Smart: Journal of Islamic Religion and Sharia Studies (SSharia) is dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. To ensure the integrity of the scholarly record, the journal strictly adheres to the core practices and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All parties involved in the publishing process including the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, and the publisher are expected to agree upon and uphold these standards of ethical behavior.

I. Duties of Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works. If authors use the work, data, or words of others, this must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms from unacknowledged copying to self-plagiarism (text-recycling) constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is strictly prohibited. SSharia employs similarity-checking software (e.g., Turnitin/iThenticate) to verify originality prior to peer review.

• Reporting Standards: Authors reporting original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the manuscript. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

• Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: An author should not, in general, publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one primary journal. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior.

• Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors (and no inappropriate co-authors) are included in the manuscript and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper before submission.

• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project must be explicitly acknowledged.

• Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

II. Duties of Editors

• Publication Decisions: The Editor-in-Chief of SSharia is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The editor is guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

• Fair Play and Objectivity: Editors must evaluate manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit (importance, originality, study's validity, and clarity) and relevance to the journal's scope, without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious belief, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation.

• Confidentiality: The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Editors should recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions connected to the papers.

III. Duties of Reviewers

• Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Double-blind peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with the author, may also assist the author in improving the manuscript. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication.

• Promptness: Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor immediately and decline the invitation to review so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.

• Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

• Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting academic arguments.

• Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

IV. Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

SSharia allows debate post-publication either through letters to the editor or via an established mechanism on the journal platform. If a fundamental error is identified in a published article, the journal will issue a formal Correction (Erratum or Corrigendum). In cases of proven scientific misconduct, fabrication, or severe plagiarism, the journal reserves the right to formally Retract the article in accordance with COPE guidelines.