Author Guidelines

Lubna: Journal of Islamic Elementary Education publishes original, high-quality research that significantly contributes to the advancement of elementary education, Islamic primary education (Madrasah Ibtidaiyah), teacher education, curriculum and pedagogy, literacy, assessment, educational technology, inclusion, and related interdisciplinary fields.

Authors must ensure that their manuscript is entirely original, has not been published previously, and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal. All manuscripts must strictly comply with the journal’s Focus and Scope, Publication Ethics, and Peer Review Process.

1. General Requirements and Novelty Criteria

To maintain the highest academic standards (Sinta 1 criteria), Lubna rigorously evaluates the novelty and scholarly impact of every submission.

  • Novelty Requirement: Manuscripts must clearly articulate a specific research gap and offer a substantial contribution to the global or regional discourse on elementary education.

  • Rejection Criteria: Lubna does not accept articles that are merely small-scale Classroom Action Research (CAR/PTK) or reports on the application of conventional teaching methods without in-depth critical analysis, clear conceptual breakthroughs, or theoretical novelty. Manuscripts failing to demonstrate clear novelty will be rejected by the Editorial Board prior to external peer review.

2. Language and Manuscript Preparation

  • Language: Manuscripts must be written in clear, academically appropriate American English. Authors whose first language is not English are strongly encouraged to have their manuscripts professionally proofread before submission. Note: Language editing does not guarantee acceptance.

  • Format: Manuscripts must be prepared using the latest Lubna Template and submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format.

  • Length: Manuscripts should generally contain between 5,000 and 8,000 words, excluding references and supplementary materials.

  • Formatting Constraints: Authors are strictly prohibited from altering the page size, margins, fonts, spacing, heading styles, or reference formats provided in the official template.

3. Title, Authors, and Affiliations

  • Title: Must be concise, informative, and accurately represent the core contribution of the study. It should be no more than 15 words, avoiding uncommon abbreviations, unnecessary location names (e.g., specific names of single schools), and vague expressions.

  • Authorship: Full names of all authors must be written without academic titles.

  • Affiliation: Provide accurate institutional affiliations (Department/Study Program, Institution, and Country).

  • Corresponding Author: Must be clearly identified with an active institutional email address.

  • ORCID: All authors are required to provide a valid ORCID identifier during submission.

4. Abstract and Keywords

  • Abstract: Must be written in English, ranging from 150 to 250 words. It must concisely encapsulate the research problem, objective, methodology, principal findings, and significance/implications. It must be a standalone text without citations, abbreviations, or statistical jargon.

  • Keywords: Provide 3 to 5 relevant keywords or phrases. Avoid merely repeating words already present in the manuscript's title.

5. Manuscript Structure (IMRaD)

Original research articles must adhere to the IMRaD structure:

  • Introduction: Concisely explain the research context, problem, significance, and synthesize relevant scholarly literature. Crucially, the final paragraph must clearly identify the research gap, novelty, objective, and research questions/hypotheses.

  • Method: Provide exhaustive details allowing for methodological credibility and replication.

    • Quantitative: Detail design, population/sample, instruments, validity/reliability, and data-analysis techniques (including effect sizes).

    • Qualitative: Detail participant selection, positioning, data saturation, coding, and trustworthiness (e.g., triangulation).

    • Ethics: Research involving human participants (especially children in elementary schools) must state ethics committee approval, informed consent procedures, and safeguarding measures.

  • Results: Present principal findings objectively. Support findings with appropriate data (statistics, interview excerpts, tables). Do not duplicate data between text and tables/figures.

  • Discussion: Interpret the findings; do not merely repeat the results. Relate results to relevant theories and previous studies. Highlight the theoretical, pedagogical, or practical implications. Realistically address study limitations.

  • Conclusion: Directly answer the research objectives. Summarize the principal contribution without introducing new data or references.

  • Declarations: See Section 7 below.

6. References and Citation Style

  • Style: All citations and references must strictly follow the APA 7th Edition format. The use of reference management software (e.g., Mendeley, Zotero) is mandatory.

  • Quantity and Quality: Manuscripts should ideally include a minimum of 25 scholarly references. At least 80% of the references must be primary sources (peer-reviewed journal articles) published within the last 10 years.

  • Traceability: DOI links must be included for all references wherever available.

  • Citation Ethics: The journal strictly prohibits fabricated references, coercive citation, citation stacking, and excessive self-citation.

7. Required Declarations

The following sections must be included immediately preceding the Reference list:

  • Acknowledgments: Identify non-author contributors.

  • Author Contributions: Use the CRediT taxonomy to specify each author's role.

  • Funding Statement: State the funding agency and grant number (or state: “This research received no external funding.”)

  • Conflict of Interest: Disclose any conflicts (or state: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”)

  • Data Availability: Explain where supporting data can be accessed.

8. Similarity, Originality, and Generative AI Policy

  • Plagiarism: Manuscripts will be screened using Turnitin/iThenticate. Overall similarity must not exceed 20% (excluding references). Manuscripts containing plagiarism or duplicate publication will be immediately rejected.

  • Generative AI: AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini) cannot be listed as authors. Material use of generative AI in drafting, coding, or data synthesis must be explicitly disclosed. AI must strictly not be used to fabricate data, references, or ethical documentation.

9. Final Submission Checklist

Before uploading to the OJS, ensure your manuscript:

  1. Aligns with the Focus and Scope of Lubna.

  2. Demonstrates clear novelty (not a standard CAR/PTK).

  3. Is formatted meticulously using the official Lubna Template.

  4. Utilizes APA 7th Edition referencing via reference management software.

  5. Includes complete metadata for all authors (Affiliations, Emails, ORCID).

  6. Contains all required ethical and disclosure statements.

Manuscripts that fail to comply with these guidelines will be returned to the authors for technical revision or rejected directly prior to entering the peer-review process.