Author Guidelines

The Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law (MJSL) 

Submission Guidelines

The Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law (MJSL) is a refereed journal and publishes original and well researched articles in the fields of law and Syariah and any other related areas. Manuscripts published in the MJSL represent the views of the authors concerned and not necessarily those of the editorial board and the Faculty of Syariah and Law.

The MJSL accepts English, Malay and Arabic article. Manuscript submitted for consideration of publication in the MJSL must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere either in electronic or printed form. The manuscript also does not published previously. The corresponding author should declare about this when submitting the manuscript to the journal.

Manuscripts should be submitted through the online submission system of OJS or Confbay. New author will be required to register as a new user before proceeding to the submission stage. Most processes and procedures are self-explanatory, but in case assistance needed please e-mail the Managing Editor.

Manuscript

Manuscript should be prepared in accordance with the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th style guide by using the Times New Roman or Traditional Arabic fonts. For Malay or Arabic manuscript additional abstract and title in English should be attached. Keyword consists of three (3) to five (5) words should also be provided in the manuscript. Font size should be 11 for Times New Roman and 16 for Traditional Arabic and typed in single spacing. The length of the article should be not more than 25 pages including references. Kindly use the MJSL template for further reference.

Abstract

Each manuscript should include an abstract length about 250-350 words. For Malay or Arabic manuscript, an ADDITIONAL ABSTRACT AND TITLE IN ENGLISH must be accompanied with the manuscript. Keywords consist of three (3) to five (5) words.

Authorship

All authors that are named on the manuscript must have made contribution to the paper, whether in the design and/or analysis and interpretation of the data/or drafting of the paper. All authors must have critically reviewed and approved the contents of the final version of the manuscript submitted for publication.

Conflict of Interest

Avoid any possible conflict of interest, or appearance of conflict of interest during the submission process.

Since the Journal practices peer-reviewing, authors are to be reminded not to nominate reviewers that are of the same institution and the authors of the manuscript. Authors should not nominate any individuals whom they know have already read and provided comments on the manuscript or a previous version of the manuscript since such knowledge would automatically violate the reviewing process. Suggested peer-reviewers will be considered in the reviewing process by the Journal. If there is no response from the suggested peer-reviewers, the Journal has the rights to nominate reviewers of the Journal.

Acknowledgement

Authors are required to disclose the source of funding of their research at the acknowledgment according to the following format;

The research work was funded by Grant’s name (Grant No.).

Contributors to the article other than the authors listed should be included under the Acknowledgment with specific necessary details.

Timeliness

Authors are advised to be prompt with their manuscript revisions. MJSL practises completion of article revision within two weeks. If in any complications that renders the Authors to delay their manuscript revision, the Authors are responsible to inform the Editorial Office to request for an extension. Manuscript with no returned revised submission will be withdrawn from MJSL in effect after the expiration date given.

In any case that the author wishes to withdraw a manuscript that has been submitted for intended publication in MJSL, the author must inform the Editorial Office of their withdrawal with appropriate reasons.

Copyright Assignment and Permissions

For all articles published in MJSL, copyright is retained by the authors. Articles are licensed under an open access Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, meaning that anyone may download and read the paper for free. In addition, the article may be reused and quoted provided that the original published version is cited. These conditions allow for maximum use and exposure of the work, while ensuring that the authors receive proper credit.

In exceptional circumstances articles may be licensed differently. If you have specific condition (such as one linked to funding) that does not allow this license, please mention this to the MJSL Managing Editorial. Exceptions will be granted at the discretion of the publisher.

Reproducing Published Material from other Publishers

It is absolutely essential that authors obtain permission to reproduce any published material (figures, schemes, tables or any extract of a text) which does not fall into the public domain, or for which they do not hold the copyright. Permission should be requested by the authors from the copyright holder (usually the Publisher, please refer to the imprint of the individual publications to identify the copyright holder).

Permission is required for:

1. Your own works published by other Publishers and for which you did not retain copyright.
2. Substantial extracts from anyone's works or a series of works.
3. Use of Tables, Graphs, Charts, Schemes and Artworks if they are unaltered or slightly modified.
4. Photographs for which you do not hold copyright.

Permission is not required for:

1. Reconstruction of your own table with data already published elsewhere. Please notice that in this case you must cite the source of the data in the form of either "Data from..." or "Adapted from...".
2. Reasonably short quotes are considered fair use and therefore do not require permission.
3. Graphs, Charts, Schemes and Artworks that are completely redrawn by the authors and significantly changed beyond recognition do not require permission.

Obtaining Permission

In order to avoid unnecessary delays in the publication process, you should start obtaining permissions as early as possible. If in any doubt about the copyright, apply for permission. MJSL cannot publish material from other publications without permission.

The copyright holder may give you instructions on the form of acknowledgement to be followed; otherwise follow the style: "Reproduced with permission from [author], [book/journal title]; published by [publisher], [year].' at the end of the caption of the Table, Figure or Scheme.

Any other materials on this website (including without limitation the text, computer code, artwork, photographs, images, music, audio material, video material and audio-visual material on this website is owned by Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia and its licensors.

Manuscript Format and Structure

Please read this section carefully to avoid any violation of the submission process. Papers that are prepared accordingly with minimal errors and conform to the format and style will likely to ensure efficient communication and fast track of publication. If required, the MJSL Editorial Office will return the manuscript to the Authors for scientific and editorial correction in which will delay the publication time. Please use the template provided as a guide in manuscript preparation.

The Editor reserves the right to make literacy corrections and to make suggestions to improve brevity. Charges may apply depending on the quality and preparation of the manuscript. Hence, authors are reminded to proof-read their manuscript before submitting their manuscript for the final review to the Editorial Office.

Manuscript File Type

Prepare your manuscript in a SINGLE file following the arrangement of the sections: Title Page Information; Manuscript (Text); Figures and/or Tables. Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law only accepts Microsoft Word (MS Word) type of file format. Refrain from submitting your manuscript as a PDF file.

Language

The Language used is English, either UK or US, Arabic and Bahasa Melayu (Malay-Malaysia). Do not have a mixture of both languages. Manuscripts must be written in clear and comprehensible English/Arabic/Bahasa Melayu in the correct format. Authors whose native language is not English are strongly advised to have their manuscript proof read or checked by an English-speaking colleague prior to submission. Please note that multiple language errors detected will render the manuscript to be rejected.

Title Page Information

Title – Concise and informative. Please write in CAPITAL LETTERS.

Author names, Affiliations and ORCID – All accredited authors’ names must be correctly spelled, written as the published author name in a single line. Names are to be written in the format of last name first, followed by the first and middle names initials. i.e. New, C.Y. Present the authors’ affiliation addresses accordingly below the names of the authors. Provide full postal address without any abbreviations. Indicate all affiliations with number superscripts, placed in front of the last name and the similar number superscript must be indicated in front of the addresses. Provide each respective authors their ORCID.

Corresponding author – The corresponding author must be clearly indicated with an asterisk (*) in front of the author’s name. Provide only the email address of the corresponding author, written after the affiliations’ address, indicated.

Manuscript Style

Headings of the sections are to be bold and appear on its own separate line. Subheadings/subsections should be given a brief heading, italicize and appear on its own separate line. Authors are advised to minimize subsections. Please number the headings and subheadings accordingly. i.e.

Heading

Subheading

The manuscript should include:

Abstract – Executive summary of the manuscript which includes the specific aims, brief description of method, main results and conclusions in a single paragraph. No references should be included in the abstract. Non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself. Kindly include the contribution of the study to the international intellectual community.

Keywords – A minimum of 3 and a maximum of only 5 words allowed indicating the essentials of the research work. Separate each keyword with a comma (,) in a single line.

Introduction and Literature Review– A brief literature review and previous relevant work with references. Include the objectives of the research work at the last paragraph clearly.

Methodology – Precise methods should be described to ensure reproducibility. Published or known methods should be cited correctly and if, there are any modifications, it should be noted.

Results/ Findings– Clear and concise. Presentation of results with tables and figures may improve its clarity. Avoid presenting repetition results in writing and in the form of tables and figures.

Discussion – Explains the significance, impact and consequences of the results. Results and discussion may be combined or separated.

Conclusion – Authors are advised to provide a conclusion to sum up of results interpretation with suggested recommendations. Avoid repetition of the points made in the preceding sections.

Conflict of Interest – Disclose any potential conflict of interest appropriately.

Acknowledgement – Indicate any source of funding or other contributors to the work in a single paragraph and kept at the minimum.

References

Citation in text

References should be cited in the text as: (author, date). For Arabic manuscript references MUST BE written in Roman script both; in text and list of references. For further formatting and referencing aid, please consult APA Publication Manual 7th Edition (www.apastyle.org).

All references in the text must be listed in the references section with the names of authors, arranged alphabetically. It is the duty of the author to ensure all references cited to be listed, COMPLETE and ACCURATE without ANY LOSS of information required by the MJSL. Please ensure all references cited within the text must also be present in the reference list (and vice versa). 

Use this style for your caption: Figure 1: Theoretical Framework of Syariah and Law.

Footnotes

Footnotes should be kept to a minimum. They should be numbered in the text indicated by superscript numbers and kept as brief as possible.

Miscellaneous

Abbreviations should be used sparingly and only if a lengthy name or expression is repeated throughout the manuscript, and never in the title. The abbreviated name or expression should be cited in full at first usage, followed by the accepted abbreviation in parentheses.

After Acceptance

If your paper is accepted for publication, authors will be prompted with an email notification on the decision of your manuscript with the acceptance letter. All manuscripts accepted are subject to APC. This is the article processing charge (APC) used to cover the publishing costs, website and administrative. The editor may decide to waive this charge in exceptional circumstances (see our APC Waiving Policy). 

The Editor-in-Chief/Managing Editors will perform a technical check on the manuscript deeming its quality and preparation of the manuscript. If necessary, the article will be returned to the author for further clarification. Charges may apply.

Proof Corrections

The paper will then proceed into production once the necessary documents have been received. Authors will be notified by email when the PDF proof is ready for final checking before publication. Proofs must be returned to the Production Editor within two (2) days of receipt.

Authors are given the flexibility of correcting the proof once before the finalized proof is released. Subsequent corrections will be charged. Hence, authors are reminded to perform a thorough checking on the galley proof.

Article Retraction/Removal

If author wishes to retract/remove their article, the author may write into the Editorial Office and stating their justification. However, this action is highly discouraged by the Journal once the Journal had accepted the manuscript for publication. MJSL has provided full publishing services and only able to recoup this investment through the APC. Any retraction/removal does not detract from the publishing services provided or from our ongoing maintenance of the scientific record.

Article Withdrawal without Notification after Acceptance

This is a serious offence in the ethics of publishing. Authors should bear the responsibility of their manuscript submission and progress in a journal. If MJSL does not receive any reply from the author after acceptance within two weeks, MJSL assumes that the author withdraws their article. This will affect the author’s reputation as MJSL adheres to the ethics of publishing seriously.

Manuscript Submission Checklist

Please use the following list to perform the last checking of the manuscript prior sending it to the MJSL for review.

• The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
• The text is submitted as blind document (without author's name and affiliation).
• Abstract in English is compulsory, consisting problem statement, objectives, methodology, findings, brief discussion, significance of research, contribution to the specific field (worldwide), and suggestion for future research.
• Plagiasrism (Turnit-in) report has been provided (must be below than 20% similarities index)
• Title and author's name with affiliation have been written in a separate document. Please upload a separate document for this purpose.
• The submission file is in, Microsoft Word document file format.
• The author has suggested five experts as reviewers in the field of the written article. Please upload separate document stating the name, affiliation, and email address of the reviewers.
• The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the article template.
• This submission may be accepted/rejected prior to initial review upon compliance to the above requirements.