Policy Statement

Al-Tafaqquh: Journal of Islamic Law is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, reliability, and transparency of the scholarly record.

This policy regulates the correction and retraction of published articles and the withdrawal of manuscripts submitted for publication. It is informed by the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applicable academic integrity standards.

The purpose of retraction is to correct the scholarly literature and inform readers about unreliable findings or serious publication integrity concerns, rather than to punish authors.

PART I. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY VIOLATIONS

The following practices constitute potential violations of scholarly publishing ethics and may lead to editorial investigation.

1. Fabrication

Inventing research data, interview responses, judicial records, legal documents, empirical findings, or other evidence and presenting them as authentic research materials.

2. Falsification

Manipulating research findings, legal sources, documents, data, quotations, or analytical results in a manner that misrepresents the research conducted.

3. Plagiarism

Presenting another person's words, ideas, research findings, legal interpretations, or intellectual contributions as original work without appropriate attribution.

Suspected plagiarism shall be evaluated through editorial assessment and relevant similarity-checking procedures. Similarity reports must be interpreted contextually and should not serve as the sole basis for determining misconduct.

4. Authorship Misconduct

Misrepresenting authorship contributions, including gift authorship, ghost authorship, unauthorized changes in authorship, or excluding individuals who made substantial scholarly contributions.

5. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

Failure to disclose financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that could reasonably influence the research, editorial evaluation, or publication decision.

6. Duplicate Submission and Publication

Submitting substantially the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously or republishing previous research without proper disclosure, acknowledgment, or legitimate justification.

7. Research Ethics Violations

Conducting research involving human participants, interviews, confidential information, or sensitive legal matters without complying with applicable ethical requirements, including informed consent and ethical approval where required.

8. Other Publication Misconduct

Other violations may include manipulated peer review, copyright infringement, fabricated citations, undisclosed inappropriate use of artificial intelligence, or deliberate misrepresentation of Islamic legal sources and judicial authorities.

PART II. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS ON PUBLISHED ARTICLES

Depending on the nature and seriousness of a publication integrity concern, the editorial board may undertake one of the following corrective actions.

Retracted articles should generally remain accessible as part of the scholarly record, clearly marked as RETRACTED, with the retraction notice appropriately linked to the article and its metadata.

Complete removal of published content should be considered only in exceptional circumstances involving overriding legal, privacy, or safety concerns.

PART III. RETRACTION PROCEDURE

Stage	Procedure
1. Reporting	Concerns may be submitted by authors, reviewers, readers, editors, or relevant institutions.
2. Preliminary Assessment	The editorial team evaluates the nature and credibility of the allegations.
3. Investigation	Relevant evidence and explanations may be requested from authors and other involved parties.
4. Author Response	Authors are given a reasonable opportunity to respond to identified concerns.
5. Editorial Decision	The Editor-in-Chief or designated impartial editor determines the appropriate action.
6. Public Notice	A correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction notice is published where warranted.

PART IV. WITHDRAWAL OF SUBMITTED MANUSCRIPTS

Manuscript withdrawal is the formal termination of the editorial consideration of a manuscript before publication.

Authors who wish to withdraw a manuscript must submit a written request explaining the reasons for withdrawal. Requests should be made by the corresponding author with the knowledge and consent of all co-authors.

1. Withdrawal During Initial Screening

Authors may request withdrawal during initial editorial screening by providing a formal written explanation to the editorial office.

2. Withdrawal During Peer Review

Withdrawal requests during peer review must provide reasonable justification, taking into account the time and scholarly efforts already contributed by reviewers and editors.

3. Withdrawal After Acceptance

Withdrawal after formal acceptance is strongly discouraged because substantial editorial and peer review resources may already have been committed.

Such requests shall be examined individually, taking into account the circumstances and available documentation.

4. Requests After Publication

Once an article has been formally published, concerns regarding its reliability or integrity must be handled through the appropriate correction or retraction procedure rather than ordinary manuscript withdrawal.

PART V. UNETHICAL WITHDRAWAL PRACTICES

The journal discourages withdrawal practices that undermine responsible scholarly publication, including:

• Submitting the manuscript to another journal before formal withdrawal is confirmed.
• Requesting withdrawal to conceal plagiarism or other publication misconduct.
• Misrepresenting the reasons for withdrawal.
• Submitting a withdrawal request without informing or obtaining the agreement of relevant co-authors.
• Withdrawing after acceptance without a reasonable explanation.

Any allegation of misconduct shall be evaluated fairly and proportionately in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policy.

PART VI. HOW TO SUBMIT A WITHDRAWAL REQUEST

The corresponding author must submit a formal request through the journal's official editorial contact channel.

The request should include:

1. Manuscript title.
2. Submission identification number, if available.
3. Names of all authors.
4. A clear explanation of the reason for withdrawal.
5. Confirmation that all co-authors have been informed and agree to the withdrawal request.

The editorial team will evaluate the request and communicate the outcome to the corresponding author.

PART VII. EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE AND APPEALS

Editorial decisions concerning corrections, retractions, and withdrawals must be based on academic integrity, relevant evidence, procedural fairness, and editorial independence.

Authors may submit a reasoned appeal accompanied by supporting information. Appeals should be reviewed impartially and without participation by editors who have relevant conflicts of interest.

PART VIII. ETHICAL GUIDELINES

This policy is informed by internationally recognized publication ethics guidance, including:

• COPE Retraction Guidelines
• Committee on Publication Ethics