Data Sharing and Reproducibility

1. Introduction and Purpose

Al-Irsyad: Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues (IJICI) is committed to upholding the highest standards of transparency, academic integrity and reproducibility in scholarly research. This policy establishes the IJICI’s expectations regarding:

i. Data Sharing and Accessibility

Authors are encouraged to make research data available in ways that support verification and further scholarly inquiry, while respecting ethical, legal and Islamic principles.

ii. Methodological Transparency

Submissions must clearly describe research methods to ensure that studies can be understood, evaluated, and, where appropriate, replicated by other scholars.

iii. Reproducibility of Results

Findings should be presented with sufficient detail and clarity to allow independent researchers to reproduce results, thereby strengthening the reliability of academic contributions.

iv. Ethical and Islamic Considerations

All practices related to data collection, analysis and dissemination must align with ethical norms, legal requirements and Islamic values, particularly in contexts involving socio-religious and community engagement-related data.

 

2. Scope of Application

This policy applies to all research submissions, including empirical studies, survey-based research, case studies, computational models, simulations and qualitative analyses that rely on data or methodologies that influence research conclusions.

 

3. Data Availability Requirements

Authors submitting to IJICI are required to include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscript. This statement must clearly indicate the status of the data used in the study and specify one of the following:

i. Open Access Data

Data are openly accessible in a recognized public repository, with appropriate citation or link provided.

ii. Data Available on Request

Data are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author, subject to ethical and Shariah-compliant considerations.

iii. Restricted Data

Data cannot be shared due to legal, contractual, ethical, commercial, or Shariah-based confidentiality restrictions. In such cases, authors must provide a clear justification for the restriction.

 

4. Ethical, Legal and Islamic Considerations

IJICI recognizes that certain forms of data may involve confidentiality constraints, particularly in research related to Islamic and contemporary issues. These may include:

i. Client or participant financial and transactional records

ii. Personally identifiable information (PII)

iii. Proprietary institutional or organizational datasets

iv. Non-public reports or documents

v. Data protected under Islamic principles of confidentiality (amānah)

Where such restrictions apply, authors are required to:

i. Provide Justification

Clearly explain the reasons for non-disclosure of data.

ii. Conditional Access

Describe procedures for conditional or limited access to data, if applicable.

iii. Ethical Clearance

Confirm that appropriate ethical approval has been obtained where research involves human participants.

Furthermore, authors conducting research involving human subjects must comply with relevant institutional, national and international ethical review requirements, ensuring alignment with both academic standards and Islamic principles.

 

5. Accepted Data Repositories

IJICI encourages authors to share research data in reputable repositories that provide persistent identifiers (such as DOIs). This practice ensures that data remain accessible, citable, and verifiable for future scholarship. Suitable options include:

i. Institutional repositories maintained by universities or research centers

ii. Discipline-specific repositories relevant to Islamic studies, social sciences or related fields

iii. General repositories (e.g., Zenodo, Figshare, Dryad)

iv. Social science data archives (e.g., UK Data Service, ICPSR)

v. Islamic knowledge repositories (e.g., Quranic studies databases, Hadith archives, Islamic heritage collections or other recognized platforms preserving Islamic scholarly resources)

All data must be deposited in formats that support long-term preservation and accessibility, ensuring that future researchers can engage with and build upon the work. Authors should also ensure that data sharing practices comply with ethical standards, legal requirements and Islamic principles, particularly in contexts involving sensitive or religiously significant materials.

 

6. Reproducibility of Methods and Analyses

To support reproducibility and uphold academic integrity, authors submitting to IJICI must provide sufficient methodological detail to enable independent verification of their research. Manuscripts should include, where applicable:

i. Data Sources and Collection Methods

Clear descriptions of the origins of data and the procedures used for collection.

ii. Research Instruments

Survey instruments, interview protocols or other tools used in data gathering (where permissible and ethically appropriate).

iii. Analytical Procedures

Statistical models, analytical frameworks and procedures employed in the study.

iv. Technical Specifications

Details of software, libraries and version numbers used in analysis.

v. Computational Workflows

Scripts, workflows or computational processes relevant to the research.

For qualitative research, authors must also describe procedures such as coding, validation or thematic analysis to ensure methodological transparency and rigor.

All methodological disclosures should be made in a manner consistent with ethical standards, legal requirements and Islamic principles, particularly when research involves sensitive data or human participants.

 

7. Code and Software Sharing

For research involving computational approaches, such as Islamic modelling, simulations, machine learning or other algorithmic methods, authors are expected to provide sufficient detail to ensure transparency, reproducibility and scholarly integrity. Manuscripts should include, where applicable:

i. Access to Source Code or Scripts

Code should be made available in a reputable public repository (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) with appropriate links provided.

ii. Documentation for Reuse

Clear documentation must accompany the code to enable other researchers to understand, replicate and build upon the work.

iii. Version Identifiers

Authors should specify version numbers, release identifiers or digital object identifiers (DOIs) where available, to ensure precise referencing.

Where code sharing is restricted (e.g., due to proprietary licenses, institutional policies or Shariah-compliant confidentiality considerations), authors must provide a clear explanation for the restriction and, where possible, describe alternative means of verification.

 

8. Peer Review Data Access

During the review process, editors and reviewers may request access to underlying data or materials to verify claims. Authors are expected to comply within reasonable, ethical and legal limits. Sensitive data may be reviewed through controlled access or non-disclosure arrangements.

 

9. Compliance and Enforcement

Compliance with this policy forms part of the journal’s publication requirements. Failure to provide a Data Availability Statement or adequate transparency may result in:

i. Requests for revision

ii. Delay in acceptance

iii. Rejection of the manuscript

Post-publication concerns regarding undisclosed data irregularities may lead to corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions in alignment with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) principles.

 

10. Data Retention

Authors must ensure that shared data, code and relevant research materials remain available for a minimum of five (5) years following publication unless prevented by legal or contractual obligations.

 

11. Periodic Review of Policy

This policy may be updated periodically to reflect ongoing advancements in open science practices, evolving standards in Islamic and contemporary research, and internationally recognized norms of academic publishing. Updates will ensure that the IJICI remains aligned with best practices in scholarly communication while upholding ethical integrity and Islamic principles.