About C-Voices

“Critical Voices on Ideas, Politics and International Relations” is a research unit within the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University in Türkiye. Critical Voices focuses on publishing objective analyses on intellectual, political, and global issues, particularly with regard to countries across the Islamic world as well as related regional and international affairs. Its main purpose is to present scholarly and critical perspectives, offer alternative and novel approaches, or think differently on current affairs.

Publishing Criteria

Critical Voices (C-Voices) welcomes the contributions of academics, experts, practitioners, and researchers in both English and Arabic, including studies, articles, books reviews, critical analyses and reviews, as well as original scholarly translations. Only submissions that meet high scholarly standards will be accepted.

All submissions must adhere to the following criteria:

1. The submission must offer original ideas, present alternative critical perspectives, or propose novel thinking about familiar topics.
2. The submission must be an original piece and cannot be previously published, in whole or in part, in any electronic or print platform. Additionally, the submission cannot be under review by any other publication or platform while it is being reviewed by Critical Voices.
3. The submission must be deemed relevant to CIGA’s mission and research interests.
4. The submission must be written in well-expressed language (by utilizing the generally accepted standards of academic and scholarly writing), and adhere to the integrity and robustness of quality scholarship.
5. The submission must use the methodological and analytical tools of the social sciences.
6. The submission must document all references. It is preferred that authors use the Chicago School Citation Method (see here).
7. The submission must be accompanied by an abstract of no more than 150 words, including five key words and an outline of the main argument and conclusions.
8.  The biography ( a narrative of no more than 150 words) and CV of the author(s) shall be attached to the submitted work.
9. If the submitted work is accepted for publication, referees or reviewers have the right to ask the author(s) to modify the submitted work, reduce its volume, or expand it according to the publication’s criteria or reviewer’s discretion.

1.  Word Count Limits (including footnotes and references):
2.  Studies and Research Papers : 4000-8000 words.
3.  Articles and Analyses: 2000-3500 words.
4.  Critical Analyses or Reviews, and Reviews of Books and Academic Studies: 2500-4000 words (it is desirable that the selected books or academic studies have been published within the last three years, or are original theoretical books or studies).
5.  Academic Translations: At least 3000 words (it is desirable that the selected works for translation have been published within the last three years or are original theoretical works).

Critical Voices Publishing Policy

1.  All submissions must be in .doc or .docx format (pdf submissions are not accepted),  and must use 12 point font for text and 14 point font for titles, as well as 1.5 line spacing.
2.  All submissions must be emailed as attachments and sent to info-en@cigacriticalvoices.com with the subject line Critical Voices.
3. Authors will be notified about their submissions within a week of receipt.
4. The submitted work will be evaluated by academic referees, and the outcome will be sent to authors within eight weeks.
5. The response of the referees’ evaluation will be in one of the following three forms: acceptance, acceptance with changes or modifications, or rejection.
6. CIGA has the right to reject any submitted work without providing any reasons or justifications.
7. In the event that there is plagiarism or collusion, or proof of any violation of academic ethics, CIGA has the right to withdraw any accepted work or remove it after publication. CIGA will also bar the author(s) from ever publishing any work with it or participate in any of its activities.
8. CIGA may offer financial rewards only for published works in print after notifying and receiving the concurrence of the author.
9. CIGA may provide a Certificate of Participation or Publication if requested by the author(s).
10.  CIGA may allow authors or researchers whose publications appear in the Critical Voices’ section on its websites to present their published works within its activities, whether in person or remotely.
11.  CIGA has the right to translate and publish any accepted or published work from its original language to other languages without the concurrence of the author(s).
12.  CIGA will adhere to the most thorough professional and ethical standards including the preservation of privacy, confidentiality, anonymous and blind refereeing, as well as not disclosing the names of the referees.
13.  The Critical Voices section encourages the submission of any critical remarks or comments on any topic related to the content or form of its publications.