Editorial Roles
Al-Muhafidz distinguishes between scholarly leadership, editorial management, manuscript handling, and advisory functions. This page describes the responsibilities and limits of authority attached to each role. Names, institutional affiliations, and academic profiles are listed on the Editorial Team page.
1. Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief provides scholarly leadership and holds overall responsibility for editorial standards and publication decisions.
- Guide the journal’s editorial direction within its published aims and scope.
- Oversee initial screening of submissions and the consistent application of editorial policies.
- Make the final decision to accept or reject a manuscript, after considering the manuscript, reviewer reports, author responses, and recommendations from the handling editor.
- Assign manuscripts to qualified editors and oversee any formally delegated decision-making authority.
- Coordinate editorial responses to concerns affecting the integrity of submitted or published work.
- Oversee the scholarly content of special issues, where applicable.
Limit of authority: The Editor-in-Chief must not handle or decide on a manuscript where a relevant conflict of interest exists. Such manuscripts must be handled by an independent editor.
2. Editorial Board
Editorial Board members are academics from universities across Indonesia. They contribute disciplinary expertise and advise on the journal’s development.
- Advise on subject coverage, emerging research areas, and the relevance of published content.
- Recommend suitable reviewers or potential editorial contributors.
- Undertake manuscript assessment, handling, or peer review when specifically invited and qualified to do so.
- Take part in periodic discussions on editorial quality and improvements to journal policies.
Limit of authority: Board membership alone does not authorize manuscript acceptance, guarantee publication, or provide preferential treatment. Any handling or decision-making assignment must be made explicitly.
3. International Advisory Editorial Board
This board consists of academics from abroad who provide strategic guidance on the journal’s scholarly direction, including the relevance of Qur’anic studies and tafsir within global scholarship.
- Advise on the development of research areas and international scholarly standards.
- Help expand the journal’s network of international authors and reviewers.
- Take part in policy discussions when requested.
Limit of authority: This board serves in an advisory capacity. Its members do not handle manuscripts or make editorial decisions unless explicitly assigned to do so.
4. Assignment and Decision Authority
The editor handling a manuscript and the editor authorized to issue the final decision must be identifiable in the journal’s internal editorial records. Delegated authority and any changes of assignment must be recorded.
Reviewer recommendations inform editorial decisions. Reviewers do not independently accept or reject manuscripts, and administrative staff do not convert recommendations into decisions without authorization.
Where an individual holds more than one role, their authority derives from the specific assignment, not from the accumulation of titles. An editor with a conflict of interest must take no part in reviewer selection, assessment, or decision-making for the affected manuscript.
