History of Enlighten

Enlighten: Jurnal Bimbingan Konseling Islam is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Department of Islamic Guidance and Counseling, IAIN Langsa, in collaboration with the Association of Islamic Guidance and Counseling Experts (PABKI). The journal was founded by Dr. Mawardi Siregar, M.A., as Head of the Department, with Rizky Andana Pohan, M.Pd. appointed as the first Editor-in-Chief. Since its inaugural issue in June 2018, Enlighten has been committed to becoming an academic forum that integrates Islamic values with modern counseling approaches in a global framework.

Chronological Development

• 2018 – Enlighten published its first issue through the Open Journal System (OJS) and obtained a Print ISSN. In December 2018 (Vol. 1 No. 2), an Online ISSN was issued by LIPI. In the same year, all manuscripts were required to follow the new journal template. Enlighten was registered and indexed in several databases, including Google Scholar, Garuda, Moraref, and Crossref. IAIN Langsa became a Crossref member, and the journal adopted the DOI prefix 10.32505.

• 2020 – Enlighten was indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals DOAJ and and received national accreditation at Sinta Grade 4.
• 2022 (Vol. 5 No. 1) – A new editorial policy was introduced: all manuscripts must include an English title and abstract (for submissions written in Bahasa), with strong recommendations for full manuscripts in English. During this period, Enlighten achieved Sinta Rank 3 accreditation, valid from Vol. 5 No. 1 (2022) to Vol. 9 No. 2 (2026).
• 2023 – As part of its internationalization efforts, Enlighten required that all submitted manuscripts be written in English, thereby broadening its accessibility and readership worldwide. In the same year, Enlighten submitted for Scopus evaluation; however, the application was rejected at the CSAB stage. The reviewers’ feedback from CSAB has become the basis for ongoing improvements, with the aim of resubmitting in the future and achieving acceptance for inclusion in Scopus.

International Commitment

Enlighten is managed by an editorial board that includes scholars from both national and international institutions. The journal strictly applies a double-blind peer review process and adheres to the COPE Guidelines to ensure academic integrity and compliance with international publishing ethics.

Scientific Contribution

Enlighten serves as a scholarly platform to advance research in Islamic guidance and counseling through an interdisciplinary approach that bridges religion, culture, and psychology. With its open-access policy, global indexing, and commitment to internationalization, Enlighten aspires to become a key academic reference in the field of religion-based counseling at the international level.