Author Guidelines

MILLATI: Journal of Islamic Studies and Humanities welcomes original scholarly manuscripts that contribute to the advancement of Islamic studies and the humanities. Authors are expected to submit academically rigorous, clearly structured, and methodologically sound work that demonstrates an original contribution to existing scholarship. Before submitting a manuscript, authors should carefully review the journal's Aims and Scope and ensure that their work complies with the following guidelines.

1. General Requirements

MILLATI accepts original research articles and in-depth scholarly studies relevant to its disciplinary orientation.

Submitted manuscripts must:

  • Present original research findings or a substantial scholarly contribution.
  • Demonstrate a clearly defined research problem, question, or argument.
  • Engage critically with relevant scholarly literature.
  • Apply appropriate and transparent research methods.
  • Explain the significance of the findings for broader academic discussions.
  • Be written in clear, coherent, and academically appropriate language.
  • Not have been previously published or be under consideration by another journal, except where prior dissemination has been disclosed and accepted by the editors.

Manuscripts that fall outside the journal's Aims and Scope or do not meet its basic scholarly and technical requirements may be returned to authors for revision or declined during initial editorial screening.

2. Manuscript Preparation and Formatting

Authors should prepare their manuscripts according to the following specifications:

Manuscript length: 6,000–9,000 words (including the bibliography)
Font and size: Garamond 12 pt
Line spacing 1.5
Abstract length: 150–250 words
Keywords: 3–5 keywords or phrases

Manuscripts should use clearly differentiated section headings and coherent narrative paragraphs. Numbered section headings should be avoided. The text should be carefully proofread before submission. Authors are responsible for the accuracy, clarity, consistency, and completeness of their manuscripts. 

Authors are advised to consult the MILLATI Manuscript Template for detailed guidance on manuscript formatting, layout, and presentation.

3. Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts should generally contain the following components.

3.1. Title
The article title should be concise, informative, and no longer than 20 words, accurately reflecting the central research problem, subject matter, or scholarly contribution. Authors may use a subtitle where necessary to clarify the research context or analytical focus, provided that the complete title does not exceed the prescribed word limit. Titles should avoid unnecessary words, ambiguous terminology, unexplained abbreviations, and overly broad or promotional expressions.

3.2. Author Information
Authors must provide accurate information about their identities and institutional affiliations through the OJS submission system.
The required information includes:

  • Full names of all contributing authors, without academic titles.
  • Institutional affiliations, including university or research institution and country.
  • Valid email addresses and identification of the corresponding author.
  • ORCID identifiers, where available.

Author information should be consistent between the submission metadata and the manuscript's author-information file, where applicable. To support the journal's double-blind peer review process, authors may be required to provide an anonymized manuscript version without identifying information.

3.3. Abstract and Keywords
Manuscripts should include abstracts in English and Indonesian, accompanied by appropriate keywords. Each abstract should provide a concise and self-contained account of the research, including:

  • The principal research problem or objective.
  • The methodological or analytical approach.
  • The main findings or argument.
  • The significance of the scholarly contribution.

Each abstract should be written in a single paragraph of 150–250 words, without citations, unnecessary abbreviations, or information not discussed in the manuscript.

Authors must provide three to five keywords or keyword phrases in each language, separated by semicolons (;) and arranged in alphabetical order. Keywords should accurately represent the article's central concepts, employ established disciplinary terminology where appropriate, and facilitate scholarly indexing and discovery. Overly general terms and unnecessary repetition should be avoided. English and Indonesian keywords should represent equivalent scholarly concepts, with each language's keywords arranged alphabetically according to its own terminology.

3.4. Introduction
The Introduction should establish the scholarly context of the research and demonstrate why the study is necessary. It should:

  • Introduce the research problem and its academic significance.
  • Critically discuss relevant previous scholarship.
  • Identify limitations, unresolved questions, or gaps in existing literature.
  • Explain the article's originality and expected contribution.
  • State the research objectives, questions, or central argument.

The Introduction should move beyond a descriptive overview of previous studies and establish a clear intellectual rationale for the research.

3.5. Methods
The Methods section should clearly explain how the research was conducted, identify the research design and analytical approach, and justify the appropriateness of the methods employed in addressing the research question. Depending on the research question, relevant approaches may include historical research, textual analysis, hermeneutics, manuscript studies, ethnography, qualitative inquiry, comparative analysis, or other methods appropriate to Islamic studies and the humanities.

For textual and historical scholarship, authors should clarify how primary sources are identified, contextualized, and interpreted. For empirical studies, authors should explain data collection and analysis procedures in sufficient detail to support the credibility and transparency of their findings.

3.6. Results and Discussion
The Results and Discussion section should present the study's principal findings and develop a clear scholarly interpretation. Authors should:

  • Organize their findings logically in relation to the research objectives.
  • Support arguments with relevant data, textual evidence, historical sources, or other appropriate materials.
  • Explain the significance of the findings rather than merely describing them.
  • Critically engage with relevant theoretical perspectives and previous scholarship.
  • Identify points of agreement, disagreement, or advancement in relation to existing research.
  • Demonstrate how the findings contribute to wider scholarly debates.

Authors may organize the Results and Discussion section into subsections, where appropriate, to present distinct findings, analytical themes, or dimensions of the research problem. Subsection headings should be concise, informative, and reflect the specific focus of the analysis. Subsections should follow a logical progression and contribute to a coherent overall argument, rather than fragmenting the discussion into disconnected descriptions.

Results and Discussion may be presented in a combined section when appropriate to the research design. Authors are encouraged to move beyond purely descriptive accounts and demonstrate the analytical and theoretical significance of their work.

3.7. Conclusion
The Conclusion should directly address the principal research problem, objectives, or argument presented in the Introduction. It should synthesize the major findings, explain the study's contribution to knowledge, and identify relevant theoretical, methodological, or practical implications. Where appropriate, authors may discuss the study's limitations and propose directions for future research.

4. Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

Tables, figures, images, and other visual materials should be included only when they make a meaningful contribution to the research. Authors should ensure that:

  • Each table and figure is numbered sequentially and referred to in the text.
  • Table titles appear above the relevant tables.
  • Figure captions appear below the relevant figures.
  • Tables use a clear and simple layout, preferably without unnecessary vertical borders.
  • Visual materials are legible and of sufficient quality for publication.
  • Sources and permissions are provided for reproduced materials where required.

Illustrations should be placed close to the relevant discussion and presented in a format suitable for editorial processing and publication.

5. Data Availability Statement

All submitted manuscripts must include a Data Availability Statement immediately before the References section. The statement must accurately explain how supporting research data or materials can be accessed, identify any applicable restrictions, or state that no new empirical dataset was generated, where appropriate.
Authors should provide repository links or persistent identifiers for publicly available materials and explain any restrictions on access. For research involving interviews, oral histories, confidential information, restricted archival sources, or culturally sensitive materials, authors must ensure that their statements and any proposed sharing arrangements comply with applicable ethical, legal, institutional, and confidentiality requirements. The description of supporting evidence and research methods must be appropriate to the study's methodology and sufficient to enable critical assessment of the findings. For detailed requirements, please consult MILLATI's Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy.

6. References and Citation Practices

Authors must provide accurate, complete, and relevant references supporting the arguments and findings presented in their manuscripts. MILLATI requires a minimum of 40 references, of which at least 40% must be scholarly journal articles. At least 40% of those journal articles must have been published within the five years preceding manuscript submission. Authors should:

  • Prioritize relevant primary sources and substantive academic scholarship.
  • Engage with important international and regional literature where appropriate.
  • Incorporate recent scholarly journal articles relevant to the research problem while maintaining appropriate engagement with foundational scholarship and primary sources.
  • Ensure that all cited sources appear in the reference list and that all listed sources are cited in the manuscript.
  • Arrange the reference list alphabetically by author.
  • Verify author names, publication years, titles, publication details, page numbers, and DOIs.
  • Apply a consistent citation and bibliographic format in accordance with the journal's requirements.
  • Avoid unnecessary self-citation, excessive citation of a single publication, and irrelevant references.

References should be selected for their scholarly relevance and contribution to the research rather than solely to satisfy numerical requirements.

7. Citation and Bibliographic Style

MILLATI adopts the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition (Notes and Bibliography System) as its standard citation and referencing format. Authors must use numbered footnotes for source citations and provide a complete bibliography arranged alphabetically by the authors' surnames. Footnotes and bibliographic entries must follow Chicago style consistently, including the appropriate presentation of author names, publication details, page numbers, and Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), where available. Authors should consult the Chicago Manual of Style: Notes and Bibliography Citation Guide when preparing their manuscripts.

8. Reference Management Software

Authors are required to use reference management software, such as Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote, to manage citations and generate reference lists. Manuscripts that do not comply with the mandatory reference management requirement will be returned to authors for technical correction without proceeding to peer review. Authors may resubmit their manuscripts once the required corrections have been completed.

9. Reference Formatting Examples

Book

Surname, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Publisher, Year.

Scholarly Journal Article

Surname, First Name, and First Name Surname. “Title of Article.” Journal Title volume, no. issue (Year): page range. DOI URL.

Chapter in an Edited Book

Surname, First Name. “Title of Chapter.” In Title of Edited Book, edited by First Name Surname, page range. Publisher, Year.

Classical Islamic Text or Scholarly Edition

[Provide the author's established name, identifiable title of the work, editor or translator where applicable, publication information, and the details of the particular edition consulted. Format the entry according to the relevant Chicago conventions.]

Footnote Examples

First citation of a book:

  1. First Name Surname, Title of Book (Publisher, Year), 45–47.

Subsequent citation of the same book:

  1. Surname, Shortened Book Title, 52.

First citation of a journal article:

  1. First Name Surname, “Title of Article,” Journal Title volume, no. issue (Year): specific page, DOI URL.

10. Arabic Transliteration and Non-Latin Sources

Arabic terms, titles, and expressions should be transliterated consistently according to the Library of Congress Arabic Romanization Guidelines, except for widely established terms and conventional spellings explicitly recognized by the journal.

Familiar Arabic-derived terms commonly used in Islamic studies, such as al-Qur'an, tafsir, hadith, maqashid, and wasathiyah, may be written without full transliteration diacritics. Authors must use their chosen or journal-approved forms consistently throughout the manuscript. Less familiar Arabic technical terms and titles of classical works should follow the prescribed romanization system. Non-English words and expressions that are not established in English-language academic usage should generally be italicized when introduced, whereas established loanwords, personal names, geographical names, and institutional names should not be italicized solely because of their linguistic origin.

Arabic personal names and geographical names are exempt from formal scholarly transliteration and the use of diacritical marks. Authors should use widely recognized English spellings, such as Muhammad, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Khaldun, Mecca, Medina, Baghdad, and Cairo. Where no established English spelling exists, authors should adopt a clear and consistent romanized form without diacritical marks. Titles of books, manuscripts, and other standalone works should be italicized in accordance with the journal's citation style. Bibliographic entries should retain sufficient accuracy to identify the specific editions and sources cited. Where necessary, non-Latin scripts may be included to preserve textual accuracy or support scholarly interpretation.

11. Research Integrity and Ethical Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for maintaining the integrity and originality of their scholarly work. By submitting a manuscript, authors are expected to:

  • Ensure that the manuscript represents original scholarly work.
  • Acknowledge all sources and avoid plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification.
  • Disclose any previous dissemination or substantial overlap with other publications.
  • Ensure that all listed authors have made appropriate scholarly contributions and approved the submission.
  • Disclose relevant funding sources and potential conflicts of interest.
  • Obtain necessary permissions for copyrighted materials.
  • Observe applicable research ethics requirements, including relevant approval and participant-consent requirements for empirical research.
  • Cooperate with legitimate editorial requests for clarification, correction, or supporting information.

Additional procedures relating to research misconduct, corrections, retractions, and editorial responsibilities should be consulted in the journal's Publication Ethics policy.

12. Submission Procedure

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically through MILLATI's official OJS submission platform. Authors should:

  1. Register or log in to their OJS account.
  2. Begin a new submission and select the appropriate journal section.
  3. Complete the Submission Preparation Checklist.
  4. Upload the manuscript and any additional files requested by the editorial office.
  5. Enter accurate manuscript metadata, including the title, abstract, keywords, and complete author information.
  6. Review the submission details and confirm the submission.
  7. Monitor the manuscript's editorial status through their OJS account and respond to requests from the editorial office.

Manuscripts should preferably be prepared in Microsoft Word format (.docx). Other file formats supported by the journal's OJS submission configuration may also be accepted. Submissions that do not comply with the journal's requirements may be returned for technical revisions before editorial assessment.

13. Editorial Screening and Peer Review

Submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine their relevance to the journal's Aims and Scope and their compliance with basic scholarly and technical requirements. Manuscripts considered suitable for further evaluation proceed through the journal's double-blind peer review process. Authors may be requested to revise their manuscripts in response to reviewers' comments and editorial recommendations. A request for revision does not guarantee acceptance. Final publication decisions are made through the journal's established editorial procedures. Detailed information on evaluation criteria and review procedures is provided in the journal's Peer Review Process policy.

14. Publication Fees and Author Inquiries

Authors should review the journal's current publication-fee information before submitting a manuscript. Any applicable fees, payment conditions, and waiver arrangements should be communicated transparently through the journal's official website.

For questions concerning manuscript preparation, technical difficulties, or submission procedures, authors may contact MILLATI through the official Contact page.