Al-Hikmah is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, independent, and responsible editorial process. The following  policies govern the handling, evaluation, and publication of manuscripts submitted to the journal.

1. Editorial Independence and Confidentiality

Editorial decisions are made on the basis of the scholarly quality, originality, relevance, methodological soundness, and contribution of the manuscript to the scope of Al-Hikmah. Decisions shall not be influenced by the authors’ nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, personal background, or other considerations unrelated to academic merit. The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board are responsible for maintaining the independence and integrity of the editorial process. The final decision to accept, revise, or reject a manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief or an authorised editor based on editorial assessment and peer-review reports.

All manuscripts submitted to Al-Hikmah are treated as confidential documents. Editors and reviewers must not disclose, discuss, reproduce, distribute, or use unpublished material contained in a manuscript for personal or professional advantage. Information obtained through the editorial and peer-review process must remain confidential. Editors or reviewers who have a conflict of interest that may affect their impartiality must disclose the conflict and withdraw from the evaluation of the manuscript concerned.

2. Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies

Al-Hikmah recognises that artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies may be used to support certain aspects of scholarly work. However, the use of such technologies must uphold academic integrity, transparency, accuracy, confidentiality, and human accountability.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, or ethical compliance of a scholarly work. Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted to the journal, including any material developed or refined with the assistance of AI technologies.
Authors who make substantive use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in preparing a manuscript should disclose such use appropriately. Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy of AI-assisted content, including factual statements, interpretations, citations, references, and other scholarly information. The use of AI technologies does not exempt authors from complying with the journal’s requirements concerning originality, plagiarism, copyright, research ethics, and proper attribution.

Editors and reviewers must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. Manuscripts, unpublished data, peer-review reports, or other confidential materials must not be uploaded to publicly accessible generative AI platforms where such use may compromise confidentiality, intellectual property, or data protection. Editorial decisions and peer-review judgments must remain under meaningful human responsibility and oversight.

3. Complaints and Appeals

Al-Hikmah provides authors and other stakeholders with an appropriate mechanism to raise concerns regarding editorial procedures, peer review, publication decisions, or matters relating to publication ethics.
Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that a significant error has occurred in the evaluation of their manuscript. An appeal should clearly state the grounds for reconsideration and provide relevant academic or procedural justification. Mere disagreement with reviewers’ comments or an editorial decision does not automatically constitute sufficient grounds for an appeal.

Appeals will be considered by the Editor-in-Chief or, where appropriate, by another editor who was not directly involved in the original decision. Additional expert advice may be sought when necessary. The outcome of the appeal shall constitute the journal’s final editorial decision unless significant new evidence emerges.

Complaints relating to editorial conduct, conflicts of interest, ethical concerns, or publication procedures will be handled fairly and confidentially. Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, the matter should be referred to an appropriate representative of the publisher or institution to ensure an independent assessment. The journal will seek to resolve complaints and appeals objectively while protecting the integrity of the scholarly record and the rights of all parties involved.

4. Data Availability and Sharing

Al-Hikmah encourages transparency in research and the responsible management of research data. Where appropriate, authors should provide sufficient information to enable readers to understand the basis of the findings reported in the article. Authors may be requested to provide a Data Availability Statement indicating whether the data supporting the findings of the study are publicly available, available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, subject to institutional or ethical restrictions, or not applicable to the nature of the study.

Authors are encouraged to share research data when doing so is ethically, legally, and practically appropriate. However, data sharing is not required where it would compromise participant confidentiality, informed consent, privacy, intellectual property rights, institutional requirements, legal obligations, or other legitimate restrictions. Where research data cannot be made publicly available, authors should state the reason for the restriction where appropriate. The journal may request access to relevant underlying data when serious questions arise concerning the reliability, accuracy, or integrity of a published or submitted study, subject to applicable ethical and legal requirements.