Author Guidelines

Manuscripts to be sent to Journal of Mother Tongue Education must comply with the principles of EASE (European Association of Science Editors). All sections of the article (Title, List of Authors, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, Conclusion) should be prepared based on the EASE Guidelines. In addition, this guide should be taken into consideration in terms of scientific content, text structure, language matters. Click for EASE Guidelines.

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Mother Tongue Education should not be published elsewhere and should not be in the process of being evaluated for publication. Papers presented at a scientific meeting may be accepted provided that the place and date of the meeting are explicitly stated.

The following conditions must be met in order to evaluate the theoretical and applied articles submitted to the journal. Manuscripts that do not comply with the rules will not be reviewed.

Our journal employs a double-blind peer review system. Therefore, the manuscript file should not contain any information that could reveal the author's identity. In this context, the manuscript file should not include the author's name and surname, institutional/university information, ORCID number, email address, or similar author details. The manuscript file must be prepared completely anonymously. Author information and statements related to the research should be filled out using the Title Page prepared by the journal and uploaded to the system as an additional file during the article submission process. The title page file is only visible to the editorial board and is not shared with reviewers. Submissions without the title page will not be considered for evaluation.

Manuscripts to be sent to the journal should be written in one column on one side of the A4 size page. 2.5 cm margins should be left on all sides of the page. Paragraphs should start from 1.25 cm inside. All text should be written in Calibri font 11 pt. (10 pt. in Turkish and English abstract), single-spaced and paragraphs (except headings) should be justified using Microsoft Word program. The text length (including titles, abstract, text, tables, references, extended English abstract) should not exceed 10,000 words limit.
 

Title of the Article and Author Information

Title of the Article: The title of the article, which consists of a maximum of 10-12 words, should be written in 12 pt, indented, centred and bold, with only the first letter of the words capitalized. The title should be in both Turkish and English, and the English title should be below the Turkish summary and above the English summary, with only the first letter of the words capitalized.

Information such as the author(s)’ first and last names and institutional affiliations will not be included in articles submitted as new submissions. The article will be uploaded in a fully anonymized format, and author information and declarations will be provided in a mandatory supplementary file (on the title page).

Abstract and Keywords

Abstracts should be written in Turkish and English, not exceeding 150 words. Abstract and English Abstract should be withdrawn 1 cm from the right and left sides. “Keywords” should be placed after “Keywords” title under the English abstract and after “Anahtar Kelimeler” title under the Turkish abstract. Turkish Abstract and English Abstract titles should be written in bold, left justified with the first letters capitalized and the others lowercase.

Abstract (Bold, 10 pt)

Abstract text (10 pt)

Keywords: (Bold, 10 pt)

English Title (Bold, 11 pt)

English Abstract (Bold, 10 pt)

English Abstract text (10 pt)

Keywords: (Bold, 10 pt)

Main Text and Sections

The main text should begin immediately after the English abstract. In research articles, the text should consist of introduction, method, results, discussion and conclusion sections respectively. Subtitles reflecting the format of the thesis such as problem status, sub-problems and the purpose of the research should not be used in the introduction. The method section should consist of four subheadings: sample (or research group), data collection tools, process (or data collection) and data analysis, respectively. Different headings may be used in theoretical and review articles depending on the content of the article. Introduction, methods, findings and discussion sections should continue before starting a new page. Article titles should be written with only the first letter of the words capitalized. At the same time, the section titles are centred and bold; the first subtitles are left-aligned and bold; the second subtitles are left aligned, bold and italic; the third and subsequent subtitles must be left-aligned and italicized. Section headings and sub-headings should not be numbered.

Tables and Figures

APA (American Psychological Assosication) 6th Edition style should be used for tables and figures.

Table title and table text should be single-spaced and 11 points. In addition, the table title should be left aligned and italicized, with only the first letter of the words capitalized. Table number should not be written in italics. Expressions or numbers in the table should not be bold. Tables should be justified in the page.

Graphs, charts, drawings and images should be titled as “Figure”. The title of the figure should be written with 11 pt, single-spaced and centred, with only the first letter of the words capitalized. Figure number should be written in italics.

In-Text Citations and References

APA (American Psychological Association) 6th Edition style should be used for in-text citations and references.

References should begin immediately after the discussion and conclusion section under the title of “References” (the first letter is capitalized, others are small, centred and bold) and should be written in 11 pt and single-spaced.

Detailed information about referencing can be accessed through the following website. Click for APA Style 7th Edition. 
 

Extended Abstract in English

The extended abstract in English will begin after the references section. Extended abstract will be written in Calibri font, 11 pt, with headings left aligned and bold, single line spacing. Extended Abstract will include “Introduction”, “Method”, “Results and Discussion” sub-headings.

Article Template

Articles to be sent to the journal should be prepared on the sample tempalete in line with "Author Guidelines".

Sample Template (Turkish)

Sample Template (English) 

Additionally, the title page containing the author and declaration information must be uploaded as an additional file.

Title Page 

Articles submitted for publication in the Journal of Mother Tongue Education may be in Turkish or English. Articles submitted for publication must comply with guidelines and policies of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) on ethical duties and responsibilities. It is of utmost importance that all parties included in the publication process (authors, readers, and researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) comply with the standards of ethical considerations.

Responsibilities of the Authors

The author(s) who submit the Journal of Mother Tongue Education are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:
• It is expected that the works submitted by the author (s) will be original. If the author (s) benefit from or use other studies, they must cite and / or quote completely and accurately.
• People who do not contribute to the content intellectually in the creation of the study should not be specified as authors.
• The situations and relationships of all the works submitted for publication that may create a conflict of interest, if any, should be explained.
• In the framework of evaluation processes, raw data related to their articles may be requested from the author (s), in such a case, the author (s) should be ready to present the expected data and information to the editorial board and scientific board.
• The author (s) must have a document showing that they have the right to use the data used, the necessary permissions for the research / analysis, or that the consent of the experimental subjects has been obtained.
• In the event that the author (s) notices a mistake or error in their published work, early appearance or evaluation stage, the journal editor or publisher has an obligation to cooperate with the editor in informing, correcting or withdrawing.
• Authors cannot have their work in the application process of more than one journal at the same time. Each application can be started following completion of the previous application. Work published in another journal cannot be sent to us.
• Changing the author responsibilities of a study whose evaluation process has started (such as adding an author, changing the order of the author, removing the author) cannot be proposed.
 

Responsibilities of the Referees

The evaluation of all studies by "Blinding Refereeing" directly affects the quality of the publication. This process provides confidence through objective and independent evaluation of the publication. Journal of Mother Tongue Education evaluation process is carried out with the principle of double-blind review. Referees cannot contact the authors directly, evaluations and comments are submitted through the journal management system. In this process, referee comments on evaluation forms and full texts are sent to the author (s) through the editor. In this context, it is expected that referees evaluating a study for our journal will have the following ethical responsibilities:
• Should only accept study evaluation related to the field of expertise.
• It should evaluate in impartiality and confidentiality.
• If he / she thinks that he / she faces a conflict of interest during the evaluation process, he / she should refuse to examine the study and inform the editor of the journal.
• Due to the confidentiality principle, they should destroy the studies they examine after the evaluation process. They can only use the final versions of the studies they have reviewed, only after they are published.
• Make the assessment objectively only in relation to the content of the study. It should not allow nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political beliefs, and commercial concerns to influence the assessment.
• The assessment should be made in a constructive and courteous language. He should not make derogatory personal comments that contain hostility, slander and insult.
• They should perform the work they have accepted to evaluate, in a timely manner and with the above ethical responsibilities.
 

Editors' Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for every publication published in the journal. In the context of this responsibility, editors have the following roles and responsibilities:
• Making efforts to meet the information needs of readers and writers,
• Continuous improvement of the journal,
• Conducting processes to improve the quality of the studies published in the journal,
• Supporting freedom of thought,
• Ensuring academic integrity,
• Continuing business processes without compromising intellectual property rights and ethical standards,
• Showing clarity and transparency in terms of publication in matters that require correction and explanation.

Relations with the Reader
Editors should make decisions by considering the knowledge, skills and experience expectations of all readers, researchers and practitioners. The published studies should be paid attention to the readers, researchers, practitioners and contributors to the scientific literature and to be original. In addition, editors are obliged to take into account the feedback from readers, researchers and practitioners and to provide explanatory and informative feedback.

Relations with the Author
Editors’ duties and responsibilities towards authors are as follows:
• Editors should make positive or negative decisions based on the importance of the work, its original value, validity, clarity of expression, and the journal's goals and objectives.
• Unless the studies that are suitable for the scope of the publication do not have serious problems, they should be included in the pre-evaluation stage.
• Editors should not ignore positive referee suggestions unless there is a serious problem with the work.
• New editors should not change the decisions made by the previous editor (s) regarding the work, unless there is a serious problem.
• "Blind Review and Evaluation Process" must be published and editors must prevent deviations that may occur in the defined processes.
• Editors should publish a "Author's Guide" detailing every subject that will be expected of them by the authors. These guides should be updated periodically.
• An explanatory and informative notification and feedback should be provided to the authors.

Relations with Referees
The duties and responsibilities of editors towards referees are as follows:
• It should determine the referees in accordance with the subject of the study.
• It is obliged to provide the information and guides that referees will need during the evaluation phase.
• It has to check whether there is a conflict of interest between the authors and referees.
• In the context of blinding refereeing, the identity information of the referees should be kept confidential.
• Encourage referees to consider working in an impartial, scientific and objective language.
• Evaluate the referees with criteria such as timely return and performance.
• It should determine practices and policies that increase the performance of referees.
• Take the necessary steps to dynamically update the referee pool.
• Avoid impolite and unscientific evaluations.
• Take steps to ensure that the referee pool is made up of a broad spectrum.

Relations with the Editorial Board
Editors should ensure that all editorial board members advance processes in accordance with editorial policies and guidelines. The editorial board should inform its members about the publication policies and keep them informed of the developments. The new editorial board should educate its members on editorial policies and provide the information they need.

In addition, the editors;
• Editorial board members should ensure that they evaluate the work impartially and independently.
• Identify new editorial board members who are capable and appropriate to contribute.
• The editorial board should send the works appropriate to the field of expertise of the members for evaluation.
• Should be in regular interaction with the editorial board.
• Organize meetings with the editorial board at regular intervals for the development of the publication policies and the journal.

Editorial and blind review processes
Editors; It is obliged to implement the "Blind Refereeing and Evaluation Process" policies in the journal publishing policies. In this context, editors ensure that each work is completed in a fair, impartial and timely evaluation process.

Quality assurance
Editors; is responsible for publishing every article published in the journal in accordance with the journal publishing policies and international standards.

Protection of personal data
Editors; It is obliged to ensure the protection of personal data regarding the subjects or images in the evaluated studies. Unless the express consent of the individuals used in the studies is documented, it is responsible for refusing to work. In addition, the editors; is responsible for protecting the individual data of the author, reviewer and readers.

Ethics committee, human and animal rights
Editors; is obliged to ensure the protection of human and animal rights in the evaluated studies. Ethics committee approval for the subjects used in the studies is responsible for refusing to study in cases where there are no permissions for experimental research.

Prevention against possible misconduct and misconduct
Editors; is obliged to take precautions against possible abuse and misconduct. In addition to conducting a meticulous and objective investigation in determining and evaluating complaints regarding this situation, it is among the editor's responsibilities to share the findings on the subject.

To ensure academic publication integrity
Editors should ensure that any errors, inconsistencies, or misleading judgments in the work are quickly corrected.

Protection of intellectual property rights
Editors; It is obliged to protect the intellectual property rights of all published articles and to defend the rights of the journal and the author (s) in possible violations. In addition, editors are obliged to take the necessary measures to ensure that the content in all published articles does not violate the intellectual property rights of other publications.

Constructiveness and openness to discussion
Editors;
• Should take into account convincing criticisms of the works published in the journal and display a constructive attitude towards these criticisms.
• The author (s) of the criticized studies should give the right to reply.
• Should not ignore or exclude studies with negative results.

Complaints
Editors; is responsible for responding in an enlightening and descriptive manner by carefully examining the complaints from authors, referees or readers.

Political and Commercial concerns
Journal owner, publisher, and any other political or commercial aspect does not affect the independent decision-making of the editors.

Conflicts of interest
Editors; It guarantees the completion of the publication process of the studies in an independent and impartial manner, taking into account the conflicts of interest between the author(s), referees and other editors.

 

Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

Among the parties involved in a creation of a scientific study, the publisher should act within all these ethical principles. In addition to these, the publisher is obliged to use its communication power without any individual interest and to direct the target audience correctly. It protects the ownership and copyright of each work published in its journals/books and undertakes the task of archiving every published work. People should not hesitate to get contact with the publisher when they encounter an unethical situation.
Some of the actions considered to be against scientific research and publication ethics
• Plagiarism: To adopt the original ideas, methods, data or works of others partially or wholly without referencing them in compliance with scientific rules,
• Fraud: to use data that is not actually present or falsified in scientific research
• Distortion: Distorting the research records or data obtained, demonstrating unused devices or materials as if they were used in the research, and distorting or shaping the results of research in the interests of the people and organizations that sponsored the study;
• Republication: To present duplicates as separate publications in academic appointments and elevations
• Slicing: To present the results of a research as separate publications in academic appointments and upgrades by disseminating and publishing the results of a research in a way that disrupts the integrity of the research and submit them as separate publications more than once;
• Unfair authorship: to include people who are not active contributors or not to include those who are contributing to the study, to change the ranking of the authors inappropriately without any justification and, to remove the names of those who offered their active contributions in t the previous editions, to include their names among the writers by using their influence even though they did not actively contributed to the work