Guidelines for Authors

Body and Structure of Article

The file must be saved and sent in MS Word file. The text should be in single- column format. Keep the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the 'spell-check' and grammar-check' functions of your word processor. .

  • Your article should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1" margins on all You should use a clear font that is highly readable. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
  • Please note that submitted manuscripts must not exceed more than 10,000 words including all references, tables, and figures.

Essential Title Page Information

Author names and affiliations.

Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author and check that all names are accurately spelled. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lowercase superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.

Corresponding author.

Indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. Ensure that the e-mail address is given and that contact details are kept up to date by the corresponding author.

Present/permanent address.

If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes.

Anonymous Paper Sections

Your article should include three major sections: the Abstract, Main Body, and References. Make sure that your manuscript has been "spellchecked" and "grammar-checked

 

Abstract

Beginning with the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do not indent.) Your abstract should contain at least your research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions. You may also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings. Your abstract should be a single paragraph double-spaced. Your abstract should be between 150 and 250 words.

You may also want to list keywords from your paper in your abstract. To do this, indent as you would if you were starting a new paragraph, type Keywords: (italicized), and then list your keywords. Listing your keywords will help researchers find your work in databases.

Main Body

Body of the text should follow the APA Style in following context.

Introduction

State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.

Theoretical section

A Theory section should extend, not repeat, the background to the article already dealt with in the Introduction and lay the foundation for further work. It should cover all the relevant studies related to the topic of research.

Methodology section

Authors should clearly state the methodology: whether it is conceptual study or empirical in nature. It should provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced. Methods already published should be indicated by a reference: only relevant modifications should be described.

Results

Results should be clear and concise. All Tables and figures should be according to required format.

Discussion

This section should compare the results with previous studies and discuss their relevance with sound justification.

Conclusions

The main conclusions of the study may be presented in a short Conclusions section, which may stand alone or form a subsection of a Discussion or Results and Discussion section. It may also draw policy and managerial implications of the study.

Tables

Please submit tables as editable text and not as images. Tables should be placed in the next to the relevant text in the article. Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text and place any table notes below the table body and ensure that the data presented in them do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.

  • Use tables for the purpose of simplifying A table with 2 or fewer columns and rows should be presented in text format instead of a table.
  • In text, refer to every e.g. As shown in Table 2, the ….. OR (see Table 2). Tell the reader what to look for, but only mention the major points of the table.
  • Number tables in the order they are first mentioned in text. Do not write “the table above” or “the table below.”
  • Be consistent in the formatting and vocabulary of all tables when writing a paper.
  • Double-space the entire
  • Ensure that your table title is brief but
  • Italicize the table Do not italicize the table number.
  • Standard abbreviations and symbols, such as % or may be used in headings without further explanation.
  • Ensure each column has a heading
  • Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of all If a word is a proper noun, however, be sure to capitalize the first letter anyway.
  • Notes are placed below the
  • If the table is from another source, include a note below the table specifying whether it is from another source or adapted from another source.

e.g. “Note. From….” OR  “Note. Adapted from…” OR “Note. The data in column 1 are from…”

Figures

  • A figure is any type of illustration other than a table (chart, graph, photograph, or drawing).
  • Use figures to complement information in text or to simplify
  • Number figures in the order they are first mentioned in text. Do not write “the figure above” or “the figure ”
  • Figures should be large enough to read easily (between 8 point and 14 point font with sans serif typeface) and convey only essential information. The preferred typeface in figures is 12-pt Courier.
  • Ensure that figures are simple, clear and consistent in presentation and
  • Ensure data are plotted accurately and the grid scale is
  • Place labels close to the identified item.
  • Axis labels on graphs should be parallel to their
  • Captions include the figure title and a brief, but descriptive, explanation of the
  • Double-space the caption and place it below the
  • The figure legend should be positioned within the borders of the figure.

References

APA citation basics

Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the referencelist, but may be mentioned in the text. If these references are included in the reference list they should also follow the APA style and should include a substitution of the publication date with either 'Unpublished results' or 'Personal communication'. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication.

When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, for example, (Jones, 1998), and a complete reference should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper. Different Citations should be in the following context.

Citing an Author or Authors

A Work by Two Authors: Name both authors in the signal phrase or in the parentheses each time you cite the work. Use the word "and" between the authors' names within the text and use the ampersand in the parentheses

Book: One Author

Sample Citation:

Welch, K.E. (1999). Electric rhetoric: Classical rhetoric, oralism, and a new literacy. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Book: two or more Authors

Sample Citation:

Lunsford, A., & Ede, L. (1990). Singular texts/plural authors: Perspectives on collaborative writing. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. Masters, W.H., Johnson, V.E., & Levin, R.J. (1974). The pleasure bond: A new look at sexuality and commitment. Boston: Little, Brown.

Electronic Book

Sample Citation:

Dickens, C. (1910). A tale of two cities. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/ books?id=Pm0AAAAAYAAJ

Chapter in a Book

 Sample Citation:

Wells, I.B. (1995). Lynch law in all its phases. In S.W. Logan (Ed.), With pen and voice: A critical anthology of nineteenth-century African-American women (pp. 80-90). Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, & Other Reference Works

Sample Citation:

Shally-Jensen, M., et al. (Eds.). (2004). Encyclopedia Americana (2004 ed., Vols. 30). Danbury: Scholastic Library Publishing.

Journal Article: Print

 Sample Citation:

Haraway, D.J. (1994). A game of cat's cradle: Science studies, feminist theory, cultural studies.Configurations, 2, 59-71.

Journal Article: Multiple Authors

 Sample Citation:

Richardson, J.R., Aldridge, A.E., & Endersby, I.D. (2007). Post settlement behavior of brachiopods on hard and soft substrates. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 34(1), 43-49.

Magazine Article: Print

 Sample Citation:

Swartz, M. (2002, May 6). An Enron yard sale. New Yorker, 78(10), 50-52.

Magazine Article: Multiple Authors Sample Citation:

Burnsed, B., Gloeckler, G., Grover, R., Lawyue, M., Lowry, T., & Polek, D. (2008, October 13). The power 100. Business Week, (4103), 52-57.

Newspaper Article:

Sample Citation:

Lewin, T. (2005, May 15). SAT essay scores are in, but will they be used? The New York Times,A22.

Multiple Internet Site: Entire Site

Sample Citation:

Bird Studies Canada. (2005). Avibase: The world bird database. Retrieved from http://www.bsc eoc.org/avibase/avibase.jsp?pg= home&lang=EN

E-books

Sample Citation

Nathanson, D. L. (n.d.). Shame and pride: Affect, sex and the birth of self [Kindle version]. New York, NY: W. W. Norton. Retrieved from Amazon.com

Conference papers & presentations

Sample Citation

Nguyen, C. A. (2012, August). Humor and deception in advertising: When laughter may not be the best medicine. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Orlando, FL.

Ethical Policy of CJIF

If the work involves the use of human subjects, the author should ensure that the work described has been carried out in accordance with standard ethics acceptable globally in learned societies. Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously. The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. It is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method.

It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act  of publishing: the author, the journal and the peer reviewer to  uphold transparency, credibility, originality, honesty, legality, respect, fairness, trust and responsibility. All stakeholders pledge to avoid misconduct in academic research which implies (and is not limited to) fabrication, falsification, plagiarism or deception in proposing, carrying out or reporting results of research.

Plagiarism involves the unacknowledged use of someone else’s work, usually in coursework, and passing it off as if it were one’s own. This intentional malpractice is a conscious, pre-mediated form of cheating and is regarded as a particularly serious breach of the core values of academic integrity. Similarity index of papers should be less than 20%. If any single source has similarity index >=5% without citation then it needs to be revised.

Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed.

Evaluation Process

  • Desk Rejection

Manuscripts may be desk rejected (i.e. rejected without editorial review) for the following reasons:

    • Manuscripts with excessive plagiarism
    • Manuscripts submitted other than through email attachments will be desk rejected.
    • Outside the scope of the journal
    • Poorly written manuscripts who do not follow the journal-required format
    • Manuscripts that do not make significant contribution in the field of Islamic Finance
  • Double-blind peer review

Manuscripts that pass through initial screen are sent for peer review. This journal uses double-blind peer review, which means the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and vice versa. To facilitate this, please include the following separately: Title page (with author details): This should include the title, authors' names and affiliations, and a complete address for the corresponding author including an e-mail address. Blinded manuscript (no author details): The main body of the paper (including the references, figures, tables and any acknowledgements) should not include any identifying information, such as the authors' names or affiliations.

  • Revising the Manuscript

After double blind review manuscript is either rejected or sent to author for revision and changes suggested by the reviewers along with review form. If the author is not agree with the changes suggested by the reviewer, he will have to justify it. Author also has the right to defend the changes.

  • After Acceptance

All corresponding authors  will be  informed  by email  regarding the acceptance of  paper. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately.

  • After Publishing

Corresponding authors will receive an e-mail with a link to see the published abstract on website of CJIF. One copy of relevant volume/issue of CJIF will be dispatched to the corresponding author.


Authors Inquiries & Complaints

COMSATS Journal of Islamic Finance (CJIF) Editorial Office
H- Block, Office No. 12, M. A. Jinah Building, Defence Road,
Off Raiwind Road, Lahore,
+92 (42) 111001007 Ext. 125
editor.cjif@cuilahore.edu.pk