Rules of Publishing in Umm Al-Qura University Journal of Social Sciences
First: The materials accepted for publication
1. Umm Al-Qura University Journal of Social Sciences is a scientific peer-reviewed journal concerned with publishing scientific research and academic studies that are distinguished by originality, adhere to the methodology and steps of scientific research, and add to specialized knowledge in the field of social sciences. Research papers can be written in either Arabic or English. They should not have been previously published, and not be extracted from scientific dissertations, books, or previous research. If the research is accepted for publication in the journal, the material shall not be published in any other periodical without the written permission of the editor-in-chief.
2. The journal publishes research translations, readings, book reviews, scientific reports, and follow-ups on conferences, seminars, and academic activities related to its areas of specialty.
3. The journal reviews distinguished innovations and experiments, for the purpose of presentation and documentation.
4. The journal enriches its issues with profound specialized intellectual articles that diagnose a status quo, have a foresight of the future, draw lessons from the past, or provide rich global specialized ideas and applications. The journal welcomes these type of articles and their authors.
5. Research ideas and proposals (individual and collective) at the local and Arab levels.
Second: Publication criteria
1. The writer of the research paper should submit the scientific material through this link, and should fill out the publishing form.
2. All received papers are subjected to a preliminary examination by the editorial board to determine their eligibility for peer-reviewing. The board has the right to refuse to accept the research without stating the reasons.
3. Before being published in the journal, all submitted research papers and studies are peer-reviewed by specialized peer-reviewers from outside the editorial board.
4. In the event a research paper is not approved for publishing, it will not be returned to the researcher.
5. The author of the published research paper is given one copy of the paper journal. An extract from their research papers shall be sent to them in PDF format via e-mail.
6. The researcher shall be given an acceptance letter for publication upon returning the research paper in its final form, after completing any required modifications. # Under no circumstances is the acceptance letter to be given prior to the completion of that step.
Third: Publishing rules
1. The research paper submitted for publication must not exceed 30 pages. The general conditions of publication should be taken into consideration. It should include the two abstracts (Arabic and English) and references, and all pages should be numbered, including tables and illustrations.
2. The researcher should provide two abstracts, one in Arabic and the other in English. They should not exceed 200 words each.
3. The abstracts in Arabic and English should be followed by keywords, which should not be more than 5 words (not found in the title of the research), expressing the areas covered by the research to be used for indexing.
4. Dimensions for all four page margins (top, bottom, right, and left) should be set to 3 cm, single line spacing.
5. Research papers should be presented typed on Microsoft Word. The font for Arabic papers should be Simplified Arabic, font size 16, footnotes font size 12, subtitles font size 18. The line spacing should be set to 20. As for papers written in a foreign language, they should be typed in Times New Roman, font size 11, line spacing 1 cm. The margins should be 5 cm on all sides.
6. The type of font is in the tables for Arabic research (Simplified Arabic), font size 10, and for English papers (Times New Roman) font size 8.
7. The researcher takes into account the arrangement of the documentation numbers in a sequential manner, adopting the recognized scientific principles in authentication and reference.
8. The paper page numbering should be in the middle of the bottom of the page.
9. The paper title, researcher's name, or co-researchers, the institution to which they belong, and the mailing address, should be written on a separate page before the study pages, followed by the study pages, starting from the first page, where the title only is written, followed by the entire research paper.
10. The researcher takes care not to mention the researcher's name. or co-researchers, in the body of the research explicitly, or by any indication revealing their identity. # Rather, the word 'researcher' should be used, (or 'the co-researchers') instead of the name, whether in the body text or authentication, or in the reference list.
11. The paper should be organized according to the following guidelines:
- Applied research: The researcher sets an introduction that begins with presenting the nature of the research, the need for it, rationale, variables, including literature review in a compact form without assigning subtitles. This should be followed by a review of the research problem, setting its objectives, and research questions or hypotheses. Next, the research methodology should be presented, including the research community, its sample, tools, and procedures, including how to analyze its data. Then, the research results should be presented and discussed, and the recommendations emanating from it. The research paper should include a list of sources and references at the end of it, arranged alphabetically. The method of documentation approved in the journal should be followed. In the event that there are foreign sources, a list shall be added separately from the list of Arab sources. Scientific principles should be taken into consideration while preparing it.
- Theoretical research: the researcher gives an introduction in which they pave the way for the central idea that the research discusses, indicating the research literature, its significance, and scientific addition to its field. Then they should present their research methodology. Then the research shall be divided into sections with a degree of interconnectedness between them. In each of them a specific idea is presented that is part of the central idea of the research. The research paper concludes with a comprehensive summary including the most important findings of the research. The list of references is placed at the end of the research paper in alphabetical order, pertinent to the method of documentation approved in the journal.
12. The documentation method adopted in the journal is the American Psychological Association System, seventh edition.
( American Psychological Association – APA – 7th ed.).
13. The researcher should ensure the integrity of the research language, and that it is free from spelling and grammatical errors.
14. The researcher is obligated to translate or document the articles published in the Arab periodicals included in the Arabic reference list (while retaining them in the Arabic reference list), according to the following system:
- If the data of the published article is in Arabic and is mentioned in the reference list (which includes a name, names of the authors, article title, the journal data) are in English as found in the original journal where it was published, they should be written as in the reference list, with the addition of the word (in Arabic) in parentheses after the title of the journal.
- If the data of the published Arabic article is not available in English in the original publishing journal, the name, or names of the authors should be romanized, followed by the year of publication in parentheses (romanization means the phonetic transcription of non-Latin characters into Latin letters, enabling English readers to read it. That is, converting the pronunciations of Arabic letters into letters pronounced in English). Then, it is followed by the title of the article if it is available in English in the original article. If it is not available, then it will be translated into English. Then, the name of the periodical in which the article was published in English is mentioned, if it was written in it. If it is not written in it, then it should be translated into English. Then, the word (in Arabic) should be added in parentheses after the title of the journal.
- A list of Arabic references is placed directly after the text. It should be alphabetically arranged according to the last name of the first author, and according to the method of documentation approved in the journal.
- The list of Arabic references should be followed by the list of English references, including Arabic references that have been translated, or romanized, according to its alphabetical order (in English) according to the last name of the first author, based on the method of documentation approved in the journal.
An example of romanization of references:
Mikkaawy, Hassan wa Al-saiyd, Laylaa (2003): alittisaal wa nathriaatuh almua’asirah, alqahirah: al-daar almisriah allubnaniah.
Mikkaawy, Hassan wa Al-saiyd, Laylaa (2003) alittisaal wa nathriaatuh almua’asirah, alqahirah al-daar almisriah allubnaniah.
15. The principal researcher should submit a written acknowledgment with their signature, as well as those of all the co-researchers, if any, that the research has not been previously published in any scientific or other journal, that it has not been submitted for publication, and will not be submitted for publication in another entity until the end of its peer-reviewing procedures, and its publication in the journal.
16. The researcher should submit a written declaration with their signature of the percentage of plagiarism in the research paper presented, which should not exceed 20%.
17. The researcher shall attach a brief scientific biography printed in both Arabic and English, including their most important books and works.
18. The editorial board has the right to preliminary examination of the research paper, to determine its eligibility for peer-reviewing, or to reject it.
19. In the event that the research paper is accepted for publication, all copyrights shall be transferred to the journal. It may not be published in any other publishing outlet, in paper or electronic, without the written permission of the editorial board chief.
20. The opinions expressed in the published research paper express the researchers' point of view only. They do not necessarily express the opinion of the journal.
21. The research papers submitted to the journal shall have no religious or political purposes. They only represent scientific research in its various branches.
22. The editorial board has the right to set priorities for publishing research papers.
23. The papers shall be submitted electronically through this link.