Peer Review & Publication Process

The Research Journal Anwār al-Sīrah adheres to a rigorous, systematic peer-review and editorial workflow designed to maintain the highest standards of scholarly integrity, transparency, and academic excellence. All submissions undergo an anonymized double-blind peer review overseen by independent subject-matter experts.

1. Submission & Initial Acknowledgement
Upon submission, the corresponding author receives an automated confirmation and reference number within 24 hours.

2. Desk Review & Editorial Screening (Days 1–7)
Submissions undergo preliminary screening by the Editorial Board to assess thematic relevance, originality, and adherence to author guidelines.

Plagiarism Screening: All manuscripts are screened using Turnitin in accordance with Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan and international anti-plagiarism guidelines. Manuscripts must demonstrate an overall similarity index of less than 19%, with no single external source exceeding 5%.

Manuscripts outside the journal’s aims and scope, lacking sufficient scholarly significance, or failing initial integrity checks are subject to desk rejection, and the corresponding author is formally notified with an editorial rationale.

3. Double-Blind Peer Review (7 to 60 Days)
Manuscripts passing desk review are assigned to at least two independent external reviewers who are recognized experts in the relevant subfield.

Both reviewer and author identities are strictly anonymized throughout the evaluation process.

Referees evaluate manuscripts on methodological rigor, scholarly contribution, validity of arguments, and critical engagement with primary and secondary sources.

4. Editorial Decisions & Reporting
Upon receipt of reviewer evaluations, the Executive Editor synthesizes the reports and issues one of the following decisions:

Acceptance: Recommended for publication without further revision.

Minor Revisions: Acceptable contingent upon straightforward corrections.

Major Revisions: Significant scholarly or structural enhancements required.

Rejection: The manuscript fails to meet required standards or falls outside the scope.

Anonymized reviewer reports are forwarded directly to the corresponding author along with specific editorial directives.

5. Revision & Re-evaluation Process
Revision Window: For manuscripts accepted subject to revisions, authors are invited to submit the revised manuscript alongside a point-by-point response to reviewer comments within 7 to 14 days.

Re-evaluation: Revised drafts are returned to the original reviewers for second-round evaluation.

Final Determination: If the revisions do not adequately resolve the academic concerns raised by the reviewers, the journal reserves the right to reject the submission.

6. Production & Copyediting
Formally accepted manuscripts undergo copyediting, typesetting, reference standardization, and layout formatting.

Authors receive digital proofs (galley proofs) to verify typographical accuracy before final publication.

7. Online Publication & Post-Publication Corrections
Articles are published online under Open Access terms with complete metadata and DOI assignment.

Corresponding authors receive an official notification containing permanent access and download links.

Post-Publication Updates: Any critical errata or corrections must be communicated to the editorial office within 3 working days of initial online publication. Subsequent corrections adhere strictly to standard COPE/retraction and erratum guidelines.