Manuscript Submission and Initial Screening
All scientific manuscripts must be submitted to Umm Al-Qura University journals through the approved electronic submission system.
Upon receipt of the manuscript, the Editorial Board conducts an initial screening to verify the following:
Alignment of the topic with the journal's scope and primary focus areas.
Adherence to formatting guidelines and ethical standards.
Completeness of metadata, mandatory declarations, and required supplementary files.
Submissions that do not fulfill these baseline criteria are returned to the author for revision prior to advancing to formal evaluation.
Assignment of an Handling Editor and Preliminary Review
Once a manuscript passes the initial screening, it is assigned to an Editorial Board member specialized in the field, who conducts a preliminary review focusing on:
The relevance and timeliness of the presented topic.
The scholarly merit, significance, and originality of the research.
Any indicators of ethical breaches (such as plagiarism, authorship disputes, or undisclosed conflicts of interest).
Based on the findings of this evaluation, the handling editor will recommend one of the following courses of action:
Advance the manuscript to peer review.
Request minor clarifications prior to peer review.
Decline the manuscript at this stage, accompanied by formal justification.
Peer-Review Procedures
Umm Al-Qura University journals employ a double-blind peer-review model to ensure absolute impartiality and objectivity in the evaluation process.
Reviewer Selection: A minimum of two independent domain experts are invited to evaluate the manuscript.
Review Criteria: Reviewers assess the submission based on originality, methodological rigor, scholarly significance, clarity of exposition, and adherence to academic ethics.
Turnaround Time: Referees are expected to submit their evaluation reports within two to four weeks.
Editorial Recommendation: The handling editor assesses the reviewers' reports and formulates an official recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief (Accept, Minor or Major Revision, or Reject).
Final Decision: The Editor-in-Chief issues the final decision based on the submitted reports and editorial recommendations.
Revision and Resubmission Stage
When revisions are requested:
The author receives detailed feedback from the peer reviewers and the Editorial Board.
The author must provide a point-by-point response in an official rebuttal letter, accompanied by a revised manuscript file clearly highlighting all modifications made.
The revised paper may be returned to the original referees for re-evaluation, or adjudicated directly by the handling editor.
Acceptance and Post-Review Processing
Post-Acceptance Workflow:
Upon acceptance, the corresponding author receives a formal notification email confirming publication approval. An official acceptance certificate may then be accessed via the author's account in the journal portal.
Copyediting: Verification of layout formatting, reference validation, and metadata normalization.
Language Editing: Light linguistic refinement to ensure clarity, academic tone, and stylistic consistency.
Galley Proofing: The final layout proofs are transmitted to the author for formal approval prior to publication.
Production and Electronic Publication
Accepted manuscripts transition into the production stage, which encompasses:
Typesetting and layout formatting in accordance with the journal's official publishing template.
Assignment of a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and definitive publication identifiers.
Publication of the final article on the journal website under Open Access terms.
Deposition and distribution to relevant indexing databases and repositories subject to indexing eligibility.
Post-Publication Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
Should an error or ethical concern emerge subsequent to publication, the matter is handled in strict compliance with the Umm Al-Qura University Journals Policy on Corrections, Retractions, and Addenda. All corrective actions are permanently documented and transparently linked to the original publication to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.