Manuscript Submission and Initial Screening
All manuscripts must be submitted to Umm Al-Qura University journals via the designated electronic submission system.
Upon receipt of the manuscript, the Editorial Board conducts an initial screening to verify the following:
Alignment with the journal’s scope, aims, and core themes.
Compliance with formatting guidelines and research ethics standards.
Completeness of metadata, author declarations, and required supplementary files.
Manuscripts that do not meet these baseline requirements will be returned to the author for revision prior to advancing to formal evaluation.
Assignment of an Handling Editor and Preliminary Review
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are assigned to an appropriate member of the Editorial Board, who conducts a preliminary assessment focusing on:
The overall relevance and appropriateness of the subject matter.
The scientific merit, rigor, and originality of the research.
Potential ethical concerns (e.g., plagiarism/text recycling, authorship disputes, or undisclosed conflicts of interest).
Based on this assessment, the Handling Editor may decide to:
Send the manuscript for external peer review.
Request minor clarifications prior to peer review.
Reject the manuscript at this stage, providing substantiated justification.
Peer Review Process
Umm Al-Qura University journals employ a double-blind peer review process to ensure impartiality and objectivity in the evaluation of all submissions.
Reviewer Selection: At least two independent subject-matter experts are invited to evaluate the manuscript.
Evaluation Criteria: Reviewers assess the manuscript for originality, methodological soundness, scientific significance, clarity of presentation, and adherence to ethical standards.
Review Timeline: Reviewers are expected to submit their comprehensive evaluation reports within two to four weeks.
Editorial Recommendation: The Handling Editor evaluates the peer review reports and submits a formal recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief (acceptance, minor revisions, major revisions, or rejection).
Final Decision: The Editor-in-Chief renders the final editorial decision based on the reviewer reports and editorial recommendations.
Revisions and Resubmission
When revisions are requested:
Authors receive detailed feedback and instructions from the reviewers and the Editorial Board.
Authors must submit a comprehensive, point-by-point response letter addressing all comments, alongside a revised manuscript clearly highlighting the changes made.
The revised manuscript may be returned to the original reviewers for re-evaluation or reviewed directly by the Handling Editor for final determination.
Acceptance and Post-Acceptance Review
Post-Acceptance Procedures:
Upon acceptance, the corresponding author receives an official formal acceptance notification via email confirming publication approval. Authors can subsequently access their official Acceptance Certificate through their journal system account.
Technical Editing: Verifying layout formatting, validating references, and standardizing metadata.
Copyediting: Language polishing to ensure stylistic consistency, fluency, and grammatical clarity.
Proofreading & Galley Proofs: The final layout proofs are sent to the author for formal approval prior to publication.
Production and Electronic Publication
Accepted manuscripts undergo a standard production workflow, including:
Typesetting and layout generation using the journal’s approved publication template.
Assigning a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and definitive article citation details.
Publishing the article as Open Access on the journal’s official portal.
Depositing and indexing the published article in relevant academic databases, subject to indexing eligibility criteria.
Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions
Should a correction, erratum, or retraction become necessary, the process is governed by the Umm Al-Qura University Journals Policy on Corrections and Retractions. All amendments are formally documented and bidirectionally linked to the original publication to uphold scholarly transparency and preserve the integrity of the academic record.