Instructions for Authors

Authorship refers to the intellectual and scientific contribution made to the preparation of a research paper or scientific study. This includes involvement in study design, data collection, data analysis, or writing and drafting the manuscript. An author is anyone who has made a substantial contribution to the scientific work and accepts responsibility for its content.

Authors’ Responsibility Statement

All authors affirm that they bear full responsibility for the content of the submitted manuscript. Each author confirms having made a substantial contribution to the research, reviewed the final version, and approved its submission to the journal.
The authors are collectively and individually accountable for the accuracy of the information, the validity of the data, the soundness of the methodology, and the ethical integrity of the work.
The manuscript must not be submitted to another publication simultaneously, and all authors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

Kufa Journal of Arts seeks to attract as large numbers of authors as possible; so, the editorial board saves no efforts to overcome the obstacles and difficulties in front of researchers form the different Arab and foreign countries by adopting the following steps: 

  • Approval of the magazine template available on the website in (PDF)
  • The researcher sends his research via the journal platform electronically and confirms on the first page his full name, scientific title, email, and administrative affiliation (place of work) and (ORCID) account in both Arabic and English. 
  • The font type is (Times New Roman) for the text, the font size is (14) and the line spacing is (1.5).
  • The research should not be more than (25) pages and not less than (15) pages.
  • The researcher attaches with his research a summary in both Arabic and English languages, regardless of the language of the research. The abstract includes: The purpose of the research, its methods, and its most important results, provided that this summary does not exceed ten lines.
  • The method of documenting sources and references is according to the APA (American Psychological Association).
  • The research includes keywords, in both Arabic and English that are not less than five words related to the subject of the research.
  • The researcher must complete the journal's declaration form (whether the research is individual or extracted from a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation) by downloading the form through the "Author Guidelines" section.
  • The research is not returned to the researcher if two scientific experts decide that it is not valid for publication.
  • The research review period ranges between (4-5) weeks, after which the editorial board makes a decision to grant or deny acceptance for publication based on the reviewers' reports and the researcher's compliance with the amendments.
  • The editorial staff of the journal has the right to set the date of publication according to the priority system

  • Each co-author (not the corresponding author) must sign their own authorship agreement and conflict of interest disclosure, in addition to providing a description of their contribution to the submitted work.

Structure of Research Preparation:

1- Research Abstract:

The research abstract is a part of the writing that summarizes your research on a specific topic. Its primary goal is to provide the reader with a detailed overview of the study along with the main findings. Generally, the research abstract follows the structure of the article it is written within. It should include the following:

  • The abstract must directly and explicitly reflect the content of the research paper.
  • It should highlight the main ideas in a meaningful way, as the purpose of the abstract is to convey the core concept of the book or article in an engaging manner.
  • It should be simple, specific, clear, concise, accurate, independent, complete, scientific, and preferably organized consistently with the main text of the research.
  • The abstract should not exceed 250 words.

2- Keywords:

  • The keywords should represent the main concepts of the topic you are writing or researching.
  • Generally, they should not exceed six words.

3- Introduction:

The introduction is a comprehensive and thorough summary of the components of the scientific paper or research. It is an integral part of the scientific study elements, where the researcher addresses generalities, leaving detailed discussions for the main text. It should adhere to the following general structure:

  • Present the reasons that motivated the researcher to choose the research topic.
  • Discuss the research problem and how it will be solved.
  • Specify the study’s boundaries and community.
  • Outline the study methodology.
  • Include conceptual definitions of the key variables to be used in the study.
  • Present previous studies.
  • Include questions and hypotheses.

4- Research Text:  
It should be divided into sections or appropriately structured paragraphs.

5- Conclusion:

The general structure of the conclusion should include the following:

  • A clear and concise summary (or general and clear opening statements).
  • A call to action: One of the most effective elements of a strong conclusion is a call to action or encouraging reflection on a new topic hinted at within the conclusion.
  • Harmony with the introduction.
  • Conclusions and hypotheses.
  • Future insights.

6- Acknowledgment

7- Data Availability Statement: (The manuscript includes all the data used in the study)

8- Conflict of Interest Statement: (Is there any conflict of interest that could affect the content of the research?) If the answer is "No," use the statement: (The authors confirm that there are no conflicts of interest that could affect the content of this research)

9- Funding Statement as follows:
• If the research is funded by a specific entity: This research was funded by [Funding Entity Name] under grant number [Grant Number, if applicable].
• If there is no external funding: The authors declare that they have not received any external funding to support this research.
• If the research is self-funded: This research was fully funded by the authors without any financial support from other entities.

10- Final References List (formatted according to the APA style).

As for the steps for submitting the research through the electronic journal platform, the researcher follows the following steps:

  • Registering in the journal platform by registering the researcher’s name and email, because the getting an account in the platform will facilitate many things for him, such as sending his research to the editor-in-chief and monitoring it electronically through communication between him and the editorial board.
  • After sending the research through the platform, the researcher will receive an e-mail via his mail in which he logged in, informing him that his research has been received and that the journal presidency is in the process of sending it to an editor who will send it to arbitrators. After completing the registration process, click on Make a submission, fill in all the required fields, and attach an electronic copy of the research.
  • The researcher pays the fees for publishing the research.
  • The editor, who is appointed by the editor-in-chief, undertakes the task of examining the research and verifying its information, especially with regard to the researcher, and then sends it to specialized scientific arbitrators.
  • After sending the research to the arbitrators, we inform the author that his research was sent to the scientific arbitrator and we are awaiting the arbitrator's report.
  • After receiving the report and decision of the scientific arbitrator, we notify the researcher of his report and send a copy of the corrections and observations of the scientific reviewers to the researcher via his e-mail, and that the author is required to fully adhere to these notes .
  • After making the necessary corrections by the author, he re-sends a search through the platform portal in a corrected and complete form, and it contains all the necessary information related to it.
  • After informing the editor-in-chief of the extent of the researcher's commitment to the corrections of the scientific reviewers, the editor-in-chief takes a decision of publication and sends an electronic notification to the author, thus issuing an acceptance order signed by the editor-in-chief to accept the research addressed to the author.
  • After completing all these procedures, the editorial board takes a decision to publish the research and determine the number of the issue in which the research will be published according to the number of research papers received by the editor-in-chief, considering the researches arrival priority.
  • The review process for the research takes between (4-5) weeks, after which the editorial board decides whether to grant publication approval or not, based on the reviewers' reports and the researcher's adherence to the required revisions.

The method of documenting sources and references is according to the (APA) Style (American Psychological Association):

- Documentation of the book shall be as follows: Author’s last name, first name (year of publication). Title of the book in italics. I (if any, provided that the first edition is not mentioned). The publisher. If the book has more than one author, the two authors should be separated by a comma (,).

An example of the method of documenting the book: Al-Alaq, Ahmed Shaker (2017). Lexicon of Iranian Personalities. 2nd Edition. Dar Al-Bidaya Publishers and Distributors.

- Documentation of research or article published in a journal in the following form: author’s last name, first name (publication year), title of article or research, journal name, volume number (in italics) (issue number), starting page number - ending page number.

An example of the method of documenting the article or research: Al-Alaq, Ahmed Shaker (2023). The Iranian National Party. Kufa Arts Journal. 1 (45), 140-160.

- Conference documentation is as follows: author's last name, first author's name (year, month, day), title of the research paper (in italics), organizing body, city, country.

An example of the method of documenting conferences: Al-Alaq, Ahmed Shaker (12, 4, 2023).Iranian Foreign Policy, Arab Democratic Center, Berlin, Germany.

- Documenting master's theses and doctoral dissertations in the following form: Author's last name, first author's name (year). Thesis or thesis title (in italics) [Unpublished Master's/PhD thesis]. University name.

An example of documenting a master's thesis or a doctoral thesis: Al-Alaq, Ahmed Shaker (2012). Political parties and organizations in Iran[unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Kufa.

- It is possible to download the guide to documenting sources and references according to the (APA) system from the magazine’s platform in (PDF) format.

 

Review Article:

Review articles provide a critical summary of the existing literature on a specific topic. A review article should summarize the main research findings, refer to targeted articles, describe all of their areas, identify gaps within them, highlight unanswered questions, and suggest directions for future research.

First: Criteria for Writing a Review Article:

  • The article should include a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the research or topics related to the field.
  • Focus on critical analysis and highlight research gaps or controversial issues.
  • Provide clear contributions, either through organizing information in a new way or suggesting future directions.
  • Present major developments and discoveries related to the reviewed topic.
  • Study the historical trajectory of developments in the reviewed subject.
  • Report on current discussions and ongoing scientific debates regarding the relevant topic.
  • The editorial board has the right to reject or refrain from publishing any topic that does not align with the journal’s direction or publication guidelines.
  • Articles are published on a first-come-first-served basis.
  • Review articles are treated like original research in terms of peer review and being presented to specialized reviewers.

Second: Formatting Requirements:

  • Adhere to the publication guidelines of the Kufa Journal of Arts, University of Kufa (Author Instructions).
  • The article should not exceed 10 pages, including the list of sources and references.
  • Books and articles under review must have been published within the last three years and should be a topic of discussion or controversy in academic circles.
  • Focus on reviewing controversial and timely topics such as:
  1. Controversial historical issues: Debates about the past and their current impacts
  2. Current political and economic issues: Contemporary challenges and transformations
  3. Contemporary studies on community lifestyles: Social issues and behaviors
  4. Scientific and technological developments and their relation to the humanities: Integration or contradiction?
  5. Legal texts and their applications: Between theory and reality

Third: Structure of the Review Article:

The key components of a review article are: abstract, keywords, introduction, methods, results and discussion, references.

  • Title: It should be concise, informative, and interesting. It should include relevant keywords or their derivatives to enhance the article's discoverability through search engines. Also, the type of review should be clearly stated in the title, and the title should not exceed 20 words.
  • Abstract: The abstract should not exceed 150 words. It should include background, structure of the summary, and a brief conclusion. Avoid excessive use of abbreviations and citation of references in the abstract.
  • Keywords: Three to five keywords that represent the main content of the article.
  • Introduction: Clarify why the review is being conducted and convince the reader of its necessity. In the introduction, authors should mention the latest developments on the topic and explain the need for this review. It is a scientific practice to refer to previous review papers on the topic and explain how the current review differs from the previous ones.
  • Methods: The methods section in a review paper should be detailed enough to demonstrate competence and allow for replication, including future papers. The methods section should specify the keywords used in the research, the databases searched, and the chosen time frame for reviewing the literature.
  • Main Text: This contains the article's content, and may also be divided into subsections with brief and informative headings.
  • Discussion: The discussion section provides an overall interpretation of the results and presents expert opinions. Writing a review article involves not only extracting and analyzing relevant past works but also synthesizing and drawing conclusions. Thus, providing an objective interpretation of the results and guiding readers to a better understanding of the current evidence is the core of the discussion. Limitations, biases, and gaps in the included literature should be discussed, along with the limitations of the review process itself. It is important to discuss the potential impact of the results on future research.
  • Results: The results section should include a flowchart showing the number of papers identified, included, and excluded, along with reasons for exclusion. This section should present the characteristics and results of each study included in the review and provide the necessary information to assess its quality, validity, and contribution. The most relevant information from the included articles should be presented in literature summary tables, which are essential for making the article more readable. These tables should include information about methods, frameworks, and strengths and weaknesses.
  • References: The references list should be at the end of the article, arranged alphabetically by author’s last name according to the APA style. Ensure that all citations in the text match those in the reference list.
  • Tables: Place tables at appropriate positions within the text, and they should be numbered with clear titles. It is preferable to include tables immediately after they are referenced in the text.
  • Figures and Charts: Ensure that figures are high quality and clear. Figures should be numbered (e.g., "Figure 1: Data Distribution") with detailed captions below each figure or chart.

By adhering to proper formatting and these criteria, the review article will be more likely to be accepted and published in the Kufa Journal of Arts, University of Kufa.