Double composed metric-like spaces via some fixed point theorems

The manuscript introduces the concept of a double-composed metric-like space, which is an extension of the notion of a double-composed metric space. In this new space, the self-distance is not necessarily zero, but if the distance metric equals zero, it must be for identical points of distance. Furthermore, this paper presents several results related to this novel concept in the literature, with a particular focus on Hardy–Rogers type contractions. It establishes fixed point theorems accompanied by some illustrative examples that elucidate the findings. Finally, this research provides an application to nonlinear integral equation to substantiate our theorems.