Our commitment to integrity, transparency, and professionalism in academic publishing guides all editorial and publishing practices of the Mesopotamian Journal of Quran Studies.

The Mesopotamian Journal of Quran Studies strictly adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) standards. Authors must confirm they have reviewed and agreed to their manuscript’s content, ensuring compliance with all ethical guidelines.

• Integrity and accountability are central to every submission.
• Editorial decisions are made transparently and fairly.
• Research misconduct, plagiarism, or ethical violations are not tolerated.

All authors are obligated to provide a comprehensive list of their affiliations to properly acknowledge the institutions or organizations that sanctioned, funded, or conducted the research or academic work.

• Non-research articles: Authors must state their current institutional affiliation.
• Changed institutions: If authors have moved before publication, they should specify the affiliation relevant to the research and also indicate their current affiliation.
• Independent authors: Those without an institutional affiliation must explicitly declare their independent status.

The Mesopotamian Journal of Quran Studies adheres to the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for addressing appeals and complaints regarding editorial decisions or peer review.

Authors are encouraged to submit legitimate appeals with substantial evidence or novel data addressing editor or reviewer feedback. The editorial team ensures all appeals undergo a fair and transparent process.

Contact: appeals@mesopotamian.press

General Guidelines

Authorship in an article serves to acknowledge individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research, thereby ensuring accountability and transparency while upholding the content's integrity. To qualify for authorship, individuals must meet all of the following:

• Made significant intellectual contributions (conceptualization, study design, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation).
• Participated in drafting, revising, or critically reviewing the manuscript.
• Contributed to the final decision to submit the manuscript to MJQS.
• Reviewed and approved all versions of the article, including the final accepted version.
• Accepted responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the article.

Changes to Authorship

Any modifications to the authorship list (before or after publication) require unanimous approval of all authors. The corresponding author must secure this consensus and provide justification. An official Change of Authorship Form must accompany requests. Post-publication changes are issued through correction notices.

If the authors wish to withdraw a paper, a Manuscript Withdrawal Form must be completed and submitted by the corresponding author, with the consent of all co-authors.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship credit must be based on significant contributions in three main areas:

1. Study Design and Data Analysis: Conceptualizing, designing, data collection, and analysis.
2. Manuscript Preparation: Drafting or critically revising for substantial intellectual content.
3. Final Approval: Approval of the final version for publication.

Simply securing funding, collecting data, or overseeing research does not qualify for authorship. All authors listed must have contributed significantly and are accountable for their roles.

Contribution Details

Each contributor must provide a detailed account of their role, categorized as:

• Conceptualization and study design
• Defining intellectual content
• Literature review
• Experimental or clinical studies
• Data collection and compilation
• Data/statistical analysis
• Manuscript drafting
• Editing and review

Citations

Authors must support claims with relevant, up-to-date, and credible sources, preferably peer-reviewed. Excessive or inappropriate self-citation, as well as citation manipulation, is prohibited and considered a form of ethical misconduct. For guidance, authors may consult the COPE citation guidelines.

Non-Research Articles

For review articles, essays, or opinion pieces, references should provide a balanced and comprehensive overview of current discourse. Citation practices must remain impartial, avoiding undue favoritism toward specific authors, institutions, or journals.

Uncertain Sources

If authors are unsure about the relevance or reliability of a source, they should consult the editorial office before inclusion. This ensures consistency and prevents the use of questionable or inappropriate references.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest, including institutional ties, product mentions, or affiliations that could influence interpretation. Reviewers must likewise complete a Conflict of Interest Form. Transparency ensures objectivity and trust in published work.

Corrections

A Correction Notice is issued when errors are identified that affect interpretation but not overall validity.

• Corrigendum: Corrects errors made by authors.
• Erratum: Corrects errors introduced by the publisher.

Retractions

A Retraction Notice is published when serious flaws or misconduct invalidate the article’s conclusions. Examples include lack of ethical approvals, data fabrication, plagiarism, or duplicate publication. Retractions follow COPE guidelines and link transparently to the original record.

Expressions of Concern

Issued when serious doubts arise but investigations are pending or inconclusive. Once resolved, the concern is replaced by either a Correction or Retraction Notice. For inquiries, contact: dispute@mesopotamian.press.

Removals

In rare cases where neither retraction nor correction is sufficient (e.g., libel, legal violations, or court orders), a Removal Notice will replace the deleted article to maintain transparency of the academic record.

The Mesopotamian Journal of Quran Studies is committed to upholding the integrity of the scholarly record. Misconduct is treated with zero tolerance and addressed in line with COPE protocols. Allegations are investigated thoroughly, and appropriate sanctions are applied.

Examples of Misconduct

• Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism or text recycling
• Data fabrication or falsification
• Manipulating citations to inflate metrics
• Duplicate or redundant publication
• Improper author contribution or attribution
• Image manipulation altering scientific interpretation
• Exploiting ethical loopholes (“ethics dumping”)
• Unauthorized use of copyrighted material or third-party content
• Improper influence on the peer review process
• Failure to disclose competing interests

Specific Misconduct Types

• Duplicate Submission: Submitting the same work to multiple journals without disclosure.
• Citation Manipulation: Adding citations solely to boost metrics.
• Redundant Publications: Dividing one study into multiple papers inappropriately.
• Improper Attribution: Listing individuals as authors who did not meet authorship criteria.
• Data/Image Falsification: Presenting manipulated or fabricated datasets or images.

Definition & Consequences

Misconduct refers to any action that violates the journal’s ethical policies or the guidelines of COPE, WAME, ICMJE, or STM. Such activities will be investigated, and penalties may include rejection, retraction, banning of submissions, or notification of institutions/funding bodies. The purpose is to safeguard academic integrity, not to penalize honest errors.

Plagiarism Policy

The journal enforces a strict policy against plagiarism in any form, including duplicate, partial, repetitive, or self-plagiarism, regardless of language. Every submission is checked with professional detection software. Manuscripts with an unacceptable similarity index are rejected immediately. Preprint archives are not considered plagiarism or redundant publication.

Preprint Policy

Authors may upload preprints of their manuscripts to recognized repositories (e.g., arXiv, RePEc) before or during submission. After acceptance, authors must link their preprint to the formal publication using its DOI and may update the preprint with the accepted version. This ensures broad dissemination of research while protecting the integrity of the published record.

Patient Identifying Information

To protect privacy, identifying details such as names, images, scans, or pedigrees must not be published unless absolutely essential for scientific purposes. In such cases, authors must obtain informed consent from the patient, or from parents/guardians if the subject is a minor. A statement confirming informed consent must be included in the manuscript.

Consent Responsibility

Authors bear full responsibility for securing, documenting, and storing patient consent forms. These forms must not be submitted with the manuscript or shared via email with the editorial office. This protects privacy while upholding ethical publication standards.

Research Involving Humans

Studies involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and receive approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee prior to initiation. Manuscripts must include the name of the approving institution, committee designation, and approval number. Retroactive approval is not acceptable. Informed consent must be obtained, and participants’ privacy must be protected at all stages.

Research Involving Animals

All animal studies must comply with international, national, and institutional guidelines on ethical care and welfare. Ethical approval must be secured in advance from an appropriate body (e.g., IACUC). Manuscripts should provide an ethics statement including: approving institution, approval number, justification for animal use, and information on housing, care, and measures to minimize suffering.

Research Involving Plants

Studies on plants must follow all relevant institutional, national, and international standards. Authors must declare that permits or licenses for research have been obtained. Compliance with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is mandatory.

Standards of Reporting

To ensure that findings are verifiable and reproducible, authors must present research in a clear, structured, and transparent manner. Reports should include:

• Rationale: A clear explanation of the study’s purpose and importance.
• Research Protocol: A full account of experimental or observational methods.
• Methodology: Detailed instruments, techniques, and procedures used.
• Data Analysis: Complete description of data processing, interpretation, and statistical methods.

Thorough and transparent reporting ensures that other researchers can reproduce and expand upon the work, fostering trust and scientific progress.

Use of Third-Party Material

When incorporating content from other sources, authors must obtain appropriate permissions. This applies to text, images, tables, data, audio, video, or other media. Fair use provisions may allow limited excerpts for criticism or evaluation, but outside of this, explicit written permission is required. Even when materials are reused under open licenses, proper acknowledgment of the original source is mandatory.

Use of AI in Writing

Authors may use AI or AI-assisted tools to improve readability and language quality. However, core intellectual tasks—such as developing insights, forming conclusions, and providing scientific contributions—must remain human-authored. AI-generated text must be carefully reviewed and edited by the authors to ensure accuracy, completeness, and objectivity.

Authors must disclose any AI use in their manuscript. A declaration will be added to the published work for transparency. AI tools cannot be listed as co-authors, since authorship requires human accountability.

Authorship Responsibilities

Authors retain full accountability for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their work. Responsibilities include:

• Approving the final version of the manuscript before submission.
• Ensuring the work does not infringe third-party rights.
• Taking full responsibility for errors, corrections, or ethical issues.

Use of AI in Peer Review

Generative AI tools cannot replace human judgment in peer review. Reviewers and editors must not upload manuscripts or reports into AI tools, as confidentiality and data security cannot be guaranteed. Peer review reports, decision letters, and author communications must remain private and human-reviewed.

AI tools may only be used ethically for editorial support tasks, such as plagiarism detection or reviewer matching, provided confidentiality is preserved.

Acknowledgment of Ethical Standards

The Mesopotamian Journal of Quran Studies and all contributors are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Authors, reviewers, and editors must follow principles set by international organizations such as COPE, WAME, and the ICMJE. By submitting to the journal, authors confirm adherence to these principles and accept responsibility for their work’s accuracy, originality, and integrity.

Reviewers and editors likewise commit to objectivity, confidentiality, and fairness, ensuring transparency in all editorial decisions. Allegations of misconduct are investigated rigorously following COPE protocols.

Closing Statements

The journal is dedicated to maintaining the integrity and transparency of the publication process. By fostering fairness, honesty, and accountability, we aim to build a culture of trust in academic research. These ethics policies reflect our commitment to advancing knowledge while safeguarding the rights and responsibilities of all members of the scholarly community.