Author Guidelines

Authors are highly advised to read the Author Guidelines when preparing their manuscript according to the specifications of the INPAC Conference Proceedings to ensure a smooth submission process. Authors are reminded to avoid plagiarism and adhere to the code of ethics of INPAC.

Submission Guidelines

The INPAC Conference Proceedings (INPAC) is a peer-reviewed conference proceeding that features original and thoroughly researched articles in Syariah law, fiqh, Islamic studies, legal studies, and related disciplines. The opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or associated institutions.

INPAC welcomes submissions in English, Malay, or Arabic. Articles under review or under consideration for publication elsewhere, either online or in print, will not be accepted. Additionally, the submissions must not have been previously published. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to confirm this at the time of submission.

Submissions should be made via the online platforms of OJS or Confbay. First-time contributors are required to register as new users before submitting their manuscripts. While the submission system is designed to be intuitive, authors may contact the Editorial Secretariat if assistance is required.

Manuscript

Manuscripts must follow the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition formatting style, using either Times New Roman or Traditional Arabic fonts.
For manuscripts written in Malay or Arabic, an additional abstract and title in English are required. Authors must include three to five keywords.
Font size should be 11 for Times New Roman and 16 for Traditional Arabic, with text single-spaced.
The total length of the article, including references, should not exceed 25 pages. Authors are encouraged to refer to the INPAC template for further details.

Abstract

Each manuscript must include an abstract of 250–350 words.
Malay or Arabic manuscripts must provide an additional abstract and title in English.
Keywords should consist of three (3) to five (5) terms.

Authorship

All listed authors must have made a significant contribution to the article, whether in the design, analysis, interpretation of data, or drafting of the manuscript. All authors must review and approve the final version prior to submission for publication.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must avoid any potential or apparent conflict of interest during submission. As INPAC employs a peer-review process, authors should refrain from suggesting reviewers from their own institution or individuals who have previously assessed or commented on the manuscript. Although the editorial board may consider suggested reviewers, INPAC reserves the right to appoint suitable reviewers if necessary.

Timeliness

Authors are expected to respond promptly to revision requests. INPAC practices a revision completion period of two weeks.
If authors encounter difficulties that may prevent them from meeting the revision deadline, they must notify the Editorial Office to request an extension. Manuscripts with overdue revisions will be withdrawn after the stipulated period.

If an author wishes to withdraw a submission intended for publication in INPAC, the author must inform the Editorial Office with an appropriate explanation.

Copyright Assignment and Permissions

For all articles published in INPAC, copyright remains with the authors. Articles are published under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, allowing anyone to download and read the work for free. The article may be reused and cited provided that the original version is acknowledged. This ensures maximum visibility while giving full credit to the authors.

In exceptional cases where a different license is required (e.g., funding-related restrictions), authors should notify the INPAC Editorial Secretariat. Special arrangements may be considered at the publisher’s discretion.

Reproducing Published Material from Other Publishers

Authors must obtain prior permission to reproduce any published material (figures, tables, charts, text extracts) that does not fall within the public domain or for which the author does not hold the copyright. Permission must be secured from the relevant copyright holder (typically the publisher).

Permission is required for:

  • Your own work published elsewhere for which you did not retain copyright.
  • Substantial extracts from any source.
  • Use of tables, graphs, charts, schemes, or artwork that are unaltered or only slightly modified.
  • Photographs for which the author does not own the copyright.

Permission is not required for:

  • Reconstruction of your own table using data published elsewhere. In this case, you must cite the source of the data with “Data from…” or “Adapted from…”.
  • Reasonably short quotations that fall under fair use.
  • Graphs, charts, schemes, and artworks that are completely redrawn by the authors and significantly altered beyond recognition.

Obtaining Permission

To avoid unnecessary delays in the publication process, authors should begin obtaining permissions as early as possible. When in doubt regarding copyright status, permission must be sought. INPAC Conference Proceedings cannot publish material from other publications without proper permission.

The copyright holder may specify how the acknowledgment should be phrased; otherwise, authors should use the following format at the end of the caption of a table, figure, or scheme:

“Reproduced with permission from [author], [book/conference proceedings title]; published by [publisher], [year].”

All other materials on this website—including but not limited to text, computer code, artwork, photographs, images, music, audio material, video material, and audiovisual content—are the property of INPAC Conference Proceedings, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, and its licensors.

Manuscript Format and Structure

Authors must read this section carefully to avoid violations in the submission process. Manuscripts prepared with minimal errors and in accordance with the required format ensure efficient communication and faster publication processing. When necessary, the INPAC Editorial Office may return a manuscript for scientific or editorial correction, which will delay publication. Authors are strongly encouraged to use the provided INPAC manuscript template.

The Editor reserves the right to make linguistic edits and offer suggestions to improve clarity and brevity. Additional charges may apply depending on the manuscript’s quality and preparation. Authors must therefore proofread their manuscripts before final submission.

Manuscript File Type

Prepare your manuscript in ONE (1) single file containing the following sections:

  • Title Page Information
  • Manuscript Text
  • Figures and/or Tables

INPAC only accepts Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) format.
PDF submissions are not permitted.

Language

The accepted languages are English (UK or US), Arabic, and Bahasa Melayu (Malay-Malaysia).
Do not mix languages within a single manuscript.

Manuscripts must be written clearly and in correct format. Authors whose native language is not English are encouraged to have their work checked by a proficient English speaker. Excessive language errors may result in rejection.

Title Page Information

  • Title – Must be concise, informative, and written in CAPITAL LETTERS.
  • Author Names, Affiliations, and ORCID
    • Names must be spelled correctly and written in the format: Last Name, Initials (e.g., New, C.Y.).
    • Affiliation addresses must be written fully, without abbreviations, and listed under the authors’ names.
    • Use number superscripts in front of each author’s last name and match the superscript with the corresponding affiliation.
    • Provide each author’s ORCID iD.
  • Corresponding Author
    • Indicate by placing an asterisk (*) before the author’s name.
    • Provide the email address of the corresponding author after the affiliation details.

Manuscript Style

Headings of the sections are to be bold and appear on their own separate line. Subheadings/subsections should be given a brief heading, italicized, and appear on their own separate line. Authors are advised to minimize subsections. Please number the headings and subheadings accordingly, i.e.:

Heading
Subheading

The manuscript should include:

  • Abstract – Executive summary of the manuscript which includes the specific aims, brief description of method, main results, and conclusions in a single paragraph. No references should be included in the abstract. Non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself. Kindly include the contribution of the study to the international intellectual community.
  • Keywords – A minimum of 3 and a maximum of only 5 words allowed indicating the essentials of the research work. Separate each keyword with a comma (,) in a single line.
  • Introduction and Literature Review – A brief literature review and previous relevant work with references. Include the objectives of the research work in the last paragraph clearly.
  • Methodology – Precise methods should be described to ensure reproducibility. Published or known methods should be cited correctly and if there are modifications, they should be clearly stated. The methodology should include details of the study design, instruments used, and analysis techniques.
  • Results – The results should be clear and concise, presented in the form of text, tables, or figures. Each table and figure should be numbered and have a caption. Avoid repeating data that is presented in tables or figures in the text.
  • Discussion – Interpret the results, providing insights into the significance of the findings, and comparing them with previous studies. Discuss the implications of the findings for theory, practice, or future research. Address any limitations of the study.
  • Conclusion – Summarize the main findings and their implications. The conclusion should be concise and should not introduce new information.
  • References – Authors must use the APA 7th edition referencing style. Ensure that all citations in the text are included in the reference list and vice versa. Each reference should be accurate and complete, with journal titles italicized and volume numbers in bold.

Tables and Figures

  • Tables should be numbered consecutively and have a clear title. Place table titles above the tables.
  • Figures should also be numbered consecutively and have a clear title. Place figure titles below the figures.
  • Ensure that tables and figures are referenced in the text and that they complement rather than duplicate the content of the text.

Footnotes

  • Footnotes should be used sparingly and kept to a minimum. They should be numbered consecutively in the text and placed at the bottom of the page on which they appear.

Appendices

  • If necessary, appendices should be placed after the references. They should be labeled as "Appendix" followed by a letter (e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B) if there is more than one. Each appendix should have a title.

Ethical Considerations

  • Authors must ensure that their research complies with ethical standards, particularly in studies involving human participants. The manuscript should include a statement confirming that the study was approved by an appropriate ethics committee and that participants gave informed consent.

Review Process

  • Manuscripts submitted to Syariah and Law Discourse (DSL) undergo a double-blind peer-review process. Authors should prepare their manuscripts in such a way that reviewers cannot identify the author(s). This includes removing any author-identifying information from the text and file properties.

Submission Checklist

  • Authors should ensure that their manuscript complies with all aspects of these guidelines before submission. Manuscripts that do not meet these guidelines may be returned for revision before being sent for review.