Editorial Policies

Publication Frequency

BELGI: Journal of Islamic Business and Decision Sciences is published biannually (twice a year, in January and July). Special issues may be considered for emerging topics within the journal’s scope, subject to editorial approval and the journal’s publication standards.

Article Selection Criteria

All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening to assess their relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, originality, scholarly contribution, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and adherence to the Author Guidelines.

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening may be sent for double-anonymous peer review by independent reviewers with relevant expertise. Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript’s academic quality, the reviewers’ assessments, and the editor’s independent judgment. Submission does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

Language Policy

The journal accepts manuscripts written in American English. Authors are responsible for ensuring clarity, grammatical accuracy, and appropriate academic expression. Manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s language and presentation standards may be returned for revision before peer review or further editorial consideration.

Conflict of Interest Policy

Authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals involved in editorial decisions must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could improperly influence research, peer review, editorial decisions, or publication.

Conflicts may arise from financial interests, employment, institutional affiliations, personal relationships, professional collaborations, competing academic interests, or other circumstances that could affect impartial judgment.

Authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest in their manuscript or through the journal’s submission process. If no conflicts exist, authors should explicitly state: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

Reviewers must inform the editor of any conflict that may compromise their impartiality and decline the review when appropriate. Editors must not handle manuscripts when a conflict could affect their independent judgment. Such manuscripts should be reassigned to an appropriate editor without the relevant conflict.

If a conflict is identified after publication, the journal will assess the circumstances and determine whether a correction, disclosure, expression of concern, or other editorial action is necessary.

Digital Archiving and Preservation Policy

BELGI: Journal of Islamic Business and Decision Sciences participates in the Public Knowledge Project Preservation Network (PKP PN) to support the long-term preservation of its published scholarly content.

The journal uses the PKP PN plugin in Open Journal Systems (OJS) to submit published issues for digital preservation. Deposit processing is monitored through the plugin’s status interface.

The journal maintains its online publication records and DOI metadata and recommends that website and database backups be maintained separately. PKP PN preservation complements, but does not replace, routine website backups.

Authors may deposit their articles in institutional or disciplinary repositories in accordance with the applicable copyright and licensing terms, provided that the published work is appropriately acknowledged and linked to its DOI where available.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

BELGI is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. When a potential error, ethical concern, or instance of research or publication misconduct is identified in a published article, the journal will assess the matter in accordance with applicable publication ethics principles and relevant Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance.

6.1 Reporting a Concern

Authors, readers, reviewers, editors, or other concerned parties may report suspected errors or publication misconduct to the editorial office. Reports should provide sufficient information or supporting evidence to allow the journal to assess the concern.

The journal will acknowledge and assess reports as appropriate. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent reasonably possible while the matter is being examined.

6.2 Initial Assessment and Investigation

The editor or an appropriately appointed editorial representative will conduct an initial assessment of the reported concern. Where necessary, the journal may request clarification, supporting documents, or a response from the authors and may consult independent experts or the relevant institution.

The journal will assess the available evidence fairly and impartially. Editorial action will be based on the nature and seriousness of the issue, the reliability of the evidence, and the implications for the accuracy or integrity of the published record.

Where allegations require institutional investigation or additional verification, the journal may defer a final decision until sufficient information becomes available. An expression of concern may be issued when readers need to be informed of a significant unresolved issue.

6.3 Corrections

A correction notice may be published when a verified error in a published article requires amendment but does not invalidate the overall findings or conclusions.

The correction notice will clearly describe the relevant error and the amendment made. Where technically possible, it will be linked to the original article, and the original article will link back to the correction notice.

Minor errors that do not affect the interpretation, accuracy, or scholarly record may be handled through an appropriate editorial procedure. Changes to the published record will not be made in a way that conceals material corrections.

6.4 Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when there is credible evidence of a potentially serious problem with a published article, but the investigation is incomplete or the available evidence is insufficient for a final decision.

The notice will explain the concern to the extent that can appropriately be disclosed and will be linked to the article. The journal may update the notice or publish a further editorial action when additional evidence becomes available.

6.5 Retractions

A published article may be retracted when reliable evidence demonstrates that its findings or conclusions are substantially unreliable, or when serious research or publication misconduct undermines the integrity of the article or the scholarly record.

A retraction may be considered in cases involving, for example, fabricated or falsified data, plagiarism, substantial redundant publication, serious methodological or analytical errors, or other significant breaches of publication ethics. Retraction decisions will be based on the evidence and the circumstances of the case, rather than on allegations alone.

A retraction notice will identify the affected article, explain the reason for retraction as clearly as appropriate, and identify the party initiating the retraction where this information can be disclosed. The notice will be linked to the original article and will be made publicly accessible.

The original article will ordinarily remain available in the journal archive to preserve the scholarly record, but it will be clearly marked as retracted. Its DOI and metadata will be retained where possible, and the retraction notice will be linked to the article.

6.6 Editorial Decisions and Appeals

Editorial decisions concerning corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions will be made by the editor or an appropriately appointed independent editorial representative, taking account of the evidence and any relevant conflicts of interest.

Authors may submit a reasoned appeal or additional evidence through the editorial office. Appeals will be considered fairly, but the journal is not obliged to reverse a decision where the evidence does not justify doing so.

All actions will be documented appropriately. BELGI aims to correct the scholarly record transparently and proportionately, in accordance with relevant publication ethics principles and applicable COPE guidance.