The Digital Library and Scientific Journals Unit, in collaboration with the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the Islamic University of Minnesota - Main Center, held its second monthly regular meeting on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. This meeting is part of the university's ongoing efforts to develop academic publishing and strengthen the journal's research presence at both local and international levels.

The meeting was chaired by the Director of the Unit, Professor Mohamed Makki Al-Taher, with the participation of editorial board members. He opened the session by emphasizing the importance of keeping pace with rapid transformations in the field of scientific publishing and the necessity of adopting modern mechanisms to ensure the quality of research outputs and enhance the journal's competitiveness.

He pointed out that the upcoming phase requires efforts to develop the publishing and peer-review system in line with international standards, thereby strengthening the position of the Journal of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration as a leading scientific platform that reflects the university's academic presence.

During the meeting, the Editorial Board reviewed the work agenda for upcoming issues and discussed the journal's future vision and development plans. Dr. Sherin Mamoun presented a detailed update on the progress of the fourth issue, explaining that all research papers have been completed and are ready for publication after entering the final review stage.

In turn, Dr. Zayed Nawaf Al-Duwairi praised the efforts made to complete the new issue, calling for continued work to elevate the standard of scientific publishing. He urged faculty members to contribute high-quality research that enriches the journal's content and enhances its scientific value.

The meeting featured extensive discussions covering the final arrangements for publishing the fourth issue during March, along with a review of new language proofreading policies, discussion of specialized professional training programs for editorial board members, and consideration of the strategic file representing the roadmap for the journal's development in the upcoming phase.

In a step aimed at enhancing the journal's international presence, participants approved a set of strategic recommendations based on proposals submitted by Dr. Sherin Mamoun and Dr. Ahmed. These included moving toward contracting with global specialized plagiarism detection platforms such as iThenticate and Turnitin to enhance scientific integrity and raise the reliability of published research.

The Editorial Board also recommended establishing clear policies for handling content generated by artificial intelligence technologies and expanding digital transformation by activating the Open Journal Systems (OJS) and linking published research to Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to increase the journal's reach and improve global access to its research content.

Regarding the quality of scientific peer review, it was decided to adopt a double-blind review system, expand the pool of international reviewers based on criteria of originality, novelty, and scientific competence, work toward indexing the journal in global databases, and form an international advisory board to support its academic standing.

On the administrative front, new mechanisms were approved to regulate the issue production cycle, starting from the Editorial Board, moving through the Digital Library Unit and the Media Office, before returning for final review and archiving, ensuring procedural clarity and improved workflow.

It was also decided to exempt the fourth issue from applying the new language proofreading mechanism, with implementation to begin starting from the fifth issue. Other decisions included following up on activating the publication requirement for graduate students, formalizing the name of the monthly regular meeting, and committing to advance announcement of its agenda.

The meeting concluded with an emphasis on submitting the recommendations to the university administration for approval, initiating specialized training programs for editorial board members, activating research partnerships, and enhancing the role of the advisory board. Participants described this as a qualitative shift in the journey of the Journal of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, paving the way to establish its position as a scientific platform with an international presence that reflects the message and academic goals of the Islamic University of Minnesota.