Editorial Policy

1. Editorial Independence
- All editorial decisions are made without influence from any institution, sponsor, or authority.
- Archiving in an institutional repository does not affect editorial independence.
2. Peer Review Process
- Double‑blind peer review
- COPE‑aligned procedures
- Transparent decision‑making
3. Publication Ethics
The journal adheres to international ethical standards, including COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines. Authors must ensure:
•    Originality of work
•    Proper citation and acknowledgement
•    Absence of plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification
•    Transparency in methodology and findings
Any ethical misconduct may result in rejection, retraction, or blacklisting.
4. Plagiarism Policy
•    All submissions undergo plagiarism screening through recognized software.
•    The acceptable similarity index follows HEC Pakistan’s guidelines.
•    Manuscripts with excessive similarity or uncredited borrowing are rejected immediately.
5. Authorship Criteria
Authorship must reflect substantial scholarly contribution. All listed authors should have:
•    Participated in the conception, design, or analysis
•    Contributed to drafting or revising the manuscript
•    Approved the final version
Guest, honorary, or ghost authorship is strictly prohibited.
6. Editorial Responsibilities
The Editorial Board is responsible for:
•    Ensuring fairness, transparency, and confidentiality in the review process
•    Maintaining academic integrity and quality
•    Preventing conflicts of interest
•    Making timely decisions regarding submissions
Editors may decline manuscripts that fall outside the journal’s scope or fail to meet academic standards.
7. Conflict of Interest
Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including:
•    Financial relationships
•    Institutional affiliations
•    Personal or professional connections
Undisclosed conflicts may lead to rejection or retraction.
8. Open Access Policy
Fikr e Iqbal follows an open access model, ensuring that all published content is freely available for academic and educational use. Users may read, download, and share articles with proper citation.
9. Copyright and Licensing
Copyright Ownership
•    Authors retain full copyright of their work published in Fikr e Iqbal.
•    Upon acceptance, authors grant the journal a non exclusive license to publish, archive, and disseminate the article in print and digital formats.
•    Authors may reuse their work for academic, educational, and non commercial purposes with proper citation of the original publication.
10. Submission and Review Timeline
•    Initial editorial screening: 1–2 weeks
•    Peer review: 4–8 weeks
•    Final decision: Based on revisions and reviewer recommendations
The journal strives for timely and transparent communication with authors.
11. Archiving and Indexing
The journal maintains digital archiving through institutional repositories and aims for inclusion in national and international indexing databases to enhance visibility and scholarly impact.
12. Appeals and Complaints
Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written justification. Complaints regarding ethical issues, review quality, or editorial conduct are handled confidentially and impartially by the Editorial Board.

13. Reader Rights
Editorial Policy now fully matches Open Access Policy:
Readers may read, download, copy, share, and distribute content for non‑commercial use with citation.