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Editorial Policies

Focus and Scope

Focus
Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis is an international journal that focuses on the advancement of scholarly research in the field of Hadith and its sciences (‘ulūm al-ḥadīth). It provides an academic platform for original, critical, and contextual studies on the transmission, interpretation, and application of Hadith across intellectual, religious, and cultural dimensions. Through integrative and multidisciplinary approaches, the journal aims to enrich contemporary Hadith scholarship in both national and international contexts.

Scope
The journal covers a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

  1. Hadith criticism and methodological developments in ‘ulūm al-ḥadīth;
  2. The role of Hadith in Islamic law, theology, Qur’anic interpretation, and Islamic tradition (living hadith);
  3. Hadith manuscripts, philological studies, and textual criticism;
  4. The study of Hadith within social, cultural, and historical contexts;
  5. The relevance of Hadith in modern discourses;
  6. Interdisciplinary perspectives in Hadith studies;
  7. Comparative studies between Hadith and other religious or cultural traditions;
  8. Innovative methodologies in Hadith research, including digital and data-driven approaches.

Section Policies

Articles

  • Checked Open Submissions
  • Checked Indexed
  • Checked Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

Every manuscript submitted to Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis undergoes an independent evaluation by at least two reviewers under a double-blind peer review system, in which both the reviewers and authors remain anonymous. The decision for publication, revision, or rejection is based on the reviewers’ recommendations. In certain cases, the editor may assign a third reviewer if additional evaluation is deemed necessary.

The journal adheres to a systematic review and publication process, as outlined below:

Step 1: Acknowledgment

The submitted manuscript is acknowledged within 12–24 hours upon receipt.

Step 2: Review Assignment

The manuscript (without author names or affiliations) is sent to two reviewers who are experts in the relevant field. The review process takes a maximum of two weeks.

Step 3: Review Feedback

The editor collects the review reports and sends them to the author(s), including comments, recommendations, and publication conditions.

Step 4: Revision Process

If the manuscript requires revision, the editor requests the author(s) to submit a revised version within seven days based on the reviewers’ feedback. The revised manuscript is then re-evaluated by the same reviewers. If the reviewers maintain the same or similar critical assessments, the manuscript is considered rejected. However, if the revisions meet the reviewers’ and editor’s expectations, the paper proceeds to the next stage.

Step 5: Acceptance and Processing

Upon acceptance, the manuscript is processed for publication in soft copy, following the journal’s editorial terms and conditions.

Step 6: Proofreading

The editor sends the processed manuscript (MS Word version) to a proofreader for language and format checking.

Step 7: Copy Editing

The proofread manuscript undergoes copy editing to ensure stylistic and typographical accuracy before the author’s final approval.

Step 8: Online Publication

The final version of the paper is published online. The editor notifies the corresponding author of its publication and provides a download link. Authors may request corrections within one week of online publication, but only for essential or significant changes.

 

Publication Frequency

Riwayah : Jurnal Studi Hadis is published twice a year (Januari-Juni and Juli-December)

Open Access Policy

Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis provides immediate open access to all its content based on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. As an open-access journal, all content is freely available without charge to users or institutions.

Users are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of articles in this journal without prior permission from the publisher or the author. This policy fully adheres to the principles of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), ensuring that scholarly research in Hadith studies remains accessible and beneficial to the global community.

Archiving

Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis employs the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system to ensure long-term digital preservation and accessibility of all published content. The LOCKSS program, developed by Stanford University Libraries, enables a distributed archiving system among participating libraries worldwide.

Through this system, libraries are permitted to create permanent and secure archives of the journal’s published materials. These distributed archives serve as a safeguard to ensure the continuity, authenticity, and integrity of the scholarly record, even in the event of data loss or technological failure.

The use of LOCKSS allows Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis to guarantee that every article remains permanently accessible and citable, supporting the journal’s mission to preserve academic knowledge for future generations.

Publication Ethic and Malpractice Statement

Ethical Statement for Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis

Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis is a biannual (January-June and July-December), peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Department of Hadith Studies, Faculty of Ushuluddin, Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Sunan Kudus, Indonesia. Available in both open-access online and print formats, the journal adheres to the ethical principles and responsibilities outlined in the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)’s Best Practice Guidelines for all participants in the publication process: authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.

Publishing in Riwayah represents a contribution to the development of a coherent and respected scholarly discourse in Hadith studies, reflecting the quality of the authors' research and their affiliated institutions. The Department of Hadith Studies, as publisher, diligently oversees all publication stages and acknowledges its ethical obligations. We maintain that editorial decisions are made independently, without influence from advertising, reprint sales, or any other commercial revenue.

 

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policies

A.    Authorship and Contributorship

We adhere to COPE guidelines on authorship. Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research; drafting or critically revising the manuscript; and approving the final version. The corresponding author must certify that all co-authors meet these criteria and should describe each author's contribution. All co-authors must approve the final manuscript and its submission for publication.

B.    Complaints and Appeals

The journal has a clear procedure for handling complaints against the journal, its redaktur, editorial board, or publisher. Complaints related to the editorial process, citation manipulation, unfair review, or peer-review manipulation should be sent to the editor at [email protected]. Cases will be processed according to COPE guidelines.

C.    Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis encourages authors to share data underlying their research. Authors are encouraged to include data sets and code as supplementary materials where possible and to cite any data referenced in their paper. Waivers may be granted for reasons of confidentiality or security.

D.    Ethical Oversight

Our ethical oversight policies, based on COPE's definition, cover consent to publication, research involving vulnerable populations, human subjects, animals, confidential data, and ethical business practices. The editorial staff is dedicated to upholding these principles and will consider substantiated appeals regarding ethical breaches.

E.    Allegations of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism. If misconduct is suspected in a submitted or published paper, the editors will follow COPE guidelines to investigate. This may involve contacting the authors and their institutions. A manuscript under review may be rejected, while a published article may be corrected or retracted to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

F.    Intellectual Property

All intellectual property policies are based on COPE guidelines. By submitting, authors warrant that the work is original and does not infringe on third-party rights. Copyright remains with the authors, while the journal retains the right of first publication. The journal acts decisively on any third-party infringement claims.

G.   Correcting the Record

The journal is committed to preserving the accuracy of its scholarly record. Corrections are made only under specific circumstances, as determined by the editors.

  1. Erratum: Corrects an important error introduced during production.
  2. Corrigendum: Corrects an important error made by the author(s).
  3. Addendum: A peer-reviewed addition of crucial information omitted from the original work.
  4. Retraction: Removes a published article due to honest error or research misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fraud). Retracted articles are clearly watermarked.
  5. Expression of Concern: Issued when evidence of misconduct is inconclusive but concerns remain about a publication's integrity.

All corrections are published as separate, linked items with a unique DOI and are clearly marked (e.g., "Retraction:").

H.   Duties of Editors

Publication Decisions: Editors are responsible for deciding which submissions to publish, based on academic merit, originality, and relevance, without influence from commercial interests.

  1. Fair Play: Manuscripts are evaluated solely on intellectual content without regard to the author's race, gender, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, or political philosophy.
  2. Confidentiality: Editors and staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and publisher.
  3. Disclosure & Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished material from submissions must not be used in an editor's own research without the author's written consent.
  4. Review Process: Editors ensure each manuscript undergoes a double-blind peer review by at least two independent experts. They select appropriate reviewers, avoid conflicts of interest, and manage the process fairly.

I.      Duties of Reviewers 

  1. Contribution to Decisions: Peer review assists editors in making decisions and may help authors improve their manuscripts.
  2. Promptness: Reviewers who cannot assess a manuscript promptly or feel unqualified must notify the editor.
  3. Confidentiality: Manuscripts are confidential documents and must not be shared.
  4. Objectivity: Reviews should be objective, constructive, and avoid personal criticism.
  5. Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant uncited work and alert editors to any substantial similarity with other published works.
  6. Disclosure & Conflict of Interest: Privileged information obtained during review must remain confidential. Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

J.     Duties of Authors

  1. Reporting Standards: Authors must present an accurate account of their original research with sufficient detail for replication.
  2. Originality and Plagiarism: Submissions must be original. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. All sources must be properly cited.
  3. Multiple Submission: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is unethical.
  4. Acknowledgment of Sources: Proper credit must be given to the work of others.
  5. Authorship: All listed authors must have made significant contributions. All co-authors must approve the final version.
  6. Disclosure & Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence their work and declare all funding sources.
  7. Fundamental Errors: Authors are obligated to promptly notify the journal of any significant error in their published work and cooperate in issuing a correction or retraction.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

Riwayah: Journal of Hadith Studies does not charge any fees during the processes of article submission, review, or publication. However, to ensure the linguistic quality and editorial accuracy of accepted manuscripts, the editorial board of Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis collaborates with a proofreading institution to provide language editing and proofreading services, ensuring that manuscripts meet the applicable academic and linguistic standards. The estimated proofreading fee to be paid by the author is around IDR 1.000.000,- which is payable after the article has been accepted for publication.

Open Access Policy

Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Plagiarism Screening Policy

Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis is firmly committed to maintaining academic integrity and upholding the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Therefore, all submitted manuscripts are subject to a thorough plagiarism screening process before being sent for peer review or publication.

The journal employs Turnitin and other online plagiarism detection tools to verify the originality of submitted works:

  • At the submission stage, the acceptable similarity index must not exceed 40%, and authors are required to attach the Turnitin similarity report in the file attachment column of the OJS submission system.
  • Prior to publication, the final similarity index must be below 10%.

Types of Plagiarism

  1. Word-for-Word Plagiarism. Copying another author’s words exactly without proper citation or acknowledgment of the source.
  2. Plagiarism of Ideas (Plagiarism over the Source). Using another person’s ideas, arguments, or findings without adequate acknowledgment or clear citation.
  3. Plagiarism of Authorship. Claiming authorship of a work that belongs to another person or group.
  4. Self-Plagiarism. Republishing the author’s own previously published work, either in full or in part, without significant modification or acknowledgment.
    • When reusing parts of previous work, authors must ensure that the new article represents substantial new content or analysis, and the reused material forms only a minor portion of the new manuscript.
    • The aim is to provide readers with new insights or contributions, not merely recycled content.

All detected plagiarism—intentional or unintentional—will result in immediate editorial action. Manuscripts that exceed the similarity threshold or contain substantial overlap will be returned to the author for revision or rejected outright in severe cases.

Artificial Intellegence (AI) Usage Policy

Riwayah: Jurnal Studi Hadis upholds integrity and transparency in academic writing. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is permitted only as an aid for language editing, grammar checking, or reference management. Authors are prohibited from using AI to generate substantive content, data, analysis, or conclusions that may compromise originality and academic responsibility.

Any use of AI assistance must be disclosed in the manuscript, for example in the acknowledgments section, by specifying the tool used and the extent of its use. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their work.

Manuscripts that show excessive reliance on AI-generated content or fail to disclose its use may be rejected.