in Muslim societies. Nevertheless, scholarly autonomy must remain grounded in ethical standards, empirical verification, and peer-reviewed academic discourse.

Through this orientation, HEUTAGOGIA fosters rigorous, reflective, and socially responsive research that contributes to the advancement of Islamic education at local, national, and global levels.

General Principles

This policy aligns with prevailing international publishing standards adopted by major academic publishers such as Taylor & Francis and Elsevier concerning the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in scholarly communication.

The following principles regulate the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence within the journal's academic processes:

1. Artificial Intelligence cannot be listed as an author or co-author. Authorship entails intellectual accountability, legal responsibility, and consent for publication, which are exclusively human capacities.
2. AI tools may function only as assistive instruments. They must not replace human intellectual responsibility, critical interpretation, or scholarly accountability.
3. Transparency and accountability are mandatory. Any use of AI tools must be clearly disclosed and subject to human verification.
4. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content, including any portion that has been AI-assisted.
5. Confidentiality, data security, and intellectual property protection must be upheld at all times. Authors, reviewers, and editors are prohibited from uploading confidential manuscripts or unpublished data to non-secure or public AI platforms.

Policy for Authors

Prohibited Uses of AI

Consistent with international publishing ethics standards, authors are strictly prohibited from using AI tools for the following purposes:

• Listing AI systems as authors or co-authors
• Generating fabricated data, synthetic results, or falsified empirical materials
• Manipulating research findings in ways that distort interpretation or misrepresent evidence
• Uploading confidential datasets, peer-review materials, or unpublished manuscripts to public AI systems
• Using AI to circumvent plagiarism detection, peer review, or editorial screening processes

AI use that compromises research integrity, misrepresents authorship, or undermines transparency constitutes academic misconduct.

Permitted Uses of AI

Under strict human supervision and post-validation, authors may use AI tools for limited and assistive purposes, including:

• Grammar checking, proofreading, and stylistic refinement
• Improving coherence, cohesion, and readability of author-written text
• Supporting idea exploration, literature mapping, or coding assistance, provided outputs are critically reviewed
• Assisting with translation for language clarity, without altering substantive meaning

AI tools may support drafting processes; however, authors must substantially review, revise, and take full responsibility for the final text. All AI-assisted outputs must be manually rechecked for accuracy, completeness, contextual relevance, and methodological consistency. Validation by a qualified language or subject expert is strongly recommended.

Mandatory AI Disclosure Statement

Every manuscript must include one of the following declarations:

This disclosure must appear in the Acknowledgements or Methods section of journal articles, or in the Preface for book manuscripts.

Author Responsibility

Authors remain fully responsible for:

• The originality, validity, and integrity of the manuscript
• Ensuring that all AI-assisted processes are transparent and verifiable
• Compliance with ethical, copyright, and data-protection standards
• Confirming that AI tools did not alter the meaning, interpretation, or findings of the research

Policy for Reviewers

Reviewers are prohibited from using AI tools to read, summarize, evaluate, or generate analytical content from manuscripts under review. Uploading manuscripts, figures, or confidential data to AI platforms constitutes a serious breach of confidentiality and intellectual property rights.

Reviewers may use AI-based language-checking tools solely for proofreading their personal comments, not for evaluating manuscript content. Each reviewer is personally accountable for maintaining objectivity, accuracy, and confidentiality throughout the review process.

Policy for Editors

Editors must not upload manuscripts, author correspondence, or review files to public AI systems for translation, evaluation, or summarization. All editorial assessments and recommendations must be based on human judgment, reviewers' reports, and the journal's ethical guidelines. Final publication decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief and must not be delegated to Artificial Intelligence systems.

If AI-based tools are employed for administrative purposes such as plagiarism detection or metadata analysis, such tools must be institutionally approved and compliant with data-protection regulations.

Ethical Considerations

All use of AI tools must adhere to the principles of scientific honesty, intellectual authenticity, human accountability, and ethical oversight. Transparency, fairness, and academic rigor remain fundamental standards in all editorial and scholarly processes.

Continuous education on AI ethics is encouraged to ensure that technological advancements support, rather than undermine, the integrity of Islamic scholarship.

Closing Statement

Artificial Intelligence is recognized as an assistive instrument, not a substitute for human intellect and moral responsibility. Ethical, transparent, and validated use of AI can enrich the academic ecosystem while preserving the intellectual and spiritual integrity of Islamic higher education scholarship.