Publication Ethics and Malpractice
Alif promotes knowledge production in the fields of the Humanities, including literature, philosophy, history, social sciences, the arts, and cultural studies. Authors, peer-reviewers, and the Editorial team are expected to adhere to fundamental values of academic integrity.
Authors
An article’s author is defined as the person responsible for the conceptualization and structuring of the article, proper review of the literature pertinent to the subject matter, and accurate analysis and interpretation of the material under study. He/she is responsible for drafting and revising their article critically for significant intellectual content. He/she undertakes the final approval of the version to be published in the journal, in agreement with the editor and in accordance with the journal’s policy. The author is held fully accountable for all aspects of the published work, ensuring that all questions related to accuracy and integrity are appropriately addressed and resolved.
Alif accepts mostly single-authored articles; in cases of multi-authored submissions, all those designated as authors should meet the above criteria, their contributions to the article should be clearly stated, and a corresponding author must be named as responsible for communication with the journal during the manuscript submission, peer-review, and publication process.
Authors can only submit original material, not previously published or currently under review by another journal. They should abide by Alif’s assigned submission and editing deadlines promptly and expediently. They are expected to adhere to the journal’s Guides for Authors. Once an article is submitted, the author is committed to Alif and cannot withdraw the manuscript without explicitly notifying the Editor in Chief. At the peer-reviewing stage, authors will make no reference in the article to themselves or their previous work that would give away their identity. Once peer reviews are received, authors are expected to respond to them seriously and meticulously. Failure to do so can result in rejection even after the revision stage. After acceptance of an article, at the final stages of editing, authors cannot make substantial changes, unless clearly agreed upon with the editor-in-chief. The author will receive a print and electronic copy of Alif within six weeks of its publication.
Peer-Reviewers
Peer-reviewers will adhere to Alif’s double-blind peer-reviewing system and conform to its anonymity policy. They must not seek to find out the identity of the author. In cases of conflict of interest, peer-reviewers are expected to refrain from reviewing after notifying the editor-in-chief. Articles under review should be treated confidentially. Peer-reviewing is done on a voluntary basis. All voluntary supporters of Alif, including peer-reviewers, will be acknowledged and will receive an electronic copy of the issue within 6 weeks of its publication. Peer-reviewers are expected to write competent peer review reports based on the following set of questions:
- Does the manuscript have a principal thesis? Is this thesis presented clearly?
- Is the scholarship sound, accurate, well-balanced, and thorough?
- Does the author rely on appropriate sources?
- Is the manuscript a contribution to our present knowledge of the subject or field?
- Should any portion be rewritten? If so, which and why?
- Would the manuscript benefit from additional research, expansion, condensation, or omission?
- As a reader interested in this subject, would you consider the manuscript important enough to recommend to your colleagues?
- What do you conceive as the audience for the manuscript?
- Do you have any additional comments or reflections that have not been covered by the above questions?
- In sum, do you think this manuscript should be published? Published with minor revisions? Published with major revisions? Not published?
Editor in Chief
The Editor in Chief will inform authors of the detailed steps of the peer-reviewing process and communicate the results to them clearly, including peer-reviewers reviews. In cases of rejection, the author will be informed of why the manuscript is not suitable. In cases of major revisions, the author will be informed clearly whether acceptance will be based on an Editorial decision or a second reviewing cycle. The Editor in Chief will inform the author of the expected timeline at every stage of the peer-reviewing, editing, and production processes. Any alterations to the article’s content or style must be explicitly approved by the author. Failure to follow any of the above entitles the author to a withdrawal of the manuscript after informing the Editor in Chief.
Measures and Actions
Alif does not tolerate any infringement of the aforementioned rules and practices, and the below measures are strictly followed in cases of violation.
Plagiarism: Alif will not tolerate any instances of plagiarism or self-plagiarism in its articles. If an author uses another’s material or her/his own previously published material, proper reference and citation must be made in every single case.
In cases of documented violation before publication, the following actions will be taken:
• The article is immediately rejected, and the author is explicitly informed why the article was rejected.
• The author will be banned from peer-reviewing articles submitted to Alif.
Alif will publish necessary clarifications or apologies in cases of published articles if misconduct or plagiarism is detected after publication.
Copyrighted Material
Apart from what is academically accepted to be cited or translated in scholarly articles with proper reference to the source, Alif will seek permission for longer copyrighted material.