Author Guidelines
A. Manuscript Guidelines
Types of Manuscript
As a basic requirement, all manuscripts submitted to Al-Muhtarifin: Islamic Banking and Islamic Economic Journal must be original work and submitted exclusively to this journal. An original research article presents original empirical findings or conceptual inquiries that have not been published anywhere before. Details, particularly about research methods, description of the results, and discussions/conclusions are required to ensure that the readers (and referees) have sufficient information to comprehend and benefit from the work. The articles may not contain persuasive arguments justifying policy recommendations or act as a decision-making tool for target audiences.
To ensure an anonymous review, authors should not identify themselves directly or indirectly in the body text of their manuscript, except for the title page (see instructions in the next section).
Language
The manuscript must be written in good academic English. All spelling and vocabulary should follow Webster’s International Dictionary. Single authors should not use the word “we.” Authors for whom English is not their native language are encouraged to have their paper checked for grammar and clarity before submission.
Article length
The article should be between 3,000 and 7,000 words. The allowable length of the manuscript is at the editor’s discretion; however, manuscripts with a word count that is less than or exceeds the preferred number may be returned to the author(s) for revision before the editors consider the manuscript. The word count excludes tables, figures, references, and appendices.
Format
The manuscript should be typed in A4 (8.27" x 11.69"), 12-point Times New Roman font, and 1.5-spaced, except for indented quotations. The manuscript must be saved as a Word file. All pages, including tables, appendices, and references, should be serially numbered. Numbers from one to ten should be spelled out, except in the following cases: when used in tables and lists, or when used with mathematical, statistical, scientific, or technical units and quantities, such as distances, weights, and measures. For instance: four days; 5 kilometers; 25 years. All other numbers should be expressed numerically.
For percentages and decimal fractions, use “percent” in the text for non-technical purposes; for technical purposes, use the % symbol. Authors are encouraged to use the Al-Muhtarifin template. The journal editor has the right to change the article formatting to maintain the journal style and consistency.
Artwork
Authors must provide high-quality artwork for all illustrations; each artwork object should have a density of at least 300 PPI (pixels per inch). Poor resolution or definition is not acceptable. All tables and figures (graphs) should be included directly in the appropriate part of the article (not separated). Each table or figure should be numbered separately (Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2) and fully titled, referring to its contents. Authors must state the actual source of each table and figure, placed underneath the object.
Equations
Equations should be numbered consecutively in parentheses, aligned to the right margin, and may use either the same font (Calibri) or the formula font. Example: Y = α + βX + ε (1)
Questionnaires and experimental instruments
Manuscripts reporting on field surveys or experiments should include questionnaires, cases, interview plans, or other instruments used in the study as appendices.
B. Manuscript Structure
Title. The title is the first part that will be read, and it might be the only part that is read. Therefore, it should be concise, informative, and identify the main issue of the paper to attract the reader. It should be written in sentence case, fewer than 16 words, and avoid abbreviations unless they are well known to the target audience.
Author’s name and affiliations. Provide the full name of each author and the affiliation of each author at the time the research was completed, followed by the city, zip code, and country of the institution. Where more than one author has contributed to the article, provide detailed information on the corresponding author.
Abstract. Introduction/Main Objectives: Describe the topic your paper examines. Provide background to your paper and explain why the topic is interesting. Avoid unnecessary content. Background Problems: State the problem or economic/business phenomenon studied in this paper and specify the research question(s) in one sentence. Novelty: Summarize the novelty of this paper and briefly explain why no one else has adequately researched the question yet. Research Methods: Provide an outline of the research method(s) and data used in this paper, explaining how you conducted the research. Again, avoid unnecessary content and do not make speculations. Findings/Results: List the empirical finding(s) and write a discussion in one or two sentences. Conclusion: Provide the conclusion(s) and implication(s) of your research. What conclusions did you reach, what are the implications, and what is the main take-home message?
Keywords. Keywords are an essential part of abstract writing. Authors should select a maximum of five keywords that are specific and reflect what is essential about the article. Keywords and the article classification should be provided right after the abstract. These keywords will be used by indexers and search engines to find relevant articles.
Introduction. What is the purpose of the study? Why are you conducting the study? The main section of the article should start with an introduction that provides more details about the paper’s purpose, motivation, research methods, and findings. The introduction should be relatively non-technical, yet clear enough for an informed reader to understand the manuscript’s contribution.
The introduction demonstrates the motives of the research. It analyzes the empirical, theoretical, and methodological issues to contribute to the existing literature, and it links with the following parts, most notably the literature review.
Explaining the problem’s formulation should cover the following points: (1) problem recognition and its significance; (2) clear identification of the problem and the appropriate research questions; (3) coverage of the problem’s complexity; and (4) clear objectives.
Literature review. The second part, “Literature Review,” investigates the gap that will be exposed and solved. The flow of ideas should be clear, linked, well-crafted, and well developed. It serves as the source of the research question and the basis for the hypotheses that respond to the research objective. Authors are advised to use current and primary sources from trusted international references (top-tier journals).
Method, data, and analysis. The third part, “Method, Data, and Analysis,” describes the nature of the data. The method should be well elaborated, including the model, the analysis approach, and the steps taken. Equations should be numbered as illustrated above. This section typically has the following sub-sections: sampling (a description of the target population, research context, and units of analysis; the sampling itself; and the respondents’ profiles); data collection; and measures (or measurements).
The research methodology should cover the following points: (1) a concise explanation of the research methodology; (2) reasons for choosing particular methods; (3) an accurate research design; (4) an appropriate sample design; (5) proper data collection processes; and (6) relevant, state-of-the-art data analysis methods.
Result and discussion. The author needs to report the results in sufficient detail so that the reader can see which statistical analysis was conducted and why, and later justify the conclusions.
Conclusion. In this section, the author presents brief conclusions from the results with suggestions for advanced researchers or general readers. A conclusion may cover the main points of the paper, but should not replicate the abstract. Authors should explain the empirical and theoretical benefits, the economic benefits, and the existence of new findings.
The author may present any significant flaws and limitations of the study that could reduce the validity of the work and raise questions from readers, explaining whether and in what way the limitations may have affected the results and conclusions. Limitations require critical judgment and interpretation of their impact on the research. The author should answer whether the problem is caused by an error, by the selected method, by validity, or by something else.
Acknowledgment (if any). Author(s) may acknowledge a person or organization that helped in many ways. Please use the singular heading even if there are many acknowledgments.
Reference. In this section, the author(s) must list all reference documents cited in the text. The citation and reference list should follow the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style (6th edition), or follow the format of the sample references and citations provided in the citation guidelines.
