Author Guidelines

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

Zona Economics and Islamic Economics (ZEIE)

1. General Requirements

Zona Economics and Islamic Economics (ZEIE) welcomes original and high-quality scholarly manuscripts in the fields of economics, Islamic economics, Islamic finance, accounting, banking, business, and related disciplines.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must:

  • Be original and have not been previously published.

  • Not be under consideration for publication in another journal.

  • Make a clear theoretical, empirical, methodological, or practical contribution to the relevant field.

  • Be written in clear and academically appropriate English or Bahasa Indonesia.

  • Follow the manuscript template and referencing style prescribed by the journal.

  • Comply with research and publication ethics.

  • Properly acknowledge all sources, data, funding, and contributions used in preparing the manuscript.

The journal particularly encourages manuscripts that address contemporary economic issues and provide theoretical or practical contributions relevant to economics and Islamic economics.

2. Focus and Scope

Submitted manuscripts should fall within the scope of Zona Economics and Islamic Economics, including but not limited to:

  • Economics

  • Islamic Economics

  • Islamic Banking

  • Islamic Finance

  • Sharia Finance

  • Mu'amalah and Islamic Economic Transactions

  • Accounting and Islamic Accounting

  • Finance and Financial Management

  • Banking and Financial Institutions

  • Business and Management

  • Islamic Business and Entrepreneurship

  • Zakat, Infaq, Sadaqah, and Waqf (ZISWAF)

  • Islamic Social Finance

  • Halal Industry and Halal Economy

  • Islamic Fintech and Digital Finance

  • Financial Inclusion

  • Sustainable Economics and Finance

  • Green Economy and Green Finance

  • ESG and Sustainable Business

  • Public Economics and Economic Policy

  • Development Economics

  • International Economics

  • Behavioral Economics and Finance

  • Corporate Governance

  • Digital Economy

  • Contemporary Issues in Economics and Islamic Economics

Interdisciplinary research connecting economics or Islamic economics with technology, sustainability, governance, public policy, law, and social development is also welcomed.

3. Types of Manuscripts

Zona Economics and Islamic Economics accepts the following types of manuscripts:

  1. Original Research Articles – empirical or theoretical studies presenting original findings.

  2. Review Articles – systematic, critical, or integrative reviews of existing literature.

  3. Case Studies/Case Reports – scholarly analyses of relevant economic, financial, business, or Islamic economic cases.

  4. Conceptual Articles – manuscripts developing new theoretical perspectives, models, or frameworks.

  5. Short Communications – concise reports presenting significant preliminary or focused research findings.

  6. Letters to the Editor – scholarly comments or discussions concerning issues relevant to the journal.

4. Manuscript Language

Manuscripts may be written in:

  • English; or

  • Bahasa Indonesia.

  • Arabic

Authors submitting manuscripts in English are expected to use clear and professional academic English.

The Editorial Board may request language revision when the manuscript contains substantial grammatical, spelling, or stylistic problems that affect readability.

5. Manuscript Length

Research and review articles should generally contain approximately 4,000–7,000 words, including tables, figures, and references.

Short communications and other manuscript categories may be shorter when appropriate.

Authors are encouraged to write concisely and avoid unnecessary repetition.

6. Manuscript Structure

Original research articles should generally be organized as follows:

Title

The title should be concise, informative, specific, and accurately represent the main content of the research.

Authors should avoid unnecessarily long titles, uncommon abbreviations, and overly general statements.

Author Information

The manuscript should provide:

  • Full name of each author without academic titles;

  • Institutional affiliation;

  • Department or study program, where applicable;

  • University/institution;

  • City and country;

  • E-mail address; and

  • Identification of the corresponding author.

Authors are encouraged to provide their ORCID iD where available.

Abstract

The abstract should contain approximately 150–250 words and concisely explain:

  • Research background or problem;

  • Objective;

  • Methodology;

  • Main findings;

  • Principal conclusion; and

  • Contribution or implications of the study.

The abstract should be understandable without consulting the full manuscript and should not contain unnecessary citations.

Keywords

Authors should provide 3–5 keywords or key phrases representing the central concepts of the article.

Keywords should be specific enough to improve article discoverability in academic databases and search engines.

1. Introduction

The Introduction should establish the academic foundation of the research and normally contain:

  • Background of the study;

  • Research problem;

  • Relevant contemporary context;

  • Previous research;

  • Identification of the research gap;

  • Novelty of the study;

  • Research objectives or research questions; and

  • Contribution of the research.

Authors should avoid presenting an excessively descriptive introduction. The section should clearly demonstrate why the study is necessary and what it contributes to existing literature.

2. Literature Review and/or Theoretical Framework

This section should critically discuss theories, concepts, and previous empirical studies relevant to the research.

Authors should not merely summarize previous studies. Instead, the literature should be synthesized to establish relationships, debates, inconsistencies, and gaps that justify the present research.

For quantitative research, hypotheses and the conceptual framework may be presented in this section when applicable.

For qualitative or conceptual studies, the theoretical framework should explain the analytical concepts used to interpret the research problem.

3. Research Method

The Research Method section should provide sufficient information to allow readers to understand and evaluate the research process.

Depending on the research design, this section may include:

  • Research approach and design;

  • Research location;

  • Population and sample;

  • Sampling technique;

  • Participants or informants;

  • Data sources;

  • Variables and measurements;

  • Research instruments;

  • Data collection procedures;

  • Validity and reliability procedures;

  • Data analysis techniques;

  • Statistical or analytical software; and

  • Ethical considerations, where applicable.

Authors using secondary datasets should clearly identify the data source and observation period.

Systematic Literature Review manuscripts should clearly explain the database selection, search strategy, keywords, inclusion and exclusion criteria, screening procedures, and synthesis method. The use of PRISMA or another recognized review protocol is recommended where appropriate.

4. Results

The Results section should present the principal findings of the study clearly and systematically.

Tables, figures, graphs, models, and other visual materials may be used when they improve understanding of the findings.

Authors should avoid duplicating identical information in both tables and the main text.

Quantitative studies should report relevant statistical results, while qualitative studies should present themes, categories, patterns, or other findings supported by appropriate evidence.

5. Discussion

The Discussion should interpret the findings rather than simply repeat the results.

Authors should:

  • Explain the meaning of the principal findings;

  • Relate findings to the research objectives;

  • Compare findings with previous studies;

  • Explain agreements or differences with existing literature;

  • Discuss the theoretical implications;

  • Explain practical or policy implications;

  • Highlight the novelty of the findings; and

  • Demonstrate the contribution of the study to economics or Islamic economics.

Where appropriate, Results and Discussion may be combined into one section.

6. Conclusion

The Conclusion should directly answer the research objectives or research questions.

It should summarize the most important findings without repeating the entire Results and Discussion sections.

The conclusion may also explain:

  • Theoretical implications;

  • Practical implications;

  • Policy implications;

  • Research limitations; and

  • Recommendations for future research.

New data or arguments that have not been discussed previously should not be introduced in the Conclusion.

Acknowledgments

Authors may acknowledge institutions, organizations, research assistants, funding bodies, or other parties that made meaningful contributions to the research but do not qualify for authorship.

Funding information and grant numbers should be stated where applicable.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research.

If no conflict exists, authors may state:

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

References

The reference list should contain only works cited in the manuscript.

Authors are encouraged to prioritize:

  • Peer-reviewed journal articles;

  • Reputable academic books;

  • Official institutional reports;

  • Authoritative datasets; and

  • Recent and relevant scholarly literature.

A substantial proportion of references should preferably come from scholarly publications published within the last 5–10 years, except for seminal theories or foundational literature.

7. Citation and Reference Style

Zona Economics and Islamic Economics uses APA Style, 7th Edition for citations and references.

Examples of in-text citations:

Single author:

(Rahman, 2025)

Two authors:

(Rahman & Hidayat, 2025)

Three or more authors:

(Rahman et al., 2025)

Example journal reference:

Rahman, A., & Hidayat, M. (2025). Islamic financial inclusion and sustainable economic development in emerging economies. Journal of Islamic Economics, 10(2), 115–132. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference management software such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote to ensure citation consistency.

Where available, DOI information should be included in the references.

8. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should:

  • Be numbered consecutively;

  • Have clear and informative titles;

  • Be referred to in the manuscript;

  • Be positioned close to the relevant discussion;

  • Be readable and of sufficient quality for publication; and

  • Clearly indicate the source when adapted or reproduced from another work.

Example:

Table 1. Descriptive Statistics of Research Variables

Source: Authors' calculation (2026).

Figures should have sufficient resolution to remain legible after publication.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted figures, tables, or other materials.

9. Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, confidential information, organizations, or sensitive data must comply with appropriate ethical principles.

Where applicable, authors should provide information concerning:

  • Ethical approval;

  • Informed consent;

  • Participant confidentiality;

  • Data protection;

  • Institutional permission; and

  • Responsible data management.

Fabrication, falsification, manipulation of research data, and other forms of research misconduct are strictly prohibited.

10. Publication Ethics and Originality

All submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work.

Authors must appropriately acknowledge the ideas, data, figures, tables, and words of other authors.

Plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, and other forms of academic misconduct are prohibited.

Manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism-detection software before entering or during the peer-review process.

11. Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript.

All listed authors should:

  • Have contributed significantly to the study;

  • Have reviewed and approved the final manuscript;

  • Agree to its submission to Zona Economics and Islamic Economics; and

  • Accept responsibility for their respective contributions.

Guest, honorary, and ghost authorship are not permitted.

12. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Generative Artificial Intelligence tools must not be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of scholarly work.

Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted to the journal.

When generative AI tools have been substantially used in manuscript preparation, data analysis, translation, or other research-related processes, authors should transparently disclose such use where appropriate.

AI-generated content must be independently verified by the authors, particularly citations, references, data, interpretations, and factual statements.

The use of AI does not exempt authors from the journal's requirements regarding originality, plagiarism, research integrity, confidentiality, and copyright.

13. Peer Review Process

Manuscripts submitted to Zona Economics and Islamic Economics will initially undergo editorial screening to evaluate:

  • Relevance to the journal's focus and scope;

  • Academic quality;

  • Originality;

  • Manuscript organization;

  • Methodological adequacy; and

  • Compliance with the Author Guidelines.

Manuscripts that successfully pass editorial screening will proceed to peer review.

Reviewers evaluate the scientific quality, originality, methodology, interpretation, contribution, and presentation of the manuscript.

Based on the editorial and reviewer evaluations, a manuscript may receive one of the following decisions:

  • Accept;

  • Minor Revision;

  • Major Revision; or

  • Reject.

The final publication decision remains the responsibility of the Editorial Board.

14. Manuscript Revision

Authors receiving a revision request should carefully address all comments provided by reviewers and editors.

The revised submission should preferably include:

  1. The revised manuscript; and

  2. A response to reviewers explaining how each comment has been addressed.

Changes should be clearly identifiable when requested by the Editorial Board.

Failure to submit revisions within the specified period without communication with the Editorial Office may result in the manuscript being treated as withdrawn.

15. Online Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the Zona Economics and Islamic Economics Online Journal System (OJS).

Authors must register for an account before making a submission.

During submission, authors should ensure that:

  • All required author metadata are complete;

  • Author names and affiliations are entered correctly;

  • The title and abstract are entered accurately;

  • Keywords are provided;

  • The manuscript file is uploaded in the required format;

  • The corresponding author is correctly identified; and

  • Any required supplementary documents are uploaded.

Authors can monitor the editorial and peer-review progress through their OJS account.

16. Submission Preparation Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should confirm that:

  • The manuscript is original and has not been published elsewhere.

  • The manuscript is not currently under consideration by another journal.

  • The manuscript falls within the Focus and Scope of Zona Economics and Islamic Economics.

  • The manuscript follows the journal template and Author Guidelines.

  • The title accurately represents the study.

  • Author names, affiliations, and e-mail addresses are complete.

  • The abstract and keywords meet journal requirements.

  • The research gap, novelty, and contribution are clearly explained.

  • The research methodology is sufficiently described.

  • Tables and figures are numbered, titled, and cited appropriately.

  • All citations appearing in the manuscript are included in the reference list.

  • All references listed are cited in the manuscript.

  • References follow APA 7th Edition.

  • DOI information is included where available.

  • The manuscript has been checked for language, grammar, spelling, and formatting.

  • Any conflicts of interest and funding sources have been disclosed.

  • The authors have complied with relevant research and publication ethics.

  • All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

17. Copyright and Licensing

Authors must comply with the copyright and licensing policies established by Zona Economics and Islamic Economics.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted material does not infringe third-party copyright.

Permission must be obtained for copyrighted materials reproduced or substantially adapted from other publications.

The applicable Creative Commons license and copyright ownership should be stated clearly on the journal's Copyright Notice and Licensing page.

18. Editorial Rights

The Editorial Board reserves the right to:

  • Reject manuscripts that do not meet the journal's scope or minimum academic standards;

  • Request revisions before or after peer review;

  • Make minor editorial corrections to grammar, spelling, formatting, and referencing without changing the substantive meaning of the manuscript; and

  • Withdraw or retract publications when serious violations of publication ethics are identified.

Submission of a manuscript indicates that all authors understand and agree to follow the editorial and publication policies of Zona Economics and Islamic Economics.