1. General Ethical Principles

Al-Hikmah is committed to maintaining high standards of integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability throughout the scholarly publication process. The journal follows recognised principles and good practices in publication ethics, including guidance provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the Editorial Board are expected to uphold these principles throughout the submission, peer-review, editorial, and publication processes. Allegations of research or publication misconduct will be considered fairly, objectively, and confidentially.

Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, originality, methodological or theoretical rigour, ethical compliance, and contribution to the field. Decisions must not be influenced by an author’s nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, personal relationships, political views, funding arrangements, or other considerations unrelated to academic merit.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

2.1 Originality and Research Integrity

Authors must submit original scholarly work that has been conducted and reported honestly. Manuscripts must not contain plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, manipulated data, misleading statements, or other forms of research or publication misconduct. All ideas, words, data, figures, tables, and other materials derived from previous work must be appropriately acknowledged and cited. Authors must also cite their own previously published work where relevant and avoid substantial undisclosed reuse of previously published material. The journal may use similarity-detection and other research-integrity tools as part of the editorial screening process. Similarity reports will be assessed qualitatively and will not, by themselves, determine whether plagiarism or misconduct has occurred. 

2.2 Original Submission and Duplicate Publication

Manuscripts submitted to Al-Hikmah must not have been published previously in substantially the same form and must not be simultaneously under consideration by another journal. Authors must disclose any closely related manuscript, previous publication, conference paper, preprint, or other material that substantially overlaps with the submitted work.

Manuscripts developed from conference presentations or other earlier academic outputs may be considered where the submitted article represents a substantively developed scholarly work and the previous version is appropriately disclosed and cited.

2.3 Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a substantial scholarly contribution to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of the work and who accept responsibility for the published article. All listed authors must:

• approve the submitted manuscript;
• agree to the order of authorship;
• approve the final version for publication; and
• accept accountability for their respective contributions.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors during the editorial process must be supported by a clear explanation and the agreement of all affected authors. Changes in authorship after formal acceptance will normally not be permitted except in exceptional circumstances approved by the Editor-in-Chief.

2.4 Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, interpretation, or presentation of their work. All relevant sources of research funding and material support must also be declared. Where no conflict of interest or specific funding exists, an appropriate statement should be provided.

2.5 Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants, identifiable personal information, or activities requiring institutional ethical review must comply with relevant ethical standards and institutional requirements. Where applicable, authors must provide:

• the name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board;
• the ethical approval reference number; and
• a statement regarding informed consent where relevant.

Where formal ethical approval was not required, authors should provide an appropriate explanation. For research involving animals, authors are responsible for ensuring compliance with relevant institutional and national ethical requirements. 

2.6 Errors in Published Work

If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published article, they must promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief and cooperate with the journal in issuing an appropriate correction, clarification, or retraction where necessary.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the scholarly quality and integrity of Al-Hikmah.

Reviewers must:

• evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and constructively;
• maintain strict confidentiality regarding manuscripts and review materials;
• assess only manuscripts for which they possess appropriate expertise;
• disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest;
• decline a review where impartiality may reasonably be compromised;
• complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or inform the editorial office promptly if additional time is required;
• identify relevant published work that may have been overlooked by the authors where appropriate; and
• report suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabrication, falsification, or other ethical concerns confidentially to the Editor-in-Chief.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information, arguments, data, or ideas obtained through the peer-review process for personal, professional, or commercial advantage. Personal criticism of authors is unacceptable. Review comments must address the scholarly content of the manuscript and should be expressed professionally and respectfully.

Al-Hikmah employs a double-blind peer review process. Reviewers must respect the confidentiality and anonymity requirements of this process. Further details regarding manuscript evaluation and editorial decision-making are provided in the journal’s Editorial Policy.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

The Editor-in-Chief and editors are responsible for protecting the integrity, fairness, and independence of the editorial process. Editors must:

• evaluate manuscripts according to academic merit and the stated aims and scope of the journal;
• ensure fair and impartial editorial treatment of submissions;
• protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and reviewer identities;
• select reviewers with appropriate expertise and without relevant conflicts of interest;
• ensure that editorial decisions are supported by appropriate scholarly evaluation;
• take reasonable action when concerns regarding research or publication misconduct are raised; and
• ensure that commercial, institutional, personal, or other external considerations do not improperly influence editorial decisions.

Where an editor has a conflict of interest relating to a submitted manuscript, including authorship or close involvement with the research, that editor must take no part in reviewer selection, peer review, editorial evaluation, or the publication decision. The manuscript must be handled independently by another suitably qualified editor. Manuscripts submitted by members of the Editorial Board are subject to the same editorial standards and double-blind peer-review procedures as other submissions.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

UKM Press, as the publisher of Al-Hikmah, supports the editorial independence and integrity of the journal and does not interfere with editorial decisions based on scholarly merit. The publisher works with the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board to uphold recognised standards of publication ethics, safeguard the scholarly record, and facilitate appropriate corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions where necessary. The publisher also supports the long-term accessibility and preservation of published content and ensures that commercial or institutional considerations do not compromise editorial independence.

6. Research and Publication Misconduct

 Al-Hikmah considers the following, among others, to constitute potential research or publication misconduct:

• plagiarism and substantial unattributed textual copying;
• self-plagiarism or undisclosed redundant publication;
• fabrication or falsification of data;
• manipulation or misrepresentation of research findings;
• simultaneous or duplicate submission;
• inappropriate authorship or undisclosed ghost or guest authorship;
• undisclosed conflicts of interest;
• citation manipulation;
• unethical treatment of research participants;
• misuse of confidential information obtained through peer review; and
• deliberate misrepresentation of research methods, data, findings, or ethical approval.

Suspected misconduct will be examined on the basis of available evidence. The journal will seek clarification from the relevant parties where appropriate and will endeavour to ensure procedural fairness and confidentiality. Where serious misconduct is established, appropriate action may include rejection of the manuscript, correction or retraction of a published article, restrictions on future submissions, or notification of relevant institutions or authorities where warranted. Any action taken will be determined according to the circumstances and seriousness of the individual case. 

7. Confidentiality

All manuscripts submitted to Al-Hikmah are treated as confidential documents. Editors and reviewers must not disclose information concerning a manuscript to individuals who are not directly involved in the editorial and peer-review process, except where disclosure is necessary for the investigation of an ethical concern. Information, data, arguments, or ideas obtained from unpublished manuscripts must not be used for personal benefit or incorporated into another person’s research without appropriate permission. Authors’ personal information will be handled in accordance with the journal’s Privacy Statement.

8. Corrections, Retractions and Post-Publication Issues

Al-Hikmah is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published scholarly record. Where an error or ethical concern is identified after publication, the journal may take appropriate action, including publication of:

• a correction;
• an addendum;
• an editorial notice or expression of concern; or
• a retraction.

A correction may be issued where an error affects the accuracy or interpretation of part of an article but does not invalidate its principal findings. A retraction may be considered where findings are seriously unreliable because of error or misconduct, where substantial plagiarism or duplicate publication is established, or where other serious ethical violations undermine the integrity of the article. Authors will normally be given an opportunity to respond to relevant concerns before a final editorial decision is made.

9. Allegations, Complaints and Ethical Concerns

Authors, reviewers, readers, and other interested parties may raise concerns regarding suspected misconduct, editorial procedures, peer review, or published content by contacting the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Hikmah. Ethical concerns will be considered confidentially and objectively. The journal may request supporting documentation and relevant explanations from the parties involved before reaching a decision.

Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief directly, the matter will be referred to an appropriate independent member of the Editorial Board or relevant institutional authority to ensure impartial consideration. Al-Hikmah reserves the right to take appropriate editorial or institutional action where a substantiated breach of publication ethics has occurred.