Open Access Policy

Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that adopts the principles of open-access publishing. All content published in the journal is freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication. No subscription, membership, or access fee is required to access the journal content.

The journal supports the global dissemination of scientific knowledge and operates in accordance with the fundamental principles of open-access publishing. Users may read, download, share, link to, and reuse published articles for non-commercial purposes.

All content published in the Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Under this license, users are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, share, and adapt the published material for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the source.

The full terms of the license are available at:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Authors retain the copyright of their work. By submitting and publishing their manuscripts in the journal, authors grant the Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies (ABSAD) the right of first publication and authorize the journal to identify itself as the original publisher of the work.

The views and opinions expressed in published articles are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Police Academy Presidency, the Editorial Board, or the Journal.

Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

The manuscript acceptance and publication processes implemented by Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies constitute the foundation for the impartial and reputable advancement and dissemination of scientific knowledge. Accordingly, these processes directly reflect the quality of the studies produced by authors and the institutions supporting them. Peer-reviewed studies embody and support the scientific method. Therefore, it is essential that all stakeholders involved in the process (authors, readers, researchers, publisher, reviewers, and editors) comply with ethical standards.

Within the scope of publication ethics, Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies expects all stakeholders to adhere to the ethical responsibilities outlined below. The ethical duties and responsibilities presented herein have been prepared in consideration of the guidelines and policies published openly by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Authors, editors, and reviewers are obliged to act in accordance with the principles of scientific publication ethics. Data manipulation, ethical misconduct, inappropriate citation practices, and scientific malpractice are strictly unacceptable.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:

• Submitted manuscripts must be original, and where authors benefit from or use the work of others, proper and complete citation and/or quotation must be provided.
• Any circumstances or relationships that may constitute a conflict of interest regarding submitted studies must be disclosed.
• Authors may be requested to provide raw data related to their manuscripts within the framework of the evaluation process and should therefore be prepared to submit the expected data and information to the editorial and scientific boards.
• Authors must possess documentation demonstrating that they have the legal rights to use the data, obtained the necessary permissions related to research/analysis, and fulfilled all required procedures concerning human participants or experimental subjects.
• In the event that authors identify a significant error or inaccuracy in a published, early-view, or under-review manuscript, they are obliged to inform the journal editor or publisher and cooperate in the correction or retraction process.
• Authors may not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. A new submission may only be initiated following the completion of a previous application process. A manuscript previously published elsewhere may not be submitted to Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies.
• Requests to alter author responsibilities in a manuscript whose evaluation process has commenced (such as adding authors, changing author order, or removing authors) shall not be accepted.

Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board

The Editor-in-Chief and editorial board members of Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies shall uphold the following ethical duties and responsibilities based on the “COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors” and the “COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors” published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

General Duties and Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for every publication appearing in Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies. Within the scope of this responsibility, editors undertake the following duties and obligations:

• Striving to meet the informational needs of readers and authors,
• Ensuring the continuous development of the journal,
• Conducting processes aimed at improving the quality of published studies,
• Supporting freedom of thought and academic expression,
• Safeguarding academic integrity,
• Maintaining editorial processes without compromising intellectual property rights and ethical standards,
• Demonstrating transparency and clarity regarding corrections and matters requiring explanation.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

The evaluation of all submissions through a blind peer-review process directly affects publication quality. This process ensures trust through objective and independent evaluation. The evaluation process of Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies is conducted according to the principle of double-blind peer review. Reviewers may not communicate directly with authors, and all evaluations and comments are transmitted through the journal management system. During this process, reviewer evaluation forms and comments on full texts are conveyed to the author(s) through the editor. In this regard, reviewers evaluating manuscripts for Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies  are expected to fulfill the following ethical responsibilities:

• They should only agree to review studies within their field of expertise.
• They must conduct evaluations impartially and confidentially.
• If they believe they are facing a conflict of interest during the review process, they should decline the review and inform the journal editor.
• In accordance with the principle of confidentiality, they must destroy the reviewed manuscripts after the evaluation process. They may only use the final published versions of reviewed studies after publication.
• Evaluations should be conducted objectively and solely on the basis of the manuscript content. Nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political views, and commercial concerns must not influence evaluations.
• Reviews should be written in a constructive and respectful manner. Hostile, defamatory, or insulting personal comments are unacceptable.
• Accepted reviews should be completed in a timely manner and in accordance with the ethical responsibilities stated above.

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies are evaluated through a double-blind peer-review system. Submissions first undergo editorial preliminary review. Manuscripts found suitable in terms of formatting rules, scope, and ethical compliance are sent to at least two independent reviewers. Decisions regarding revision, acceptance, or rejection are made in accordance with reviewer reports. The identities of reviewers and authors are kept mutually confidential throughout the process.

Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

The Editorial Board of Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies acts with awareness of the following ethical responsibilities regarding the journal:

• Editors are responsible for all processes concerning manuscripts submitted to Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies. In this framework, decision-makers are the Editor-in-Chief and editorial board members, independent of economic or political considerations.
• The journal undertakes to ensure independent editorial decision-making.
• The journal protects the ownership and copyright of every published article and undertakes the responsibility of preserving records of all published copies.
• The journal bears responsibility for taking necessary measures against scientific misconduct, citation manipulation, and plagiarism.

Reporting Ethical Misconduct

If you encounter unethical behavior or content in Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies  other than the ethical responsibilities mentioned above, please report it via e-mail to absad@pa.edu.tr.

Digital Archiving Policy

All content published in Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies  is digitally archived through the DergiPark infrastructure and preserved for long-term access.

The journal also ensures the permanent accessibility of articles through the DergiPark and İzlik digital archiving infrastructures.. All published content is protected within the scope of institutional and national digital archiving systems.

The journal supports authors in sharing their published works on personal websites, institutional repositories, academic social networks, and open-access databases, provided that appropriate citation is given.

Plagiarism Policy

All submissions are screened for plagiarism using relevant software tools.

In cases where plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, salami slicing, duplicate publication, or ethical violations are detected, the manuscript shall be excluded from the evaluation process.

Article Processing Charge Policy

No submission, evaluation, processing, or publication fees are charged by Turkish Journal of Forensic Sciences and Crime Studies.

The journal operates entirely under a free open-access publishing model.

Research Ethics Policy

Ethics committee approval is mandatory for research involving human participants. Informed consent forms may also be requested when necessary.

Studies involving animal experimentation must likewise comply with the relevant ethical standards and regulations.

Conflict of Interest Policy

Authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest prior to the commencement of the editorial process.

Artificial Intelligence Usage Policy

Artificial intelligence tools are not recognized as possessing scientific authorship status. Authors must clearly disclose the use of AI-assisted tools in their studies whenever applicable.

The scientific, ethical, and legal responsibility for the manuscript rests entirely with the authors.

Language Editing Policy

The journal employs both Turkish and English language editors. Manuscripts submitted in foreign languages may additionally be evaluated in terms of linguistic proficiency.

Correction and Retraction Policy

In cases where scientific errors, ethical violations, or significant publication issues are identified, the editorial board reserves the right to publish corrections, retractions, or editorial notices.

Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy

Authors are encouraged, where possible, to make their research data accessible in accordance with the principles of scientific verifiability and transparency.