Publishing Islamic economics and finance research: polemics, perceptions and prospects

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the academic polemics, stakeholder perceptions and publishing prospects for Islamic economics and finance (IEF) research. Design/methodology/approach - This study adopts both quantitative and qualitative methods with a view to understanding the aforementioned aspects of published IEF research. The main part of the study constitutes searching through selected databases to identify leading journals and publishing outlets for IEF research. To supplement and support the main part, the study also conducted a survey of IEF experts and interviewed major stakeholders with a view to understanding the current trends and future perspectives of IEF research. The study also attempts to bring to the fore less explored aspects of IEF research, which has the potential of shaping the future trends in both the academia and the industry. Findings - Apart from challenges such as inadequate funding opportunities, differences in worldview, among others, the field is still in need of improvement in the quality of research despite the increasing interest in IEF research and the level of research output over the past three decades. The study also finds that IEF has yet to establish core IEF journals reporting the research findings, which creates a perception among IEF researchers that non-IEF journals have a greater academic standing than IEF journals. Research limitations/implications - It must be highlighted that the study has been limited to specific well-known research databases; therefore, future studies may explore other leading databases such as Web of Science and examine the quality of IEF research published in journals indexed in such databases. Practical implications - It is expected that mainstream journals in economics and finance will publish more of IEF research, which has been facilitated recently by the increasing trends of special issues of such journals dedicated to IEF research. Originality/value - The study brings to the fore a less explored aspect of Islamic economics and finance, which has the potential of shaping future trends in both the academia and the industry.