Peer Review Process

Islamic Communication Journal is a double-blind peer-reviewed journal. For publication, each paper submitted to Islamic Communication Journal is subject to peer review. Every paper to be published in this journal must be reviewed by at least two reviewers who have the same competence as the author. These reviewers are tasked with evaluating, providing notes, comments, and criticizing aspects of the substance of the article. We will not publish an article before it has been reviewed by at least two reviewers. It aims to determine the feasibility of scientific work for publication. The peer review method is used to maintain quality standards and paper credibility. Peer review on Islamic Communication Journal takes place in 9 steps with the following description:

1. Submission of Paper
Islamic Communication Journal uses the Open Journal System (OJS) in submission. The author must register by email, log into the system, and upload the paper.

2. Editorial Office Assessment
Islamic Communication Journal's editor first assesses the submitted paper. The editor checks whether it suits the Journal's focus and scope. The paper's composition and arrangement are evaluated against the Journal's Author Guidelines to ensure it includes the required sections and stylizations. In addition, an assessment of the minimum required quality of the paper for publication begins at this step, including one that assesses whether there is a major methodological flaw. Every submitted paper that passes this step will be checked by Turnitin to measure the similarity index, leading to plagiarism, before being reviewed by reviewers. The maximum similarity limit for being accepted at Islamic Communication Journal is 20%.

3. Appraisal by the Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief checks if the paper is appropriate for the journal, sufficiently original, engaging, and significant for publication. If not, the paper may be rejected without being reviewed any further.

4. Invitation to Reviewers
The handling editor sends invitations to a minimum of two individuals who are believed to be appropriate reviewers (also known as referees) based on expertise, affinity of research interests, and no conflict of interest considerations. The peer review process at Islamic Communication Journal involves a community of experts in the field of Islamic communication, who are qualified and able to conduct a fairly impartial review. Impartiality is also maintained by the double-blind peer review used in this journal. The reviewer does not know the identity of the author, just as the author does not know the identity of the reviewer. Articles submitted to reviewers anonymously.

5. Response to Invitations
Potential reviewers consider the invitation against their expertise, conflicts of interest, and availability. They then decide to accept or decline. In the invitation letter, the editor may ask the potential reviewer for the suggestion of an alternative reviewer when they decline to review.

6. Review is Conducted
The reviewers allocate time to read the paper several times. The first read is used to form an initial impression of the work. If significant problems are found at this stage, the reviewers may feel comfortable rejecting the paper without further work. Otherwise, they will read the paper several times, taking notes to build a detailed point-by-point review. The review is then submitted to the journal, with a recommendation to accept or reject it or else with a request for revision (usually flagged as either major or minor) before it is reconsidered.

7. Journal Evaluates the Reviews
The Editor-in-Chief and handling editor considers all the returned reviews before making an overall decision. If the reviews differ widely between both reviewers, the handling editor may invite an additional reviewer to obtain a different opinion before making a decision.

8. The Decision is Communicated

The editor sends a decision email to the author, including any relevant reviewer comments. Reviewer comments are sent anonymously to the corresponding author to take the necessary actions and responses. At this point, reviewers are also sent an email or letter letting them know the outcome of their review.

9. Final Step

If accepted, the paper is sent to copy-editing. Suppose the article is rejected or sent back to the author for either major or minor revision. In that case, the handling editor will include constructive comments from the reviewers to help the author improve the article. The author should make corrections and revise the paper per the reviewers' comments and instructions.

After the revision, the author should resubmit the revised paper to the editor.

If the paper is returned for revision, the reviewers should expect to receive the revised version unless they have opted out of further participation. However, where only minor changes were requested, the handling editor might do this follow-up review.

If the editor is satisfied with the revised paper, it is accepted. The accepted papers will be published online, all are freely available as downloadable pdf files.