Publication Requirements

First: General Conditions for Publication

1. The Journal publishes academic research and studies in the humanities and social sciences in both Arabic and English.
2. The Journal publishes research that demonstrates originality, innovation, sound methodology, and scholarly documentation, alongside intellectual integrity and linguistic accuracy.
3. The author must be a faculty member holding the rank of Assistant Professor or above, and the manuscript must not be derived from a Master's or Ph.D. thesis.
4. By submitting a manuscript through the Journal's website, the author undertakes that the work has not been previously published, is not currently under review, and will not be submitted to any other venue until the peer review process at the Journal is concluded.
5. The author undertakes that all content of the submitted manuscript is their own original work and does not infringe upon any intellectual property rights or any other rights of third parties.
6. The name(s) of the author(s) must not appear in the body of the manuscript, its footnotes, or its reference list — whether explicitly or through any identifying reference. The terms "the researcher" or "the researchers" shall be used instead.
7. The author bears full responsibility for the content of the submitted manuscript.
8. The author may not modify or alter the content of the manuscript following publication.
9. The author bears full legal liability for any breach of these conditions.

Second: Manuscript Formatting Requirements

1. Authors are required to use the Journal's official approved template when preparing their manuscript.
2. Authors are required to consult the Journal's approved technical specifications guide corresponding to the language of their manuscript, as follows:
   • The Arabic Technical Submission Guidelines, for manuscripts written in Arabic.
   • The Author Technical Submission Guidelines, for manuscripts written in English.
3. The technical specifications guide covers all requirements relating to page setup, fonts and font sizes, headings, abstracts, keywords, tables, figures, documentation, references, footnotes, manuscript length, and the pre-submission checklist.
4. Full compliance with the approved technical specifications is a mandatory prerequisite for passing the initial technical screening stage.
5. The Journal reserves the right to return a manuscript to its author for completion of technical requirements prior to referral for scientific peer review.

Third: Author Information

1. Author information must be provided in both Arabic and English on a separate page and shall include: full name — academic rank — specialisation — institutional affiliation (department, college, university) — correspondence address.
2. The manuscript must be submitted in two versions: one version including the cover page with full author information, and a fully anonymised version free of any details that could identify the author or their academic affiliation, for the purposes of blind peer review.
3. In the case of multiple authors, the details of all co-authors must be provided, with the corresponding author clearly identified.

Fourth: Abstract and Keywords

1. Authors submit their manuscript through the Journal's website via the "Submit Your Research" icon, completing the required form. The submitted manuscript must include an abstract in both Arabic and English, not exceeding 200 words.
2. The abstract must address the following elements: research objectives — methodology employed — key findings — main recommendations.
3. Each abstract must be followed by keywords in both Arabic and English that reflect the subject of the research and its principal themes, not exceeding six (6) keywords.
4. Abstracts and keywords are subject to all technical requirements set out in the Journal's approved technical specifications guide for the relevant manuscript language.

Fifth: Tables, Figures, and Appendices

1. Tables, figures, illustrations, photographs, and maps must be embedded within the body of the manuscript at the appropriate location and numbered sequentially in order of appearance.
2. Tables and figures must be provided with clear titles, and each must be referenced within the body of the manuscript.
3. Figures, photographs, and maps must be clearly labelled and of high resolution.
4. Tables, figures, photographs, maps, and all illustrative elements are subject to the approved technical specifications detailed in the Journal's technical specifications guide.

Sixth: Documentation and References — APA 7th Edition

1. All references must be written and formatted in accordance with the 7th edition of the American Psychological Association style (APA 7).
2. Arabic references are listed at the end of the manuscript in a separate alphabetically ordered list, followed by a separate list of foreign-language references arranged below.
3. References in the reference list must not be numbered; all sources cited in the manuscript must be included.
4. Romanisation of Arabic references must be appended after the foreign-language reference list, in compliance with the romanisation standards of the American Library Association and the Library of Congress (ALA-LC). The following online romanisation tool may be used: https://romanize-arabic.camel-lab.com/
5. Full compliance with all documentation, citation, and romanisation requirements set out in the Journal's approved technical specifications guide is mandatory.

Seventh: Linguistic Review

1. Manuscripts must be linguistically reviewed prior to submission so as to be free of spelling, grammatical, and stylistic errors.
2. Authors must use the Journal's official template and adhere to all technical specifications set out in the approved guide for the relevant manuscript language.

Eighth: Manuscript Submission Procedures

1. Authors submit their manuscript through the Journal's website by selecting the "Submit Your Research" icon, completing the form, and following the required procedures.
2. The manuscript must be submitted in DOCX format, using the Journal's official template, upon full compliance with all requirements of the approved technical specifications guide.
3. The Journal does not accept manuscripts submitted by email to the editorial office or by postal mail.
4. The editorial board reviews the manuscript and determines its eligibility for peer review or its declination; the author is notified of the acceptance or declination decision accordingly.
5. The act of submission through the Journal's website constitutes a declaration and undertaking by the author(s) that the manuscript is original and has not been previously published, is not currently under review with any other organisation, and will not be submitted to any other publisher pending the conclusion of the peer review process and the Journal's final decision.

Ninth: Initial Technical Screening

1. All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial technical screening to verify compliance with the Journal's publication requirements and approved technical specifications.
2. All submitted manuscripts are subject to similarity checking using the University's approved plagiarism detection system. The similarity index must not exceed the Journal's approved threshold (30%), subject to proper citation and academic referencing practices.
3. The initial technical screening aims to verify adherence to the Journal's official template and approved technical specifications guide.
4. A manuscript may be returned to its author for completion of technical requirements prior to referral for scientific peer review.
5. Passing the initial technical screening does not constitute acceptance for publication or for scientific peer review; it constitutes satisfaction of formal requirements only.
6. The Journal reserves the right to exclude a manuscript from publication procedures in the event of non-compliance with the approved technical specifications.

Tenth: Scientific Peer Review Procedures

1. All manuscripts approved by the Editorial Board are subject to Double Blind Peer Review, ensuring the confidentiality of both authors and reviewers throughout the review process.
2. Submitted manuscripts are forwarded to specialist reviewers selected confidentially by the editorial board.
3. Each manuscript is sent to two reviewers specialised in its subject area; if their opinions diverge, the manuscript is referred to a third reviewer whose opinion shall be determinative.
4. Manuscripts that reviewers require to be revised are returned to their authors; revisions must be resubmitted to the Journal within a maximum period of one (1) week from the date on which the revision request was sent to the author.
5. The Journal may request that revisions be made to a manuscript in accordance with the reviewers' recommendations prior to approving it for publication.
6. The author is notified of the decision to accept or decline the manuscript for publication.
7. Authors whose manuscripts are declined are notified of the declination decision without reasons being given.
8. Authors are notified of the Editorial Board's initial decision regarding the manuscript's eligibility for peer review before it is sent to reviewers.
9. Authors are notified of the outcomes of peer review following successful completion of the initial editorial approval stage; the outcome takes one of three forms: acceptance for publication — acceptance subject to revisions — rejection.

Eleventh: Post-Acceptance and Intellectual Property Rights

1. Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, it may not be published in any other publication venue — whether in print or electronic form — without the written permission of the Editor-in-Chief.
2. All intellectual property rights in published works vest in full in the University of Tabuk Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences.
3. The author may not modify or alter the content of the manuscript following publication and bears full legal liability for any breach thereof.

Twelfth: Publication Ethics Statement

The University of Tabuk Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences applies ethical policies for scholarly publication in order to ensure the integrity, transparency, and quality of scientific content, in accordance with the following principles:

First: Application of Fair and Objective Peer Review Standards

The Journal ensures that peer review processes are conducted by reviewers with relevant expertise and specialisation in the subject matter of submitted works, and that review is carried out through transparent procedures and objective criteria.

Second: Notifying Authors of Decisions

1. The Journal is committed to informing authors of editorial and peer review decisions throughout all stages of the publication process in a manner that promotes transparency and clarity.
2. Authors are notified of the outcomes of peer review following successful completion of the initial stage; the outcome takes one of three forms: acceptance — acceptance subject to revisions — rejection.

Third: Disclosure of Funding Sources

Authors are required to disclose the funding sources of submitted works in accordance with the Journal's requirements.

Fourth: Compliance with the Journal's Aims, Scope, and Policies

1. The Journal adopts clear objectives within defined fields of the humanities and social sciences. Authors are required to comply with its ethical, substantive, and formal standards as well as its scope and aims in submitted works.
2. The Journal applies rigorous policies on matters affecting the quality and credibility of its publications, ensuring editorial independence, commitment to technical support for authors, and transparency in the declaration of financial and non-financial conflicts of interest.

Fifth: Intellectual Property Rights

The University of Tabuk Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences holds all intellectual property rights over published works.

Sixth: Declaration of Conflicts of Interest

1. Authors and editors are required to disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect the integrity of the publication and peer review process.
2. Authors undertake to make disclosure at the time of each submission and upon any conflict of interest arising throughout the publication procedures.

Seventh: Disclosure of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Authors must disclose any use of artificial intelligence tools in the preparation, editing, or translation of their manuscripts in accordance with the Journal's submission requirements and disclosure procedures.

Thirteenth: Approved Reference Documents

The Journal adopts the following documents as official references supplementary to the publication requirements:

1. Arabic Technical Submission Guidelines.
2. Author Technical Submission Guidelines.
3. The approved Arabic manuscript template.
4. The approved English manuscript template.
5. The Reviewer Comments Response Form.