Authorship and Contributorship

Tarbiyah Islamica establishes this policy with reference to the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) on authorship and contributorship. The provisions below aim to ensure transparent attribution, appropriate recognition of scholarly contributions, and accountability for published work, while taking into account the characteristics of research in Islamic studies, education, and related disciplines.

1. Eligibility for Authorship

Authorship must reflect a substantial scholarly contribution to the work. Such contributions may include developing the research concept or design, collecting and interpreting sources or data, conducting analysis, or developing the article’s arguments.

Each author is expected to participate meaningfully in drafting or critically revising the manuscript, approve the final version, and accept responsibility for their contribution. Authors must also cooperate in addressing questions concerning the accuracy or integrity of the work.

All individuals who qualify for authorship must be included, and no individual may be listed without their knowledge and consent. Institutional position, seniority, funding provision, general supervision, administrative assistance, or language editing alone does not justify authorship.

2. Disclosure of Author Contributions

Every manuscript must include an author contributions statement describing the actual contribution of each author. Relevant activities may include conceptualization, research design, data or research material collection, formal analysis, interpretation, drafting, critical revision, and supervision involving substantive intellectual input.

Contributors must be identified consistently by name or initials. The statement must accurately reflect the contributions made and must be agreed upon by all authors. Multiple authors may share a role, and an individual author may undertake several roles. Single-author manuscripts must also include a statement describing the author's contribution.

3. Author List and Order

Authors should discuss and agree upon authorship and author order early in the research process and confirm their agreement before submission. Decisions must reflect actual contributions and relevant disciplinary conventions.

All authors must consent to submission to Tarbiyah Islamica. Names, affiliations, and contribution information must be accurate and consistent across the manuscript and submission metadata. The journal does not assign author order on behalf of the authors.

4. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the principal contact between the author team and the journal throughout submission, peer review, revision, publication, and post-publication communication.

The corresponding author must ensure that all authors receive relevant editorial communications, agree to the author list and contribution statement, and approve the final manuscript. They must also coordinate responses to questions about the article and requests for clarification or correction. This role does not replace the responsibilities of individual co-authors.

5. Acknowledgment of Other Contributions

Individuals or organizations whose contributions do not qualify them for authorship may be recognized in the acknowledgment section. The nature of their assistance must be stated clearly, including technical support, administrative assistance, access to research materials or facilities, funding, or language editing.

Permission must be obtained before naming individuals in this section. Acknowledgment must not be used as a substitute for authorship when a contributor qualifies to be listed as an author.

6. Unacceptable Authorship Practices

Tarbiyah Islamica does not permit authorship practices that misrepresent contributions, including:

• Gift, honorary, or guest authorship: Listing an individual who does not qualify for authorship, including solely because of their status, reputation, personal relationship, or payment.

• Ghost authorship: Omitting an individual who qualifies for authorship or concealing substantive writing contributions that should be disclosed.

• Unauthorized authorship: Listing an individual without their knowledge or consent.

• False contribution statements: Describing roles or contributions inaccurately.

Suspected violations will be assessed in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics procedures and relevant COPE guidance. The parties concerned will be given an opportunity to respond before an editorial decision is made.

7. Changes to Authorship

Requests to add or remove authors, change author order, or change the corresponding author after submission must be submitted to the editor with a clear explanation and written agreement from all affected authors. For additions or removals, this includes the individual being added or removed. An updated contribution statement must accompany the request where applicable.

The editor may suspend the editorial process while the request is examined. If agreement cannot be established, the matter may be referred to the relevant institution. Changes must not be made unilaterally.

Requests received after publication will be assessed on the basis of the explanation, supporting evidence, and agreement of the parties concerned. Approved changes will be documented through an appropriate correction and updates to the publication record.

8. Authorship Disputes

Concerns about authorship should be submitted through the journal’s official contact channels, together with a description of the issue and relevant supporting evidence. The journal will seek clarification from the parties concerned and may suspend manuscript processing while a dispute remains unresolved.

Editors are not responsible for independently investigating or adjudicating competing claims about contributions made within a research team. Where necessary, the journal will request an investigation by the relevant institution or institutions, following applicable COPE guidance.

Editorial decisions will take account of the available evidence and institutional findings. Where an authorship problem affects a published article, the journal will take appropriate action to maintain an accurate publication record.

9. Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

In accordance with COPE guidance on AI and authorship, artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the work or fulfil the obligations associated with authorship.

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in research or manuscript preparation in accordance with the journal’s Policy on the Use of AI, identifying the tool and explaining its purpose and scope where required. Relevant methodological details must also be reported when AI is used in data processing or analysis.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, attribution, and integrity of the manuscript, including any material produced with AI assistance. The use of AI does not diminish the authors’ responsibility to verify sources, check factual claims, protect confidential information, and ensure that the manuscript complies with the journal’s ethical and editorial requirements.

10. Editorial Responsibility and Policy Implementation

Tarbiyah Islamica reserves the right to request clarification or supporting documentation concerning authorship, individual contributions, and declarations submitted with a manuscript.

Where a breach of this policy is suspected, the journal will assess the available evidence, communicate with the relevant parties, and take appropriate action in accordance with its publication ethics procedures and applicable COPE guidance.

Depending on the circumstances, actions may include requesting clarification, requiring corrections to authorship information, suspending the editorial process, rejecting a manuscript, or issuing a correction or other appropriate editorial notice for a published article. Serious cases may be referred to the relevant institution for further investigation.

All authors are responsible for ensuring that the authorship and contributorship information submitted to Tarbiyah Islamica is accurate, transparent, and consistent with the actual contributions made to the work.