Author Guidelines

Manuscript Preparation and Submission Guidelines

1. General Information

The International Journal of Islamic Education, Research and Multiculturalism (IJIERM) is an international, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary scholarly journal dedicated to advancing research in Islamic Education, Islamic Studies, and Multicultural Studies. The journal particularly welcomes interdisciplinary research examining religious diversity, intercultural relations, educational development, and contemporary sociocultural transformations within Islamic and multicultural contexts. IJIERM publishes original research articles and scholarly review articles that demonstrate academic originality, methodological rigor, theoretical relevance, and meaningful contributions to the advancement of knowledge at national and international levels.
All submitted manuscripts are evaluated based on their scholarly merit, originality, alignment with the journal's Focus and Scope, methodological soundness, academic integrity, and contribution to the development of scientific knowledge. All prospective authors must comply with these Author Guidelines and prepare their manuscripts using the Official IJIERM Manuscript Template 2026.

2. Focus and Scope

Submitted manuscripts must make a substantive scholarly contribution to at least one of the journal's three principal disciplinary areas.
2.1. Islamic Education
This area encompasses the philosophy of Islamic education, Islamic educational management, curriculum development, Islamic pedagogy, character education, pesantren and madrasah education, Islamic higher education, educational policy, educational leadership, and pedagogical innovation.
2.2. Islamic Studies
This area encompasses Islamic thought, Islamic philosophy, theology, ethics, Qur'anic and Hadith studies, Islamic law, Islamic intellectual traditions, developments in Muslim societies, and the relationship between Islam and contemporary social and cultural issues.
2.3. Multicultural Studies
This area encompasses multiculturalism, multicultural education, pluralism, religious moderation, tolerance, interreligious relations, intercultural communication, cultural identity, social inclusion, minority protection, and multicultural societies.
2.4. Interdisciplinary Studies
IJIERM welcomes interdisciplinary research in sociology, anthropology, communication, law, politics, economics, and public policy, provided that the study demonstrates a direct and substantive academic connection to Islamic Education, Islamic Studies, or Multicultural Studies. Alignment with the journal's scope must be evident in the research problem, objectives, theoretical framework, analysis, findings, and scholarly contribution. Manuscripts that do not demonstrate a substantive relationship with at least one of these three principal areas will not be considered for publication.

3. General Manuscript Requirements and Formatting

Authors must comply with the following manuscript preparation requirements:

Component	Requirement
Manuscript language	Professional academic English
File format	Microsoft Word (.docx or .rtf)
Font family	Book Antiqua
Main text font size	12 pt
Line spacing	1.15
Article title	Maximum 15 words; Book Antiqua, 15 pt
Author names	Book Antiqua, 12 pt
Affiliations and email addresses	Book Antiqua, 11 pt
Abstracts and keywords	Book Antiqua, 11 pt
Abstract languages	Indonesian and English
Abstract length	150–200 words for each language
Keywords	5–6 keywords or key phrases
Citation style	APA 7th edition, author–date system
References	At least 30 relevant scholarly sources
Reference recency	Target of 90% published within the preceding 10 years, with academically justified exceptions

Page margins, layout, paragraph indentation, tables, figures, and other formatting elements must follow the Official IJIERM Manuscript Template 2026. Authors must not modify the journal's identity, logo, headers, footers, or other designated publication elements in the template. Volume and issue numbers, publication dates, page ranges, and final DOIs are assigned and verified by the editorial team during the production process.

4. Manuscript Structure

Original research articles should generally follow the structure below:

Title
Author Names and Affiliations
Abstrak and Kata Kunci
Abstract and Keywords
Introduction
Literature Review
Research Methods
Results and Discussion
8.1 Results
8.2 Discussion
Conclusion
Acknowledgments (where applicable)
Bibliography

Statements regarding funding, author contributions, conflicts of interest, research ethics, data availability, and the use of artificial intelligence must be provided as required by the journal, either within the manuscript or through supplementary declaration forms.

4.1. Title

The article title must be written in English using Book Antiqua, 15 pt, and must not exceed 15 words. The title must be concise, informative, specific, and accurately reflect the research content, including the principal concepts, variables, or phenomena under investigation. It must demonstrate the study's relevance to the disciplinary scope of IJIERM and avoid uncommon abbreviations, ambiguous expressions, or claims that exceed the evidence presented in the manuscript.

4.2. Author Names, Affiliations, and Correspondence

Author names must be written in Book Antiqua, 12 pt, while institutional affiliations and email addresses must use Book Antiqua, 11 pt.
Each author must provide their full name, institutional affiliation, city, country, and active email address. Providing an ORCID iD is strongly encouraged.
The corresponding author must be clearly identified. Authorship must be based on genuine scholarly contributions. All listed authors must approve the submitted manuscript and accept responsibility for their respective contributions. Any request to modify the author list or authorship order after submission must be accompanied by a written justification and the agreement of all affected authors.

4.3. Abstracts (Abstrak and Abstract)

Every manuscript must include abstracts in Indonesian and English, each containing 150–200 words. The abstracts must accurately reflect the study and clearly communicate five essential components:
1. Background or Research Problem
The academic context and principal problem addressed by the study.
2. Research Objective
The primary research objective or research question.
3. Research Methods: The research approach, design, data sources or participants, data collection procedures, and analytical methods.
4. Research Findings
The most significant findings derived from the research.
5. Conclusion and Contribution
The central conclusion and the study's scholarly contribution.

Each component should be presented concisely and proportionately. The abstract may be written as a single coherent paragraph in accordance with the manuscript template. Abstracts must not include citations, tables, figures, unexplained abbreviations, or findings that are not presented in the manuscript.

4.4. Keywords

Authors must provide five to six relevant keywords or key phrases in Indonesian and English.
Keywords should represent the principal concepts, theoretical perspectives, research phenomena, and study context where appropriate.
Keywords in both languages must be conceptually equivalent.

5. Introduction

The Introduction should follow the IJIERM manuscript template, consisting of four principal paragraphs, each containing approximately 150 words.
Paragraph 1 — Background and Social Facts
This paragraph establishes the research background, relevant phenomena, empirical facts, and academic significance of the problem, supported by appropriate data and scholarly sources.
Paragraph 2 — Previous Research and Research Gap
This paragraph critically synthesizes previous studies, identifies important findings and limitations, examines inconsistencies in existing research, and establishes the research gap that remains insufficiently addressed.
Paragraph 3 — Research Objectives and Questions
This paragraph clearly formulates the research objectives and specifies the principal research questions or issues to be investigated.
Paragraph 4 — Academic Argument, Novelty, and Hypotheses
This paragraph develops the study's academic argument, identifies its originality and expected scholarly contributions, and presents research hypotheses where appropriate to the research design.

Claims of novelty must be supported by demonstrable gaps in existing scholarship rather than merely by differences in location, population, or research period. The four-paragraph structure serves as the principal organizational guideline, with limited flexibility where necessary to ensure a coherent and academically comprehensive argument.

6. Literature Review

The Literature Review should follow the IJIERM manuscript template, comprising six principal paragraphs, each containing approximately 150 words. The recommended structure is as follows:
Paragraph 1 — Conceptual Foundations
This paragraph introduces and critically explains the principal concepts underpinning the research.
Paragraph 2 — Theoretical Foundations
This paragraph examines the primary theories or academic perspectives employed to understand and analyze the research problem.
Paragraph 3 — Previous Empirical Research
This paragraph reviews and synthesizes relevant findings from national and international empirical studies.
Paragraph 4 — Critical Analysis of the Literature
This paragraph critically examines similarities, differences, methodological limitations, and scholarly debates within existing literature.
Paragraph 5 — Theoretical and Empirical Research Gaps
This paragraph identifies unresolved issues in previous scholarship and establishes the specific position of the present study.
Paragraph 6 — Synthesis and Conceptual Framework
This paragraph synthesizes the literature and explains the relationships among the principal concepts, variables, or phenomena guiding the research analysis. Authors are encouraged to include a theoretical or conceptual framework diagram when it enhances the clarity of the study's analytical model.

The Literature Review must demonstrate critical synthesis rather than merely present definitions or descriptive summaries of previous publications.

7. Research Methods

The IJIERM manuscript template recommends presenting the Research Methods section in one or two principal paragraphs, each containing approximately 150 words. However, authors may provide additional methodological detail when necessary to ensure transparency, reproducibility, and methodological rigor.
Paragraph 1 — Research Design, Setting, and Unit of Analysis
This paragraph describes the research approach and design, research setting and period where relevant, population or informants, units of analysis, sampling strategies, and data sources.
Paragraph 2 — Data Collection, Analysis, and Research Trustworthiness
This paragraph explains the research instruments, data collection procedures, analytical techniques, validity and reliability or trustworthiness procedures, and relevant ethical considerations. Methodological reporting must be appropriate to the research design.

A. Qualitative Research
Qualitative studies must explain the research approach and design, participant selection, interviews or observations, document analysis, coding procedures, theme development, triangulation, reflexivity, and relevant strategies for establishing trustworthiness.
B. Quantitative Research
Quantitative studies must explain the population, sample, sampling techniques, variables, operational definitions, research instruments, validity and reliability, statistical analyses, and relevant statistical assumption checks. Effect sizes, confidence intervals, and statistical estimates must be reported where appropriate to the analytical design.
C. Mixed-Methods Research
Mixed-methods studies must explain the rationale for selecting the design, qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures, the analysis of each component, and the methods used to integrate the findings.
D. Library Research and Systematic Reviews
Library-based research must explain the selection of sources, analytical approach, and procedures for synthesizing the literature. Systematic reviews must report search strategies, databases, inclusion and exclusion criteria, study selection procedures, quality assessment where applicable, and synthesis methods. Authors must accurately describe the methods actually employed. Procedures, instruments, software, or validation techniques that were not used must not be presented as though they had been implemented.

8. Results and Discussion

In accordance with the IJIERM manuscript template, this section must use the main heading RESULTS AND DISCUSSION, with two clearly distinguished subsections: Results and Discussion. IJIERM requires a clear functional distinction between the two subsections. The Results subsection is devoted exclusively to presenting research findings, whereas the Discussion subsection critically interprets those findings in dialogue with relevant theories and previous research.

8.1. Results

The Results subsection is exclusively dedicated to presenting findings obtained through data collection and analysis, whether derived from qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, library-based, or conceptual research. The IJIERM template recommends nine principal paragraphs of approximately 150 words each for this subsection. The number and length of paragraphs may be adjusted according to the research questions, complexity of the data, and requirements for accurate reporting.

Requirements for the Results Subsection

The Results subsection must present only research findings or analytical outcomes supported by empirical data, documents, statistical analyses, or verifiable research sources.
Findings must be reported objectively, systematically, logically, and in accordance with the research objectives and questions.
Each principal finding must be supported by appropriate empirical evidence or identifiable analytical outputs.
Authors may include tables, graphs, histograms, diagrams, interview excerpts, observational findings, documentary evidence, and other relevant visual representations.
In qualitative research, findings must demonstrate clear relationships among field data, analytical categories, and emerging themes.
In quantitative research, findings must present the relevant descriptive statistics, inferential statistical results, effect sizes, or statistical tests appropriate to the research design.
In mixed-methods research, qualitative and quantitative findings must be reported clearly, including their integration where relevant.
In library-based and conceptual research, findings may include thematic synthesis, conceptual classifications, documentary findings, or analytical models derived from the stated research procedures.
Unnecessary repetition must be avoided, and all findings must remain consistent with the methodology described.

Restrictions in the Results Subsection

Authors must not engage in theoretical discussions or establish interpretive dialogues between research findings and existing theories in the Results subsection.
Authors must not compare their findings with previous empirical studies for the purpose of developing theoretical arguments in the Results subsection.
Extended theoretical interpretation or conceptual discussion must not be included in Results and should instead be presented in Discussion.
Unsupported claims, conclusions, or generalizations must not be introduced.
Fabricated data, invented interview excerpts, manipulated statistics, or falsified documentary evidence are strictly prohibited.

Citations may be included in Results when necessary to identify primary documents, regulations, archival materials, datasets, or other sources directly examined in the research. However, citations to theories or previous studies for the purpose of explaining, comparing, or interpreting findings must be reserved for Discussion.

Accordingly, the Results subsection answers the question: "What did the research find?" It does not address how those findings are theoretically explained or how they compare with previous scholarship.

All substantive discussion of theoretical relationships, agreements or contradictions with previous studies, conceptual contributions, and broader scholarly implications must be presented in the Discussion subsection.

8.2. Discussion

The Discussion subsection is specifically intended to analyze, interpret, and critically engage research findings in dialogue with relevant theories, conceptual frameworks, and previous empirical studies. The IJIERM template recommends six principal paragraphs of approximately 150 words each for this subsection. The number of paragraphs may be adjusted according to the complexity of the findings and the depth of scholarly interpretation required. The Discussion must demonstrate the study's scientific contribution through critical, systematic, and evidence-based academic argumentation.

Recommended Structure of the Discussion
Paragraph 1 — Interpretation of Principal Findings
This paragraph interprets the meaning and scholarly significance of the principal findings presented in Results. Authors must explain why the findings matter and how they address the research problem.
Paragraph 2 — Dialogue Between Findings and Theory
This paragraph critically examines the relationship between the findings and the theories or conceptual frameworks presented in the Literature Review. Authors must explain whether the findings support, extend, refine, challenge, or contradict the theoretical perspectives employed.
Paragraph 3 — Dialogue with Previous Research
This paragraph compares the findings with relevant national and international studies. Authors should critically examine similarities, differences, inconsistencies, and contextual or methodological factors that may explain variations across studies.
Paragraph 4 — Novelty and Scholarly Contributions
This paragraph identifies the study's originality and explains its theoretical, conceptual, methodological, or empirical contributions to existing knowledge. These contributions must be established through research evidence and critical engagement with the literature rather than through unsupported claims of novelty.
Paragraph 5 — Research Implications
This paragraph discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings, including their relevance to Islamic education, Islamic studies, multicultural societies, institutional governance, social relations, or public policy where appropriate.
Paragraph 6 — Limitations, Contextualization, and Future Research
This paragraph acknowledges the study's limitations, alternative interpretations, contextual conditions affecting the results, limitations on generalizability or transferability, and opportunities for further research.

Requirements for the Discussion Subsection

The Discussion must demonstrate explicit and substantive scholarly dialogue between research findings and relevant theories.
Authors must engage with appropriate academic literature to critically interpret and compare their findings.
The relationship between findings and theories must be explained through reasoned academic argumentation rather than the mere placement of citations after statements.
Authors should clarify whether their findings support, extend, refine, modify, or challenge previous scholarship.
The study's novelty and scholarly contributions must be established analytically.
Implications and recommendations must be grounded in the research evidence.
Interpretations must take into account the research design, context, methodological limitations, and available data.
Claims of causality, effectiveness, generalizability, or broader significance must be proportionate to the study's design and findings.

Restrictions in the Discussion Subsection

Authors must not merely repeat findings already presented in Results without providing critical interpretation.
Authors must not simply compile theoretical quotations or references to previous studies without explicitly connecting them to the research findings.
New principal empirical findings that have not been reported in Results must not be introduced.
Unsupported claims of theoretical contribution must be avoided.
Irrelevant references must not be added solely to increase citation counts.

Accordingly, the Discussion subsection answers the question: "Why are the findings important, how do they relate to existing theories and previous research, and what do they contribute to the advancement of knowledge?"

The Discussion must demonstrate that the study not only generates research findings but also offers meaningful theoretical interpretation and scholarly contributions.

9. Conclusion

In accordance with the IJIERM manuscript template, the Conclusion should consist of three principal paragraphs.
Paragraph 1 — Responses to the Research Objectives
This paragraph presents the principal conclusions derived from the findings and directly addresses the research objectives and questions.
Paragraph 2 — Scholarly Contributions and Implications
This paragraph explains the study's principal academic contributions and relevant theoretical or practical implications.
Paragraph 3 — Limitations and Recommendations
This paragraph identifies significant limitations and proposes evidence-based recommendations or directions for future research.

The Conclusion must not introduce new findings or claims unsupported by the research. Excessive repetition of the Abstract or Results must be avoided.

10. Acknowledgments

The Acknowledgments section should be placed after the Conclusion when applicable. This section may recognize funding institutions, academic organizations, research participants, and other individuals who contributed to the research process or manuscript preparation but do not meet the criteria for authorship.

All acknowledgments must be accurate, and permission should be obtained where appropriate.

11. Bibliography

IJIERM requires the use of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th edition, author–date citation system.

In accordance with the IJIERM Manuscript Template 2026, research articles are expected to include at least 30 relevant scholarly references.

As a reference-recency target, approximately 90% of the cited sources should preferably have been published within the preceding ten years. Classical works, primary sources, historical documents, legislation, and foundational theoretical references may be used regardless of publication year when academically justified.

The following requirements apply:

Priority should be given to reputable scholarly journals and verifiable academic sources.
References must include relevant national and international scholarship.
Valid Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) must be provided where available.
Every in-text citation must correspond to an entry in the reference list.
Fabricated, duplicated, irrelevant, or unverifiable references must be avoided.
Authors are encouraged to use recognized reference management software, including Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote.
Citation manipulation and compulsory citation of specific journals without scholarly relevance are prohibited.

Reference quality, accuracy, and relevance remain the primary considerations in editorial assessment. Academically justified exceptions to the recommended number or recency of references may be considered by the editor.

12. Tables, Figures, and Scientific Visualizations

Tables, graphs, diagrams, conceptual frameworks, and scientific visualizations may be included when they support the presentation and interpretation of research. Authors must ensure that:

All tables and figures are numbered consecutively.
Titles and captions are informative and written in English.
Tables and figures are cited appropriately in the manuscript text.
All numerical values, labels, and data sources are accurate.
Visual materials are presented clearly and professionally.
Adapted or reproduced materials are properly attributed, and necessary permissions have been obtained.
No misleading image manipulation or data alteration has occurred.

The formatting and placement of tables and figures must comply with the official IJIERM manuscript template.

13. Originality and Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work. IJIERM conducts similarity screening using Turnitin or comparable plagiarism-detection software. A similarity index of 25% is used as an initial screening threshold in accordance with the journal's editorial policy. However, the similarity percentage alone does not establish the presence or absence of plagiarism. A Statement Form And Author’s Agreement must be attached during submission.
Editors assess the nature of textual overlap, proper attribution, contextual use of sources, text recycling, and potential violations of academic integrity. Plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification of findings, duplicate submissions, redundant publication, and reference manipulation are strictly prohibited.

14. Authorship and Author Contributions

Authorship must reflect genuine intellectual contributions. All listed authors must approve the submitted manuscript, make substantial scholarly contributions, and accept appropriate academic responsibility for the research. For multi-authored manuscripts, IJIERM recommends a contribution statement using the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT), including conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data analysis, writing, review and editing, supervision, and other relevant contributions. Guest authorship, honorary authorship, and ghost authorship are prohibited.

15. Research Ethics and Academic Declarations

Authors must comply with applicable research ethics and publication integrity standards. Where relevant, authors must provide:

Research ethics approval statements.
Informed consent information.
Statements concerning participant confidentiality and data protection.
Funding declarations.
Conflict of interest declarations.
Author contribution statements.
Data availability statements.

When formal ethical approval is not required, authors must explain the applicable institutional or regulatory basis for that determination. Authors must not claim to have obtained ethical approval, institutional authorization, or informed consent unless such approval or consent was actually obtained.

16. Use of Artificial Intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to support language editing, information organization, or specific analytical tasks may be permitted when consistent with academic integrity and research ethics. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, data integrity, and scholarly content of their manuscripts. Substantive use of AI must be transparently disclosed, including the name of the tool, its purpose, and the specific stages of research or manuscript preparation in which it was used.
AI tools must not be listed as authors and must not be used to fabricate data, generate fictitious references, manipulate research findings, or misrepresent research procedures. Confidential information must not be entered into AI systems without appropriate authorization and adequate safeguards.

17. Peer Review Process

All manuscripts undergo preliminary editorial screening to assess their relevance to the journal's Focus and Scope, completeness, originality, and compliance with minimum scholarly standards.
Manuscripts meeting these requirements may proceed to independent peer review by experts with appropriate disciplinary competence.
Reviewers evaluate originality, clarity of the research problem, scholarly contribution, adequacy of the literature, methodological rigor, validity of findings, depth of discussion, research ethics, and the quality of academic English.
Editorial decisions may include acceptance, minor revision, major revision, rejection, or further evaluation.
The final decision rests with the responsible editor based on scholarly merit, reviewer evaluations, and publication ethics.

18. Manuscript Submission Procedure

Manuscripts must be submitted through the official IJIERM Online Journal System (OJS). Before submission, authors must ensure that:

The manuscript has been prepared using the Official IJIERM Manuscript Template 2026.
The English title does not exceed 15 words.
The main text uses Book Antiqua, 12 pt, with 1.15 line spacing.
Abstracts are provided in Indonesian and English.
Each abstract contains 150–200 words.
Five to six keywords are provided.
The Introduction, Literature Review, Research Methods, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion comply with the manuscript template.
Results presents research findings without theoretical dialogue.
Discussion critically engages the findings with relevant theories and previous research.
The references comply with APA 7th edition.
Complete and accurate author and manuscript metadata have been provided.
All required ethical declarations and supporting documents have been included.

19. Submission Checklist

Before completing the submission process, all revised manuscripts must follow the Journal’s Peer Review Checklist. Authors must confirm that:
he manuscript aligns with the IJIERM Focus and Scope.

The manuscript is original and is not under consideration by another journal.
The manuscript follows the Official IJIERM Manuscript Template 2026.
The English title does not exceed 15 words.
Font style, font size, and line spacing comply with the template.
Indonesian and English abstracts are included.
Each abstract contains 150–200 words.
Five to six relevant keywords are provided.
The Introduction presents the research background, previous studies, research gap, objectives, and novelty.
The Literature Review provides critical synthesis and a relevant theoretical framework.
The Research Methods clearly and transparently explain the research procedures.
The Results subsection reports research findings supported by evidence and does not engage in theoretical dialogue.
The Discussion subsection critically connects the findings with theories and previous research.
The Discussion clearly explains the study's novelty, scholarly contribution, and implications.
The Conclusion addresses the research objectives and is consistent with the findings.
References follow APA 7th edition.
References meet the journal's requirements or have academically justified exceptions.
All tables and figures have been checked for accuracy and proper attribution.
All authors have approved the manuscript submission.
Conflicts of interest, funding, research ethics, and substantive AI use have been disclosed where relevant.
All metadata and supplementary files have been reviewed for completeness and accuracy.

20. Editorial Rights and Responsibilities

IJIERM reserves the right to conduct preliminary editorial screening, request clarification or additional evidence, require manuscript revisions, or reject submissions that do not meet the journal's academic and publication ethics standards.

Editorial decisions are based on research quality, originality, methodological rigor, scope alignment, and scholarly integrity, without discrimination based on nationality, institutional affiliation, religion, gender, or other personal characteristics unrelated to academic merit.

Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

All authors must review the journal's Focus and Scope, Publication Ethics, Peer Review Process, and Official IJIERM Manuscript Template 2026 before submitting their manuscripts.