PEER REVIEW POLICIES

SUKUK: International Journal of Banking, Finance, Management and Business is committed to maintaining academic integrity, editorial independence, and transparency through a accurate international double-blind peer-review process. All submitted manuscripts must comply with the journal's aims and scope, author guidelines, publication ethics, and scholarly standards. Manuscripts are evaluated based on originality, scientific contribution, methodological consistency, theoretical relevance, analytical quality, and significance to the fields of banking, finance, management, and business.

All manuscripts proceeding to external peer review are evaluated by at least two independent expert reviewers with appropriate academic qualifications and subject-specific expertise. Under the double-blind review system, authors' identities are concealed from reviewers, and reviewers' identities are concealed from authors. All participants are required to maintain confidentiality and disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

Initial Screening and Plagiarism Assessment

Following submission through Open Journal Systems (OJS), manuscripts undergo preliminary administrative screening coordinated by the Managing Editors. This assessment includes manuscript completeness, compliance with submission requirements, formatting, relevance to the journal's aims and scope, and adherence to publication ethics.

Authors are expected to ensure the originality of their manuscripts and conduct similarity checks before submission. The use of Turnitin or comparable plagiarism-detection software is recommended. The editorial team also conducts similarity screening using Turnitin to identify potential plagiarism or inappropriate textual overlap.

Similarity reports are evaluated in context rather than treated as automatic evidence of plagiarism. Manuscripts that fail to satisfy basic editorial or ethical requirements may be returned for correction or rejected before external peer review.

Editorial Assessment and Reviewer Assignment

Manuscripts that satisfy the initial screening requirements are forwarded to the Editor-in-Chief for preliminary scholarly assessment. The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the manuscript's relevance, originality, research contribution, methodological suitability, and compliance with the journal's editorial standards.

Manuscripts considered unsuitable for publication may be rejected at this stage without external review. Manuscripts deemed appropriate proceed to double-blind peer review.

The Editor-in-Chief may assign an appropriate Editorial Board member to assist with manuscript handling, reviewer identification, and evaluation of review reports. Where assigned, the member performs the function of a Handling Editor within the existing editorial structure rather than occupying a separate permanent editorial rank.

Reviewer selection is based on subject expertise, academic qualifications, independence, availability, and the absence of conflicts of interest. The Managing Editors coordinate reviewer invitations, manuscript correspondence, and review monitoring through the journal's editorial management system.

Double-Blind Peer Review

Every manuscript proceeding to external review is assessed by at least two qualified independent reviewers. Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations that contribute to improving the manuscript's scholarly quality.

Reviewers assess the originality and significance of the research, theoretical framework, appropriateness of methodology, reliability of findings, quality of analysis, clarity of arguments, relevance of references, and contribution to the journal's disciplinary scope.

Reviewers provide confidential reports and recommendations concerning the manuscript's suitability for publication, including acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection. Reviewers' recommendations are advisory and do not independently determine the final editorial outcome.

Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents, refrain from using unpublished material for personal advantage, and disclose any relationships or circumstances that may compromise their impartiality.

Editorial Decisions and Manuscript Revisions

Following completion of peer review, the Editor-in-Chief considers the reviewers' reports, the manuscript's scholarly contribution, and any recommendations from the designated Handling Editor.

Editorial decisions may include:

  1. Accept: The manuscript meets the journal's academic and publication requirements and is approved for production.
  2. Minor Revision: The manuscript requires limited corrections, clarification, or improvement before final consideration.
  3. Major Revision: The manuscript requires substantial revision involving its theoretical foundation, methodology, analysis, presentation, or interpretation of findings.
  4. Reject: The manuscript does not adequately satisfy the journal's scholarly or editorial requirements.

Authors receiving revision requests are expected to submit a revised manuscript addressing the reviewers' and editors' comments. Revised manuscripts undergo further editorial assessment and may be returned to the original reviewers or additional independent reviewers when further evaluation is necessary.

A request for revision does not guarantee acceptance. The Editor-in-Chief retains final responsibility for acceptance or rejection decisions, based on reviewer reports and editorial assessment.

Editorial Responsibilities and Oversight

The journal's editorial responsibilities are organized as follows:

  • Editor-in-Chief: Holds overall responsibility for editorial standards, scholarly assessment, reviewer oversight, final manuscript decisions, and publication scheduling.
  • Managing Editors: Coordinate manuscript submissions, administrative screening, reviewer correspondence, revision tracking, and communication between authors, reviewers, and the editorial team.
  • Editorial Board: Provides disciplinary expertise and scholarly guidance. Members designated to handle individual manuscripts may assist with reviewer selection, evaluation of review reports, and editorial recommendations.
  • Independent Reviewers: Conduct double-blind scholarly assessments and provide objective recommendations concerning manuscript quality and suitability for publication.

Editorial Board members acting as Handling Editors provide manuscript-specific scholarly assessments, while final editorial authority remains with the Editor-in-Chief.

All editorial responsibilities must be undertaken in accordance with the journal's conflict-of-interest, confidentiality, fairness, and publication ethics policies.

Peer Review Timeline

SUKUK aims to communicate an editorial decision within four (4) months from the date of manuscript submission, subject to reviewer availability, the complexity of the manuscript, and the time required for independent scholarly evaluation.

Where substantial revisions or additional review rounds are necessary, the overall assessment process may extend beyond this period. Authors will be informed of significant developments or requests for additional information through the journal's editorial management system.

The review timeline does not guarantee manuscript acceptance or publication within four months.

Acceptance, Publication, and Confidentiality

Following acceptance, manuscripts proceed to copyediting, language editing, formatting, typesetting, and proofreading before official online publication. Authors may be requested to review publication proofs to verify the accuracy of their final manuscripts.

The Editor-in-Chief oversees the allocation and sequence of accepted articles for publication, considering acceptance dates, thematic relevance, geographical diversity of scholarly contributions, and the journal's publication schedule.

All submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and unpublished research materials are treated confidentially throughout the editorial process. Editorial decisions are based on academic merit, independent scholarly evaluation, and compliance with the journal's publication standards.

SUKUK is committed to ensuring that every manuscript receives fair, impartial, and confidential consideration, regardless of the authors' institutional affiliations, nationality, geographical location, or academic background.