Editorial: Demonstrating Originality in Research

 Importance of ‘Originality’ in Journal Articles In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) has gained prominence and a vast amount of digital resources is within easy reach, demonstrating originality in research has become increasingly challenging.  Besides meeting other criteria of good research—such as relevance and significance, clarity and quality in presentation, reliability and rigourousness in methodology, ethicality in research, critical analysis, social and practical implications—originality in research is a key requirement for an article to be considered for publication in an academic journal. Unlike other forms of publication such as a book chapter, which can summarise existing knowledge and present it in a new form, a journal article must demonstrate the following with respect to originality: ·     What original contribution does the study make, compared to what is already known in previous literature? Ensuring Originality in Research Originality in academic research has different meanings and takes different forms, including originality in the research idea, originality in the research questions, originality in the research approach, and originality in research writing. First, originality can be in the form of a new idea, new concept, novel theory, or innovative model that addresses an existing research problem, but which has not been discussed in the previous literature on the same topic. By critically examining established theories, practices, frameworks, or models, the researcher must prove the novelty in the research that contributes original findings and advances the specific field of knowledge. The new knowledge created will in turn open doors for other research to explore Second, researchers can ensure originality by formulating novel research questions for existing research problems. By conducting thorough reviews of the literature, especially published in the last five years, researchers can identify emerging trends in the area of research as well as establish research gaps. This helps researchers to find unexplored or under-explored research topics and accordingly develop research questions that are unique and not previously addressed in the literature. By adopting this approach, researchers can investigate an existing research problem from new angles or perspectives and establish original contributions. This is a common way of designing original research.  Third, employing a novel research approach is another common method utilised by researchers to demonstrate novelty in research. It involves adopting innovative research methods to examine a research problem, using different data collection methods that have not been employed in previous studies, or covering different datasets to examine the topic (e.g., different countries, other variables, historical evidence, or latest data periods). Innovative approaches can also be in the form of exploring interdisciplinary studies to provide new insights and perspectives on an issue.    Fourth, originality should be emphasised in the research writing. Originality under this aspect could have a few meanings: Avoiding all aspects of plagiarism—whether passing someone else’s work as one’s own; not citing the original author’s work after rephrasing the idea; or self plagiarising one’s work without adding the references. It also requires that sources of references be cited correctly; references should not be omitted, and the findings of past studies should not merely be paraphased; rather, critical thinking should be applied so that the discussion contributes new analysis. Most publishers use plagiarism checking tools such as Turnitin and iThenticate to detect if the research is similar with other published works. Confirming that the manuscript is one’s own work and has not been previously published. Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently to avoid the risk of multiple publication of the same article. Moreover, authors should declare if a substantial part of the article draws from earlier works such as an unpublished PhD dissertation or conference proceedings to explain any similarity which may be apparent due to these works being available on online institutional repositories. Prior to acceptance of publication, journal articles undergo an additional layer of evaluation through the peer review process, which determines the accuracy, excellence, and novelty in the research before the manuscript is recommended for publication. This process validates the integrity of research and ensures manuscripts recommended for publication make a substantive intellectual contribution to the area of study. IJIFSD Volume 17 Number 1 March 2025 The journal’s first issue for 2025 comprises seven articles which contribute to the body of knowledge as follows: ‘Examining Factors Affecting the Acceptance of Islamic Mobile Banking Services in Indonesia: Insights into Technology, Customer Behaviour, and Sharīʿah Compliance’ by Abdurrahman Abdurrahman, Mohamad Anton Athaillah, Yadi Janwari and Asti Meiza. Based on a review of past literature, this study uses the Technology Acceptance Model and the Theory of Planned Behaviour to address an existing literature gap: while previous studies have focused on isolated factors that hindered the adoption of Islamic mobile banking services, this study has combined three important dimensions—technology, customer behaviour, and Sharīʿah compliance—to determine how they interact in shaping the utilisation of Islamic mobile banking by Islamic bank customers in the context of Indonesia. ‘The Role of Waqf in Achieving Food Security: A Netnographic Study’ by Lisa Listiana, Yan Putra Timur and Syahyuti. The originality of this research lies in the methodological approach it adopted, notably the netnography method, whereby it gathers data from non-traditional sources, especially Zoom and YouTube, to address the lack of empirical studies available on the subject area and capture the latest developments on waqf’s role in food security, which may not be documented in written literature. ‘Waqf Development Models for Sustainable Development Goals: An Analytic Network Process Approach’ by Aam Slamet Rusydiana, Raditya Sukmana, Nisful Laila and Ririn Riani. The original contribution of this research lies in its novel approach in integrating the waqf concept with maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah and the SDGs to address the practical gap that prevails between waqf practices and modern sustainability goals. The study uses the ANP method to conduct a multi-criteria decision-making analysis to select the most viable waqf model based on experts’ opinions. ‘Constructing Ethnographic Protocols for Zakat Studies in the Muslim Community’ by Hudaifah Ahmad, Wan Norhaniza Wan Hasan and Shereeza Mohamed Saniff. Based on the literature review, this study finds that most existing research on zakat focuses on quantitative approaches, leaving a gap in the exploration of the social and cultural dimensions of zakat. This research thus addresses this underexplored area and constructs ethnographic protocols to provide insights into the social and cultural roles of zakat in the Muslim community. ‘The Parameter on the Obligation of Zakat on the Pledged Asset in Collateralised Commodity Murābaḥah’ by Ahmad Faizol Ismail, Hakimi Mat Salim and Dalfiza Mohd Yusof. This study contributes to the literature by enhancing clarity on a grey area with respect to zakat obligations of businesses. In particular, it sheds light on the parameter applicable to determine whether the purchasing bank, as the asset owner of the pledged asset in a Collateralised Commodity Murābaḥah agreement, is obligated to pay zakat on the asset that is pledged as collateral. ‘The Genesis of Legal Person in the Western Tradition: Its Concept, History and Development’ by Mohd Hilmi Ramli. This research’s originality pertains to the rigorous conceptual and historical analysis it undertakes of the concept of ‘legal person’ in Western literature. It acknowledges the equivalence of this concept in Islamic law known as al-shakhṣ al-iʿtibārī and concludes that further study is required on the nature of man (insān), legal capacity (ahlīyyah) and responsibility (taklīf) to establish the conceptual framework for Muslims. ‘Factors Driving the Growth of Islamic Bank Financing: Evidence from Malaysia’ by Nabilah Wafa’ Mohd Najib, Norazlina Abd Wahab and Noraziah Che Arshad. This study creates novelty by examining a variable that is a largely overlooked determinant in Islamic banking research, notably the influence of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the growth of Islamic bank financing. It also identifies other significant variables among the internal and external factors that are key determinants of growth in Islamic bank financing. For the information of our readers, we are pleased to inform that following the rebranding of the journal, IJIFSD’s new e-ISSN number has now been duly registered on the ISSN portal. We hope that the journal’s records will now be updated in the Scopus database accordingly. We shall keep you updated on further developments in sha Allah.   Allah (SWT) is the Bestower of success, and He knows best. Beebee Salma Sairally, PhDManaging Editor, IJIFSDISRA Institute, INCEIF University, Malaysia