Author Guidelines

1. Scope

The Islamic Quarterly has been published since 1954 by the Islamic Cultural Centre, London. The journal regularly features contributions from leading Muslim and non-Muslim scholars around the world. It provides a forum for all those who want to enhance critical research and study of Islam, its teachings and civilisation.

It welcomes original scholarly contributions of all aspects of Islam and of the Muslim World including religion, law, history, philosophy, literature, sociology and international relations.

Over the years, the journal has become an invaluable resource for deepening understanding of Islam and Muslim culture.

With a global distribution primarily to universities, libraries, and academic institutions, The Islamic Quarterly is also available to individual subscribers. Subscriptions are only available on an annual basis, and back issues can also be obtained.

2. Submission of Manuscripts

All submissions and editorial correspondence should be addressed to:

3. Contact Information

All inquiries related to the article, as well as production and subscription queries, should be directed to the IQ Secretary via email at iq@iccuk.org.

4. General

The Islamic Quarterly is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the Islamic Cultural Centre, London.

All submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process. Authors are requested not to submit articles that are under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Authors should ensure they retain a complete copy of their submission, as hard copies will not be returned if the article is not accepted for publication.

5. Language

Articles should be written in English, Arabic, or French. Spelling in the chosen language must remain consistent throughout.

For English submissions, either British or American spelling may be used, but the two styles must not be mixed.

6. File Formats

Materials will only be accepted in Microsoft Word format.

7. Loanwords and Foreign Words

Words or phrases in non-Roman scripts must be fully transliterated.

Foreign words accepted in English usage, such as sharia, caliph, and sultan, should be spelled in accordance with the New Oxford Dictionary of English or the Concise Oxford Dictionary.

All other foreign words must be italicised and transliterated in accordance with the system outlined here: https://www.iccuk.org/downloads2/transliteration.pdf.

The first instance of any foreign word should be accompanied by its English translation in parentheses, for example, uṣūl al-fiqh (legal theory).

8. Formatting and Style Guidelines

All articles should be double-spaced and set in a 12-point font, including the abstract, keywords, tables, figures, notes, and appendices.

Articles should be numbered consecutively and be complete, including all notes, bibliographical references, tables, and any other relevant materials.

URL addresses should be underlined. Book titles and foreign words should be italicised.

Authors are encouraged to use the 'Brill' font for all text in Latin script. The font can be downloaded from Brill’s website at brill.com/brill-typeface. Non-commercial use of the 'Brill' font is free.

Arabic texts should be written in the 'Traditional Arabic' font. If you use special characters, please ensure that the fonts used are also submitted.

9. Abstract and Keywords

All articles must include an abstract of 150–200 words that clearly defines the research, outlining its scope, approach, key findings, and significance.

Authors should also provide 3–10 keywords directly relevant to the paper’s content.

Generic terms such as Islam or Muslims should be avoided unless relevant to the research.

10. Quotations

For quotations of up to four lines, double quotation marks should be used for the main quote and single quotation marks for quotes within it.

Quotation marks should always follow punctuation (e.g., “A perceptive and cautious researcher with a sound, balanced mind.”)

Quotations longer than four lines should be indented and double-spaced. Block quotations should not have quotation marks and should appear on a separate line.

11. Date Formatting Guidelines

Dates should be presented in both the Hijri and Gregorian calendars. The following formats should be used:

• For individuals: (d. [Hijri year]/ [Gregorian year]), e.g., (d. 210/825)
• For periods: (start year–end year Hijri/start year–end year Gregorian), e.g., (381–422/991–1031)
• For centuries: 8th/14th century
• For specific dates: [Day] [Month Name] [Hijri year]/[Day] [Month Name] [Gregorian year], e.g., 2 Ramadan 950/23 June 1543

12. Bibliographical References and Notes

As journal articles do not include separate bibliographies, the full reference must be provided upon first mention.

This should include the author's name, the title of the work, editor details, the number of volumes (if applicable), the place and year of publication, and the relevant volume and page numbers.

Notes and references will be published as footnotes but should be presented as endnotes.

13. Quranic Verses

Quranic verses should be referenced directly within the main text, not in footnotes.

The reference format should follow this structure: (Q: 2:141), where "2" represents the chapter (sūrah) and "141" represents the verse (āyah).

14. Language Editing and Proofreading Services

For authors whose first language is not English, we offer a pre-submission proofreading service to help ensure that the academic content of the paper is presented clearly for editors and reviewers.

Please note that utilising such services does not guarantee acceptance for publication.

Further details can be found under the Language Editing and Proofreading Services section on The Islamic Quarterly platform.

Alternatively, authors may consider using external language editing services provided by specialised companies.

Any costs incurred for such services are the responsibility of the author.