Author Guidelines

Research Journal 'ANWĀR AL-SĪRAH'
Published by: Seerat Chair, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan
ISSN (Print): 3006-7758 / ISSN (Online): 3006-7766
OJS Portal: https://journals.iub.edu.pk/index.php/anwaralsirah

  1. AIMS, SCOPE, AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES

'Anwār al-Sīrah' is a peer-reviewed, open-access, bi-annual, tri-lingual (Urdu, English, and Arabic) research journal. The journal invites original, rigorous research addressing the Sīrah of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), classical Islamic scholarship, and the contemporary application of prophetic guidance to modern social, ethical, legal, political, and economic challenges.

All manuscripts must represent original, unpublished contributions not currently under review by any other journal or publication platform.

All submissions must be processed strictly through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) submission portal. Submissions via email or postal dispatch will not be processed.

2. ARTICLE LENGTH AND LANGUAGE SPECIFICATIONS

  • Word Count: Manuscripts must be between 5,000 and 7,000 words in total length, inclusive of abstracts, keywords, footnotes/endnotes, and references.

  • Acceptable Languages: English, Urdu, or Arabic.

  • Bilingual Metadata Requirement:

    • Every manuscript written in Urdu or Arabic MUST include an English title, an English abstract (150–250 words), and English keywords.

    • English manuscripts require an abstract of 150–250 words and 3–7 keywords.

3. TYPOGRAPHY AND PAGE SETUP

  • File Format: Microsoft Word (.docx). Formats such as PDF, TXT, or scanned images are not accepted.

  • Page Setup: Standard A4 paper size, with 1-inch (25.4 mm) margins on all four sides (top, bottom, left, right).

  • Spacing: 1.15 or 1.5 line spacing throughout the manuscript body.

Font and Sizing Specifications:

  • English Manuscripts:

    • Font Family: Times New Roman

    • Body Text: 11 pt (Regular)

    • Major Headings: 12 pt (Bold)

    • Sub-headings: 11 pt (Bold)

    • Endnotes: 9 pt (Regular)

  • Urdu Manuscripts:

    • Font Family: Jameel Noori Nastaleeq

    • Body Text: 13 pt (Regular)

    • Major Headings: 14 pt (Bold)

    • Sub-headings: 13 pt (Bold)

    • Endnotes: 11 pt (Regular)

  • Arabic Manuscripts:

    • Font Family: Sakkal Majalla / Traditional Arabic

    • Body Text: 13 pt (Regular)

    • Major Headings: 14 pt (Bold)

    • Sub-headings: 13 pt (Bold)

    • Endnotes: 11 pt (Regular)

4. DOUBLE-BLIND PEER REVIEW COMPLIANCE (FILE SEPARATION)

To comply with international double-blind peer review requirements (DOAJ, Scopus, and Web of Science standards), authors must submit two distinct files during OJS submission:

File 1: Title Page (Supplementary File) Contains complete identification details:

  • Full manuscript title (in original language and English).

  • Full names of all contributing authors.

  • Institutional affiliations (Department, Faculty, University/Institution, City, Country).

  • Active email address and ORCID iD for each author.

  • Clear designation of the Corresponding Author.

  • Financial or grant acknowledgments (if applicable).

File 2: Anonymized Main Manuscript (Main Article Text) Contains the research content stripped of all author identifiers:

  • Article Title.

  • Abstract and Keywords.

  • Main body text, sections, and references.

  • Must NOT contain author names, institutional affiliations, contact emails, or direct institutional references that compromise author anonymity.

5. STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE MANUSCRIPT

  1. Title: Clear, concise, and reflective of the core research inquiry.

  2. Abstract: Must be a single running paragraph of 150 to 250 words. It should concisely formulate:

    • The primary research problem and theoretical/practical objective.

    • The methodological approach and primary sources consulted.

    • The main arguments, findings, and contributions to knowledge.

    • Free of bullet points, subheadings, literature citations, and undefined abbreviations.

  3. Keywords: Provide 3 to 7 precise keywords separated by semicolons immediately following the abstract.

  4. Introduction: Articulate the research context, research question, rationale, existing literature gaps, and scope of study.

  5. Literature Review / Classical Sources: Systematic engagement with classical treatises, exegeses, collections of Ḥadīth, and modern peer-reviewed scholarship.

  6. Research Methodology: Detail the textual, historical, inductive (istiqrā'), analytical (taḥlīlī), or comparative (muqāran) frameworks utilized.

  7. Discussion, Textual Analysis, and Arguments: The central body of the study. Arguments must be logically structured, balanced, and supported by verified citations from primary sources.

  8. Conclusion: A synthesized overview of 250 to 450 words stating major conclusions, theoretical and practical implications, scholarly significance, limitations, and future research directions. Avoid repeating citations or formatting in bullet lists.

  9. Tables and Figures: Embed directly within the manuscript file at the relevant point of discussion. Number sequentially (e.g., Table 1, Figure 1) with descriptive captions. Every table or figure must be explicitly cited and explained within the text.

6. CITATION SYSTEM AND REFERENCING STYLE

'Anwār al-Sīrah' strictly enforces the Chicago Manual of Style (Notes and Bibliography System) using numbered Endnotes.

  • References must be inserted as sequential endnotes.

  • Primary sources (Qur'ān, classical exegesis, Ḥadīth corpuses, classical fiqh literature) must be prioritized and cited with full bibliographic rigor.

  • English articles must adopt the standard ALA-LC or IJMES transliteration scheme for Arabic/Islamic terminology.

Reference Examples:

  1. Holy Qur'ān: Al-Qur’ān, 2:185.

  2. Ḥadīth Compilations: Abū ‘Īsā Muḥammad ibn ‘Īsā al-Tirmidhī, Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Aḥkām ‘an Rasūl Allāh (ﷺ), Bāb Mā Jā’a fī anna al-Bayyinata ‘alā al-Mudda‘ī, Ḥadīth no. 1261.

  3. Classical Reference Works: Muḥammad ibn ‘Umar Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb (Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1401 AH), 3:245.

  4. Journal Articles: Abdin Chande, "Symbolism and Allegory in the Qur'ān: Muhammad Asad's Modernist Translation," Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 15, no. 1 (2004): 79–80.

  5. Books / Edited Volumes: Wael B. Hallaq, A History of Islamic Legal Theories: An Introduction to Sunnī Uṣūl al-Fiqh (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 45–48.

7. PLAGIARISM AND ETHICAL COMPLIANCE

  • Plagiarism Threshold: All submissions undergo routine plagiarism screening via Turnitin before peer review. In line with Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan and international indexing standards, the overall similarity index must be below 19%, with no more than 5% from any single source.

  • Research Ethics: Authors are strictly bound by standard publication ethics. Submissions involving fabricated citations, unacknowledged paraphrasing, simultaneous multi-journal submission, or undeclared conflicts of interest will be rejected immediately.