Author Guidelines

Manuscripts submitted to Journal of Islamic Pedagogy and Character Formation must be written in English, prepared with the official article template, and follow the guidelines below. Manuscripts that do not conform may be returned to the author before entering peer review.

1. Manuscript Structure

Original research articles are organized in the following order. Main section headings are written in capital letters.

  1. Title, authors and affiliations, corresponding author, article info
  2. Abstract and keywords
  3. Introduction
  4. Research Method
  5. Results and Discussion
  6. Conclusion
  7. Declaration of AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process (see the Generative AI Policy and the Generative AI Declaration)
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. Author Contributions
  10. Funding Statement
  11. Ethical Approval Statement
  12. Data Availability Statement
  13. Declaration of Competing Interest
  14. References

2. Title, Authors, and Article Info

Element Requirement
Title Brief and clear, written in Times New Roman 14-point, bold, with a maximum of 14–20 words.
Authors Names listed together and separated by commas (Author1, Author2, and Author3). Each author is keyed with a superscript number to an affiliation line in the form: Institution/Campus, Country.
Corresponding author Give the full name, department, faculty and institution, address, and email address.
Article info Received, Revised, Accepted, and Online Version dates. These are completed by the editorial office.
License and citation The template carries the copyright notice (CC BY-SA 4.0), the journal homepage, the “How to cite” line, and the publisher. Editors complete these fields upon acceptance.

3. Abstract and Keywords

Element Requirement
Abstract Written in English, Times New Roman 10-point, single line spacing. Contains 150–200 words in one paragraph only.
Content States the main points of the research: objectives, methods, results, novelty, and implications. It should show how the research contributes to the development of knowledge in Islamic pedagogy and character formation.
Keywords 3–5 words or phrases separated by commas (Word 1, Word 2, and so on), Times New Roman 10-point.

4. Main Text

The main text is written in Times New Roman 12-point, upright, with single line spacing. Each paragraph begins with an indent of about 1.2 cm (5–6 characters) from the left edge of the column.

4.1 Introduction

Contains the background, rationale, and urgency of the research. Relevant literature is cited here to justify the urgency, the emergence of the research problem, alternative solutions, and the solution chosen. Sources are cited in the text with the author’s surname and year of publication, for example: “… research results show that more than 70% of students are unable to recognize authentic problems (Mudinillah, 2024).” The problem, objectives, and usefulness of the research are written narratively in paragraphs without special subtitles. Operational definitions, if needed, are also written narratively.

4.2 Research Method

Contains the type of research, time and place, targets or subjects, procedures, instruments, data collection, and data analysis techniques. These components can be written as sub-headings, written in lowercase with initial capitals, Times New Roman 12-point, bold, and left aligned. Sub-sub-headings are not numbered. The sub-headings may differ according to the research approach. Sequential procedures or steps may be numbered or lettered.

Research Design

The research approach and design. For experimental research, state the experimental design used.

Time and Place of Research

Required for qualitative research and also needed for quantitative research.

Research Target/Subject

Subjects and how they were obtained (qualitative), or population, sample, and sampling technique (quantitative).

Research Procedure

How the research was carried out and how the data were obtained, according to the type of research.

Instruments and Data Collection Techniques

Types of data, instruments, and techniques for collecting them.

Data Analysis Technique

How the data are interpreted in relation to the problems and objectives of the research.

4.3 Results and Discussion

Results are presented as graphs, tables, or descriptive text. Analysis and interpretation of the results are provided before they are discussed. The discussion connects the data and analysis results with the research problem or objectives and with the wider theoretical context, explains why these facts were found in the data, and conveys the novelty and implications of the research. The discussion is attached to the data discussed and is not separated from it.

Tables

Placed in the middle or at the end of the description of the results. A table that does not fit in half a page may use a full page. The title is placed above the table, aligned left, with every word capitalized except conjunctions, and in single spacing (at least 12 pt). Example: “Table 1. Title of Table”.

Figures

Images, schemes, graphs, and diagrams follow the same rules, but the title is placed below the figure, aligned left, with a spacing of one line (at least 12 pt) from the image. Titles of more than one line are single spaced. Example: “Figure 1. Title of Figure”.

4.4 Conclusion

Conclusions may be generalized findings that answer the research problems, and may also include recommendations for the next step.

4.5 Arabic Terms and Religious Texts

  • Arabic terms are transliterated consistently (for example, adab, akhlāq, tazkiyah, ta’dīb) and glossed in English on first use.
  • Qur’anic verses are cited with the surah name and verse number (for example, Q.S. al-Baqarah [2]: 31), and hadith with the collection and number.

5. Declarations and Back Matter

Declaration of AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

Use the statement: “During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication.”

Acknowledgments

Acknowledge individuals or institutions that contributed but do not meet the authorship criteria, such as technical assistance, data collection, language editing, or administrative support. Obtain their permission before naming them. Report funding in the Funding Statement, not here. Do not name the reviewers of the manuscript. If there is no one to acknowledge, state “Not applicable.”

Author Contributions

State each author’s specific contribution using contributor roles, for example: “Author 1: Conceptualization; Project administration; Validation; Writing - review and editing. Author 2: Conceptualization; Data curation; Investigation. Author 3: Formal analysis; Methodology; Writing - original draft.”

Funding Statement

State the full name of each funding source and the grant number(s), and any role the funder had in the study design, data collection, analysis, or the decision to publish. If there was no external funding, state “This research received no external funding.”

Ethical Approval Statement

State the name of the ethics committee or institutional review board, the approval number, and the date of approval, or state “Not applicable.”

Data Availability Statement

State where the supporting data can be accessed (repository name and DOI/URL), that data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, or the reason the data cannot be shared (for example, ethical or confidentiality restrictions).

Declaration of Competing Interest

Use the statement: “The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.”

6. References

Minimum reference requirement. Each manuscript must include at least 35 references. The majority should be drawn from internationally reputable, peer-reviewed journals published within the last three (3) years, so that the manuscript engages with the most current state of research in the field.

  • All citations in the text must appear in the reference list, and vice versa.
  • The references should only include articles that are published or accepted.
  • Datasets deposited in an online repository should be included in the reference list, with the version and unique identifier when available.
  • Personal communications should be documented by a letter of permission.
  • In-text citations use the surname of the first author followed by the year. For two authors, include both surnames. For more than two authors, use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.” and the year.
  • Use a reference manager (Zotero) and the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition format. Where possible, provide the retrieval link or DOI for each reference.

a. Textbook
Surname, A. A., & Surname, B. B. (Year). Title of the book in sentence case (edition). Publisher.

b. Thesis or dissertation
Surname, A. A. (Year). Title of the thesis [Doctoral dissertation or Master’s thesis, Name of University]. Repository or database name. URL

c. Journal article
Surname, A. A., Surname, B. B., & Surname, C. C. (Year). Title of the article in sentence case. Title of the Journal in Title Case, volume(issue), first page–last page. https://doi.org/xxxxxxxx

d. Conference proceedings
Surname, A. A., Surname, B. B., & Surname, C. C. (Year). Title of the paper. Title of the Proceedings, volume, article number or pages. https://doi.org/xxxxxxxx

7. Submission Checklist

Front Matter

Title of 14–20 words; authors and affiliations; corresponding author details; abstract of 150–200 words in one paragraph; 3–5 keywords.

Main Text

Introduction, Research Method, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion in the required order; tables and figures titled as specified.

Declarations

AI declaration, acknowledgments, author contributions, funding, ethical approval, data availability, and competing interest statements completed.

References

At least 35 references in APA 7th Edition, mostly from peer-reviewed journals of the last three years; every citation matched.