The Journal of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences of Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University adopts and applies the Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive and the international ethical principles determined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) in order to maintain the highest ethical standards in scientific studies. In this context, the publication policy of our journal is conducted around the ethical rules and processes outlined below.

RESEARCH ETHICS

The fundamental rules to be followed in the design, execution, and data collection processes of scientific research are as follows:

• Data Integrity and Honesty: It is strictly forbidden to use non-existent or falsified data in scientific research (Fabrication) and to shape research results in line with the interests of the supporting organizations (Falsification).
• Ethics Committee Approval and Consent: Explicit consent of the participants must be obtained in survey, interview, and attitude research conducted within the scope of a scientific study. It is mandatory to comply with ethical rules, patient rights, and animal welfare in research conducted on humans and animals. "Ethics Committee Approval" must be obtained for necessary studies, and this must be documented in the article.
• Data Confidentiality: In research and experiments, the confidentiality of data and information obtained from other individuals and institutions must be respected, and this information should only be used to the extent and in the manner permitted. It is mandatory to comply with the legislation of the country where the research is conducted, and all applicable laws and regulations regarding the processing and protection of personal data, especially the provisions of the Law on the Protection of Personal Data No. 6698 (KVKK).
• Compliance with Legislation: Research cannot be conducted contrary to national legislation and the relevant provisions of international agreements to which Türkiye is a party. Written permissions required from authorized units must be obtained before starting the studies.

PUBLICATION ETHICS

Publication ethics encompasses the standards that authors, reviewers, and editors are obliged to comply with during the processes of converting scientific research into an article format, evaluating it, and publishing it.

Ethical Principles for Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Submitted studies must be entirely original. Presenting the ideas, methods, or data of others partially or completely as one's own work without proper citation, and using unpublished studies without the owner's permission, constitutes a violation of publication ethics.
• Multiple Publication and Salami Slicing: Duplicate publications and publications made by dividing the research into inappropriate parts in a way that disrupts its integrity are unacceptable. A study cannot be submitted to the evaluation process of another journal simultaneously.
• Publication Limit and Academic Diversity: To preserve academic originality and diversity in our journal, multiple studies by the same author (regardless of being the corresponding author or co-author) are not published in a single volume.
• Publication Frequency Constraint: Another article by an author whose article has been published in the journal, even if its evaluation process is completed, can be published after one year at the earliest.
• Internal Publication Quota: The ratio of articles belonging to internal authors (Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University academic and administrative staff, and institute students) to be published in a single issue of the journal can be a maximum of 20% of the total number of articles in that issue.
• Out-of-Scope Studies: Studies derived from master's theses are not accepted for evaluation by our journal.
• Authorship Contribution: Only individuals who have actively contributed to the content of the study should be listed as authors. In a study where the evaluation process has begun, no author addition, removal, or order change can be requested, except for title/institution updates.
• Funding Declaration: In publications resulting from supported research, the individuals, institutions, or organizations providing support and their contributions must be explicitly stated.

Ethical Principles for Reviewers

• Expertise, Timeline, and Evaluation Limit: Reviewers should only accept to review articles that fall within their field of expertise and which they can examine within the specified timeframe. A reviewer can only act as a referee for one article in the same issue of the journal. Accepting a review assignment merely to glance at the article and subsequently withdrawing is contrary to academic ethical principles.
• Impartiality and Conflict of Interest: Evaluations must be conducted honestly, objectively, and fairly. The reviewer must inform the journal administration and withdraw from the review process in cases of conflicts of interest, such as a history of close collaboration with the author or conducting similar research.
• Assignment Constraint: Individuals who are featured as authors in the relevant issue of the journal are not assigned as reviewers in that issue, as it may create a conflict of interest.
• Tone and Constructive Criticism: Hostile, accusatory, or derogatory personal comments should be avoided, and direct interference with the author's original expression should not occur. If a rejection decision is made, an objective, justified report must be submitted.
• Confidentiality: All details regarding the evaluation process and the text must be kept confidential. Unpublished information contained in the work cannot be used for the reviewer's own research or for the advantage of third parties without the author's permission.

Ethical Principles for Editors

• Editorial Independence and Decision Making: The decision to accept or reject an article is based entirely on the scientific value and originality of the article, and its suitability for the scope of the journal.
• Management of the Peer Review Process: Editors are responsible for appointing competent reviewers who adhere to ethical principles and take necessary objective measures to prevent conflicts of interest. If an article to which the editor has contributed is submitted to the journal, the evaluation process is conducted by another editor.
• Error Correction and Ethical Violations: When fundamental scientific errors or ethical violations are detected in articles published in the journal, editors initiate the processes of publishing a correction (erratum) or retracting the article in accordance with the YÖK Directive and COPE, DOAJ, and OASPA standards.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Our journal applies the transparent and internationally recognized Double-Blind Peer Review method in the evaluation of articles.

• Preliminary Review and Plagiarism Check: Studies uploaded to the system are first examined by the Editorial Board in terms of compliance with journal rules, word limits, the internal publication quota (20%), and the APA 7 format. Our journal requests a plagiarism report obtained via iThenticate, intihal.net, or Turnitin, showing the entire submitted text for all studies. The maximum similarity limit, including the bibliography and direct quotations, is set at 20%. Studies exceeding the 20% plagiarism limit, derived from master's theses, or uploaded without concealing author information are rejected without proceeding to the peer review process.
• Reviewer Assignment Process: Articles that successfully pass the preliminary review are directed to at least two expert reviewers in the field, taking into account the subject of the study. In accordance with the double-blind peer review principle, the identities of the authors and reviewers are mutually kept confidential.
• Principle of Institutional and Academic Independence: Regardless of the article's submission source (whether internal or external), the institution of the author and the institution of the reviewers absolutely cannot be the same. In addition, strict attention is paid to ensuring that there is no academic collaboration or conflict of interest relationship between the author and the reviewer, such as graduate thesis supervision, co-authorship, or project work.
• Evaluation Phase: Reviewers are expected to evaluate the article in terms of scientific method, contribution to the literature, consistency of findings, and validity of results. Reviewer reports are recorded in the journal system with decisions of "Accept," "Major Revision," "Minor Revision," or "Reject."
• Revision and Final Decision: It is essential that at least two reviewers express a positive opinion for the article to be published. In the case of one positive and one negative report, the article is sent to a third reviewer, or a "Reject" decision can be made at the discretion of the relevant field editor. The maximum time granted to authors for studies requiring revision by reviewers is 30 days. After the revisions are completed, the editor examines the reviewer reports and the updates made by the author, and may submit the text again for the evaluation of the relevant reviewers if deemed necessary or if requested by the reviewers, or gives the final decision of "Accept" directly.