Review Model

Al-Muhafidz: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur'an dan Tafsir uses a double-blind external peer review model. Each article is assessed by two independent reviewers. The editor evaluates their reports together with the editor's own assessment, and the final decision follows the process described in Decision Process.

1. Initial Screening (Desk Evaluation)
Before external review, the editor screens every submission for plagiarism level, alignment with the journal's scope, language quality, structural completeness, and currency of references. Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria may be rejected at this stage without external review. Manuscripts that pass proceed to peer review, with or without initial revisions.

2. Identity Masking
Reviewers do not receive author identities, and authors do not receive reviewer identities. Editors and authorized editorial staff may access identifying information for administrative purposes, conflict checks, and editorial communication.

Authors must prepare an anonymized manuscript and a separate identified title page, as specified in the Author Guidelines. Publicly available preprints or distinctive research contexts may make authors identifiable, so complete anonymity cannot be guaranteed. Reviewers who recognize an author must inform the editor and declare any resulting conflict of interest.

3. Scope of Peer Review
Reviewers assess originality, methodology, scientific contribution, and the relevance of the article's substance. The review model applies to research manuscripts using empirical, theoretical, conceptual, or interpretive approaches. Humanities-based research is subject to the same external review requirement.

Materials integral to the research claims, including relevant supplementary files, are made available for assessment, subject to legitimate confidentiality or access restrictions. Any such restrictions must be disclosed to the editor.

4. Evaluation of Review Results
The editor evaluates the two reviewer reports. If the reports are consistent, the editor proceeds to a decision. If they diverge, the editor validates and clarifies the points of disagreement with the reviewers before deciding. Receiving two reviewer reports does not by itself guarantee acceptance.

5. Revision
When revisions are requested, authors respond to the reviewers' and editor's comments and resubmit their manuscripts. Revisions are limited to a maximum of three cycles. If a manuscript still does not meet the journal's standards after the third cycle, the revision process ends and the editor makes the final decision, either accepted or rejected. The detailed revision procedure is described in Revision Process.