Recognizing Indonesia as a leading center of Islamic legal scholarship and an increasingly significant arena of digital transformation, the Journal of Digital Sharia and Contemporary Legal Thought is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and scholarly integrity. The journal addresses the growing academic need to critically examine the intersections of Islamic law (sharīʿa), contemporary legal theory, and digitally mediated socio-legal realities. By placing classical jurisprudential traditions in dialogue with emerging technologies, algorithmic governance, and evolving modes of legal reasoning, the journal adheres rigorously to the principles and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

All participants in the publication process—including authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, accountability, and fairness. These ethical commitments are essential to safeguarding the credibility of interdisciplinary scholarship spanning Islamic jurisprudence, legal theory, comparative law, socio-legal studies, digital humanities, political science, and religious studies, particularly in research concerning digital fatwas, online legal authority, sharīʿa governance in digital environments, fintech and Islamic law, and contemporary Muslim legal thought.

Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for evaluating submitted manuscripts solely on the basis of their academic merit, without discrimination, bias, or conflicts of interest. Editorial decisions shall be based exclusively on the scholarly quality of the submission, its relevance to the journal’s scope, and its contribution to the advancement of knowledge in digital sharia and contemporary legal thought.

Editors must maintain strict confidentiality regarding all submitted manuscripts and shall not use any part of an unpublished work for personal research purposes without the explicit written consent of the author. Editors are required to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest and to recuse themselves from editorial decision-making where such conflicts may compromise objectivity.

In cases involving ethical concerns, disputes, or allegations of misconduct, editors shall act in accordance with COPE guidelines and procedural flowcharts, ensuring fairness, transparency, and impartial resolution.

Duties of Authors

Authors are required to demonstrate academic honesty and ethical responsibility in the preparation and submission of manuscripts. All submissions must constitute original scholarly work and must be free from plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, redundant publication, or misrepresentation of sources.

Authors must appropriately acknowledge all sources, legal texts, jurisprudential authorities, and intellectual influences that inform their work. All listed authors must have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research and must approve the final version of the manuscript prior to submission.

Any actual or potential conflicts of interest—whether financial, institutional, or personal—must be disclosed transparently. Where research involves human participants, archival materials, case documentation, or ethnographic methods, authors must confirm that appropriate ethical approval has been obtained and, where applicable, that informed consent has been secured.

Duties of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play a central role in maintaining the journal's academic quality, objectivity, and intellectual rigor. Reviewers are expected to provide timely, constructive, and unbiased evaluations of submitted manuscripts.

All materials under review must be treated as confidential and may not be used for personal or professional advantage. Reviewers are required to inform the editor promptly of any conflicts of interest or of any substantial similarity between the manuscript under review and other published or unpublished works.

Reviews should aim to enhance the clarity, methodological soundness, coherence of legal reasoning, and overall scholarly contribution of the manuscript.

Publisher’s Responsibilities

The publisher, Zamzami Scholar Publishing, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, is committed to supporting the editorial team in maintaining the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. The publisher safeguards editorial independence and ensures that editorial decisions are free from commercial, political, or institutional influence.

In cases of alleged ethical misconduct, including plagiarism, citation manipulation, or data falsification, the publisher shall fully cooperate with the editors to implement appropriate corrective actions—such as corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions—in accordance with COPE guidelines. The publisher also promotes academic freedom, transparency, and inclusivity within the journal’s scholarly community.

Allegations of Misconduct

When allegations of ethical misconduct arise—such as plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or authorship disputes—the journal shall initiate a thorough and systematic investigation guided by COPE procedures. Authors shall be afforded a fair and reasonable opportunity to respond to any allegations.

If misconduct is substantiated, proportionate measures may be taken, including manuscript rejection, retraction of published articles, or notification of relevant institutional authorities. All investigations shall be conducted with due diligence, impartiality, and respect for all parties involved.

Research Ethics and Data Integrity

Authors bear full responsibility for ensuring the ethical treatment of research participants. For studies involving interviews, surveys, legal case data, or human-derived information, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained and that participants’ confidentiality and privacy have been protected.

Research data and supporting materials must be reported accurately, transparently, and in good faith. Authors are encouraged to make data available for verification or replication purposes where appropriate and ethically permissible.

Open Access and Copyright Policy

The Journal of Digital Sharia and Contemporary Legal Thought is an open-access journal that provides immediate, unrestricted access to its published content to facilitate the global exchange of scholarly knowledge.

Authors retain copyright over their work and grant the journal the right of first publication under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author and the journal.

References

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). (n.d.). Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. https://publicationethics.org/guidance/code-conduct

World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). (n.d.). Recommendations on Publication Ethics Policies for Medical Journals. https://wame.org/policies