Manuscript Types

AL-SULTHANIYAH accepts original manuscripts that contribute to the advancement of legal studies, political science, governance, Islamic law, and related interdisciplinary fields, provided they align with the journal’s aims and scope. Manuscripts must be original, previously unpublished, and not currently under consideration by any other journal or publishing platform.

Accepted manuscript types include:

  1. Field Research Articles

  2. Library-Based Research Articles

  3. Book Reviews

  4. Systematic Literature Reviews (SLR)

1. Field Research Articles

Field research articles report empirical findings derived from direct engagement with legal institutions, judicial bodies, governmental agencies, political organizations, communities, or socio-legal environments. Studies may employ qualitative, quantitative (e.g., empirical legal research, socio-political surveys), or mixed-methods approaches, utilizing appropriate data collection techniques such as field observations, interviews, questionnaires, court record analysis, and documentary examination.

Manuscripts must clearly outline:

  • the research problem and core objectives;

  • their contextualization within contemporary legal, political, or governance scholarship;

  • data collection procedures and analytical frameworks; and

  • relevant ethical considerations and legal protocols.

Findings must be critically discussed to demonstrate a substantive contribution to legal, political, or administrative studies, while explicitly addressing the research’s limitations.

2. Library-Based Research Articles

Library-based research articles examine contemporary and classical issues in law, jurisprudence (fiqh/usul al-fiqh), politics, and governance through the critical analysis of written, statutory, or archival sources. These include statutory regulations, court precedents (jurisprudence), policy frameworks, classical Islamic jurisprudential texts (turath), fatwas, treaties, historical archives, and scholarly literature. Studies may address legal principles, statutory interpretation, constitutional frameworks, political theories, normative frameworks, or comparative legal perspectives.

Manuscripts must articulate:

  • the rationale for source selection and analytical boundaries;

  • the methodological or jurisprudential approach (e.g., doctrinal legal method, statutory approach, normative analysis, or istinbat/ijtihad procedures); and

  • the interpretive process.

Authors must develop coherent arguments and theoretical syntheses that advance legal or political discourse. Purely descriptive summaries of statutes or legal texts without critical analysis are insufficient.

3. Book Reviews

Book reviews provide a critical evaluation of scholarly books relevant to law, political science, governance, Islamic law, and socio-legal studies. Reviews may assess recently published monographs or foundational works that maintain ongoing academic significance.

Manuscripts must include full bibliographic details: author/editor, title, publisher, publication year, total page count, and ISBN. Reviews should:

  • summarize the book’s central thesis and scope;

  • critically assess its theoretical framework, methodology, use of sources, strengths, and limitations; and

  • evaluate its overall contribution to legal or political scholarship.

Reviewers should contextualize the work within broader academic debates rather than merely summarizing or promoting its contents. Any potential conflict of interest must be explicitly declared.

4. Systematic Literature Review (SLR) Articles

Systematic Literature Review (SLR) articles synthesize existing scholarship to answer well-defined research questions through systematic, transparent, and reproducible procedures for searching, selecting, critically appraising, and analyzing literature in law, politics, and governance.

Manuscripts must specify:

  • databases searched (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science, HeinOnline, Google Scholar);

  • search strategies, keywords, and operational filters;

  • publication timeframes and explicit inclusion/exclusion criteria;

  • procedures for screening, quality assessment, and data extraction; and

  • the selection flow (including the number of studies evaluated at each stage and reasons for exclusion).

The review must identify overarching thematic patterns, methodological variations, knowledge gaps, and implications for future legal or political research. Bibliometric or mapping analyses may complement the study but cannot replace substantive qualitative synthesis.

Presentation and Assessment Requirements

Manuscript structure must reflect the distinct requirements of each submission type and strictly adhere to AL-SULTHANIYAH's Author Guidelines. Field research, library-based research, and SLR articles must comprehensively explain their methodological frameworks, whereas book reviews should follow an evaluative structure supporting critical analysis.

All submissions undergo initial editorial screening (desk review) and rigorous double-blind peer review in accordance with the journal's publication policies. Final publication decisions depend on alignment with the journal’s scope, originality, analytical rigor, clarity of expression, and overall scholarly contribution to legal, political, and governance studies.