The İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review (e-ISSN: …) is a national, peer-reviewed, academic journal published twice a year, in January and July. The journal adheres to national standards on research and publication ethics. It complies with the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Regulation on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions. The İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review also adopts the International Standards for Editors and Authors as published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA).

• Press Law (National Legislation)

• Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)

• Regulation on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions ( YÖK- National Legislation)

• Principles of Transparency and Best Practices in Scholarly Publishing (International Standards)

All parties involved in the publication process are obliged to comply with scientific research and publication ethics.

• Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts impartially, taking into account the relevance of the manuscript to the scope of the journal as well as the significance and originality of the work. Editors ensure that published studies contribute to readers, researchers, practitioners, and the broader scientific field, and that they possess originality.

• The relationship between editors, the publisher, and the journal owner is based on the principle of editorial independence.

• Editors must not disclose information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, referees, and members of the editorial board.

• Editors must avoid conflicts of interest concerning accepted or rejected manuscripts.

• Editors ensure that all manuscripts accepted for publication undergo review by at least two referees who are experts in the relevant field. They apply the principle of double-blind peer review, maintain referee confidentiality, and assign referees according to their fields of expertise.

• Editors, without discrimination among authors, make objective and fair decisions in line with the aims and scope of the journal. Manuscripts deemed scientifically problematic may be rejected without being sent for review. Editors ensure the objective evaluation of submissions by employing a broad and diverse network of referees. The proper and timely exercise of responsibility and authority is essential.

• Editors hold periodic meetings with the Editorial Board to review publication policies and the development of the journal. They safeguard intellectual property rights of published works and take necessary measures to prevent infringement of third-party intellectual property rights.

Responsibilities of Authors

• Authors are required to exercise the utmost diligence and sensitivity regarding research ethics (particularly plagiarism and/or improper direct or indirect quotation) and publication standards. They must not engage in plagiarism or use falsified data; footnotes and the bibliography must be complete. For detailed information, see the Author’s Guide. All references used in the article must comply with the Author Guidelines and be cited in accordance with ethical principles.

• Authors must preserve the raw data of their research and provide it for editorial review upon request by the Journal.

• All individuals who have made an active contribution to the research must be listed as authors.

• Individuals who have not actively contributed to the research must not be included among the authors.

• Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest as early as possible (generally during submission, by submitting a disclosure form and including a statement in the manuscript). If an error is discovered in a manuscript under publication, authors are obliged to inform the editor and cooperate accordingly.

• All authors are required to implement editorial corrections.

• Manuscripts submitted to the Journal must constitute original research in the field of law.

• Authors must ensure that their submissions have not been published elsewhere and are not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

• Reviewers must evaluate submissions impartially.

• Reviewers must not have conflicts of interest with the research, the author(s), or any research funders. In cases of potential conflict of interest, reviewers must decline to evaluate the manuscript.

• Reviewers are expected not to provide only a “yes” or “no” evaluation; they must detail their criticisms and present justifications. For detailed information, see the Reviewer’s Guide. Due to the double-blind peer review process, reviewer identities must not be included in the Reviewer Evaluation Form. Reviewers may recommend acceptance, rejection, or revision of a manuscript. Negative or revision recommendations must be reasoned and contain scholarly input. If a manuscript is recommended for revision, the author must implement the changes indicated in the reviewer’s report and submit a response letter to the Editorial Board. Revised manuscripts will be re-evaluated by reviewers. If both reviewers recommend rejection, the manuscript will not be published. If one reviewer is positive and the other negative, the manuscript may be sent to a third reviewer, or the editor may decide in line with editorial discretion.

• Reviewers are expected to provide text-focused evaluations only and must not use language that could harm the reputation or personal rights of the author(s).

• Reviewers should point out relevant works that have been published but not cited. When recommending citations to their own work, reviewers must ensure that such recommendations are based on genuine scholarly relevance, not to increase their citation counts or visibility.

• Reviewers should only evaluate manuscripts within their field of expertise; otherwise, they must decline the review.

• Reviewers must act objectively, uphold confidentiality, and show sensitivity toward violations of research and publication ethics. They must conduct a detailed assessment of the originality of the manuscript, including its compliance with scholarly standards.

Duplicate publication refers to the submission and/or publication of the same work, or works that are substantially similar, in more than one journal. The editor returns such manuscripts without review. Thereafter, the editor may impose an embargo on the author for a certain period of time, publicly announce the attempt in coordination with the editor of the other journal in which the article was published, or apply all of these measures together.

If an article is derived from an academic study (such as a Master’s/Doctoral thesis or a scholarly conference), this must be explicitly stated.

Authors may not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time. If the editor becomes aware of possible simultaneous submission at the outset, the manuscript may be returned without review. If detected during the publication process, the editor may reject the manuscript without further evaluation or may discuss the case with the editor(s) of the other journal(s) involved, and may decide not to accept further submissions from the author(s) for a specified period. The editor may also notify the author’s employer, or implement all of these measures simultaneously.

Plagiarism is defined as the presentation, in whole or in part, of another person’s ideas, methods, data, practices, writings, figures, or works as one’s own, without proper attribution in accordance with scholarly standards.

The İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review screens all submissions with the Turnitin software in order to prevent plagiarism. A similarity index below 25% is expected. However, the essential criterion is the author’s adherence to proper citation and quotation rules. Even if the similarity index appears as low as 1%, improper attribution or quotation constitutes plagiarism. Therefore, authors must be familiar with and carefully apply citation and quotation rules.

Plagiarism, duplication, false authorship/denial of authorship, research/data fabrication, slicing, redundant publication, copyright infringement, and concealment of conflicts of interest are considered unethical practices. If plagiarism is suspected in a submitted or published manuscript:

1. The manuscript is first examined by the Editor-in-Chief, followed by the Editorial Board.

2. The journal contacts the author within one week to request an explanation.

3. If no response is received within the specified period, the journal may contact the author’s affiliated institution to request an investigation of the allegation.

4. If plagiarism is confirmed despite all preventive measures, the following serious actions will be taken against the author(s):

a. The journal will immediately notify the author’s affiliated institution to initiate formal action.

b. The journal will remove the published article’s PDF from its website, deactivate all links to the full text, and add the phrase “Plagiarized Article” to the article title.

c. The journal will disable the author’s account and reject all future submissions by the author for a period of five years.

Fabrication refers to the creation of data that is not based on actual research. Falsification involves manipulating research records and obtained data, presenting methods, devices, or materials as if they had been used when they were not, excluding data that does not fit the research hypothesis, presenting a study as conducted when it was not, or distorting/shaping research results to serve particular interests. Allegations of fabrication or falsification are investigated and adjudicated by the Editorial Board of the journal.

Readers who notice a significant error or inaccuracy in an article published in the Istanbul 29 May University Law Faculty Journal, or who identify any violation of scientific research and publication ethics, may report it to hukukdergi@29mayis.edu.tr. These reports are welcomed for the development and quality of the journal; prompt and constructive feedback is provided.

If minor errors are found in a published article that do not affect the findings, interpretations, or conclusions, editors may consider publishing a correction. When major errors/violations that invalidate the findings and conclusions are involved, editors should consider retracting the article. When there is a possibility of misuse of research or publication by authors, and there is evidence that the findings are unreliable and the authors' institutions have not investigated the matter, or a possible investigation appears unfair or inconclusive, editors should consider publishing a statement of concern. COPE principles are taken into account regarding corrections, retractions, or statements of concern.

The journal requires that all studies in fields necessitating ethics committee approval have obtained such approval. Information regarding the ethics committee (including the name of the committee, date, and decision number) must be explicitly stated in the manuscript.

In accordance with the regulations of ULAKBİM TR Dizin effective since 2020, manuscripts without ethics committee approval are not considered for evaluation by the journal.

Research falling under this category includes:

• All qualitative and quantitative studies involving data collection from participants through methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, and similar techniques.

• Retrospective studies conducted within the framework of the Law on the Protection of Personal Data.

For such studies to be evaluated, the appropriate ethics committee approvals must be obtained and clearly stated in the manuscript.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in submissions is acceptable only for processes that do not compromise the originality of the manuscript, such as literature searches or language editing. However, AI must not be used for unethical purposes such as fabricating or manipulating data.

Authors are required to disclose any use of AI tools during submission. Responsibility for the use of AI rests solely with the authors. For more information, see the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy.

Editors of the İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. No information about a manuscript is disclosed without the authors’ permission. During the review process, access to manuscripts is limited to editors, reviewers, and members of the editorial board. The only exception for disclosure without the author’s permission is if the editor suspects serious research misconduct.

The İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review adheres to the COPE Ethics Toolkit for a Successful Editorial Office. Editors will take precautions to prevent the publication of manuscripts in which plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, or other forms of misconduct are detected. Under no circumstances will the editors knowingly allow such misconduct to occur. If editors become aware of allegations of research misconduct regarding a published or unpublished manuscript, they will follow COPE guidelines in addressing such claims. This responsibility applies to both published and unpublished submissions. Reviewers must also inform the editor if they suspect research or publication misconduct.

The İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review is committed to following COPE flowcharts when handling misconduct allegations concerning issues such as (but not limited to):

• Plagiarism,

• Data fabrication/falsification,

• Citation manipulation,

• Ethical violations,

• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Complaints should be directed to hukukdergi@29mayis.edu.tr. All complaints are handled with courtesy, efficiency, and constructiveness. The editor follows the procedures outlined in COPE flowcharts when addressing complaints.

Serious objections to editorial or reviewer decisions must be submitted to hukukdergi@29mayis.edu.tr. If, upon review, the author’s objection is deemed justified, the editor may request a revised version of the manuscript. To ensure the integrity of the process, appeals should include as much detail and evidence as possible. Only one appeal will be considered per manuscript.

A conflict of interest arises when professional judgment regarding a primary interest may be influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain or personal rivalry). To ensure the best possible evaluation of a manuscript, authors must disclose any competing interests, and readers must also be informed of such interests if the manuscript is published.

The İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review guarantees that the editorial process is conducted independently and impartially, taking into account potential conflicts of interest among authors, reviewers, and editors. In multi-authored works, a contribution statement, acknowledgment of funding and support, and a conflict-of-interest declaration must be included at the end of the manuscript following the peer review process.

1. The İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review is a national, peer-reviewed, academic journal published twice a year, in January and July.
2. The publication languages of the İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review are Turkish, English, and German. The Editorial Board decides whether to publish scholarly works submitted in other languages.
3. For translated works to be considered for publication, the author and/or publisher must provide an official “Permission Document,” which must be uploaded to the system. In addition, a copy of the original text must be digitized and attached to the submission.
4. Manuscripts not prepared in accordance with the journal’s author guidelines will be returned to the author for correction before entering the review process.
5. The İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review employs a double-blind peer review system. Manuscripts receiving two positive referee reports are accepted for publication. If one report is positive and the other negative, the manuscript is sent to a third referee. For detailed information, see the Reviewer’s Guide and Manuscript Evaluation Process.
6. Confidentiality is essential in referee reports; therefore, reviewer identities are not disclosed in the journal.
7. Only one article by the same author may be published in a single issue. Furthermore, an author cannot publish another article in the journal until two years have passed since their previous publication.
8. For details regarding copyright of accepted articles, see the Copyright Notice.
9. Articles published in the journal are made available in open access under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. Published articles can be accessed free of charge via [link]. For further information, see the Open Access Policy.
10. Articles published in the journal are digitally archived in LOCKSS. For more details, see the Archiving Policy.
11. Authors are required to comply with rules of grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, and comprehensibility in their submissions. Authors bear full responsibility for any problems or criticisms arising in this regard. See Author Guidelines for further details.
12. All policies and procedures of the İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review are determined by the Editorial Board. Matters not specified herein are subject to the discretion of the Editorial Board.
13. The İstanbul 29 Mayıs University Law Review reserves the right to accept or reject submitted manuscripts and, where deemed necessary, to make revisions. The legal responsibility for the content of a published article lies solely with its author(s) and does not bind the journal. Submission of a manuscript implies acceptance of these principles. Manuscripts not complying with these principles will not be considered for review.