Publication Policy

1. The Akdeniz University Faculty of Law Journal (AkdHFD) is a peer-reviewed journal published electronically under the ULAKBİM DergiPark platform twice a year, in June and December. The same publication and evaluation principles apply to articles published in supplementary or special issues.
2. The primary language of publication is Turkish. However, articles written in English, German, or French may also be published after the completion of the review process.
3. Each submitted article is first subjected to a similarity check and reviewed in accordance with the journal’s publication principles. Submissions with a similarity rate exceeding 20% may be rejected on that basis alone. Articles that do not comply with the publication principles, as determined by the Editorial Board during the initial review, are returned to the author for revision before being sent to reviewers. Detailed information on publication principles can be found under “Author Guidelines.”
4. Authors are deemed to have submitted their articles in a final, publication-ready form. Articles that pass the initial editorial evaluation and comply with the journal’s publication principles are sent to two independent reviewers under a double-blind peer-review system. Following reviewer evaluations, the Editorial Board may decide to accept, reject, or request minor or major revisions. The author is promptly informed of the decision. If revisions are requested, authors may only make the specific corrections indicated in the reviewer reports. Revisions must be completed within one month; otherwise, the Editorial Board reserves the right to reject the article. For details, see “Article Evaluation Process.”
5. Articles submitted for publication will not be published unless two favorable referee reports are obtained or the revised version incorporating the referees’ requested amendments is provided.
6. No royalties are paid to authors for articles published in the journal. The Dean’s Office of the Akdeniz University Faculty of Law and/or persons or institutions authorized by the Dean’s Office retain the print and electronic publication rights of accepted articles. The Dean’s Office holds exclusive authority in this regard. By submitting an article to the journal, the author is deemed to have accepted these terms.

Research Ethics

1. Authors submitting articles to the Akdeniz University Faculty of Law Journal (AkdHFD) are required to comply with research ethics principles.
2. Pursuant to the ULAKBİM decision dated 25 February 2020, “For all fields of science (including Social Sciences), studies involving clinical and experimental research on humans and animals must obtain separate ETHICS COMMITTEE APPROVALS, and such approval must be stated and documented within the article.” Accordingly, authors must provide the relevant documents for studies subject to this requirement and submit them to the journal along with their manuscripts for upload to the system. Articles that do not meet this requirement will not be accepted for publication.
3. Research requiring Ethics Committee approval includes:
- All qualitative or quantitative studies that collect data from participants through methods such as surveys, interviews, focus group studies, observations, experiments, or similar techniques,
- Studies in which humans or animals (including materials or data) are used for experimental or other scientific purposes,
- Clinical research conducted on humans,
- Scientific research conducted on animals,
- Retrospective studies carried out within the scope of the Personal Data Protection Law.
4. Additionally, case reports must indicate that “informed consent” has been obtained. Permission must also be obtained and stated for the use of copyrighted materials such as scales, questionnaires, or photographs belonging to others, and compliance with copyright regulations for intellectual and artistic works must be explicitly noted.

Publication Ethics

1. The Akdeniz University Faculty of Law Journal (AkdHFD) follows the publication ethics principles adopted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
2. Plagiarism, falsification, fabrication, honorary or denied authorship, duplication, research or data fabrication, article slicing or salami publication, copyright infringement, and concealment of conflicts of interest are considered major forms of unethical behavior. For other types of ethical violations and explanations, see the Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions available at: https://etikkurul.hacettepe.edu.tr/yayinetigi/BilimselArastirmaveYayinEtigiYonergesi.pdf. All studies found to be non-compliant with ethical principles are removed from the publication process, and any published articles found in violation are retracted.
3. AkdHFD adopts COPE’s Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers, and expects authors, reviewers, and editors to fulfill their respective ethical responsibilities.

4. Responsibilities of Authors:
- Authors are responsible for ensuring that their articles comply with scientific and ethical standards. Submitted articles must be original to the field of law and not published or under consideration elsewhere, regardless of language.
- All sources used must be fully and accurately cited.
- Persons who did not contribute intellectually to the work must not be listed as authors.
- Any conflicts of interest or common interests related to the article must be disclosed to the editors with explanations.
- If requested during the review process, authors must provide complete information or raw data related to their study.
- Upon discovering an error in their article, whether under review or published, authors must promptly contact the editor to correct or retract it.
- For research requiring ethics committee approval (e.g., experiments, surveys, scales, interviews, observations, focus groups), authors must state the name of the ethics committee, approval date, and number on the first or last page and in the methodology section, and upload the approval document with their submission. Case reports must indicate that informed consent has been obtained.
- Authors may not request preferential or expedited treatment of their submissions for any reason.
- Evidence demonstrating adherence to ethical principles during data collection (e.g., permissions for using others’ scales, questionnaires, or photographs) must be included in the article. Compliance with research and publication ethics, as well as copyright laws for intellectual and artistic works, must be explicitly stated.

5. Responsibilities of Reviewers:
- Manuscripts that meet publication principles are reviewed under a double-blind peer review system. Reviews must be impartial, independent, and scientifically grounded. Author and reviewer identities remain confidential.
- Reviewers should respond to review invitations promptly and complete their evaluations within the specified time if they accept.
- Reviewers should accept only manuscripts within their field of expertise. Manuscripts and review-related information must be kept confidential and not used for personal benefit.
- Reviewers must decline assignments if they detect any conflicts of interest and inform the editor accordingly.Reviews must be conducted respectfully, in accordance with academic ethics, avoiding offensive or hostile language.
- Reviewer reports must be reasoned and submitted using the designated form. Any overlap or similarity with previously published works must be reported to the editors.

6. Responsibilities of the Editorial Board, Field Editors, and Associate Editors:
- The Editorial Board is responsible for all evaluation, publication, and post-publication processes of articles submitted to AkdHFD.
- The Board must act impartially and independently, prioritizing the public interest and the integrity of the journal.
- It ensures continuous improvement of the journal and maintenance of publication quality, defining and enforcing ethical principles throughout the review and publication processes.
- The Board is responsible for preventing violations of intellectual property rights, plagiarism, unethical behavior, and citation manipulation.
- All records, correspondence, and documentation related to submitted articles are securely maintained in print or electronic form.
- The Board provides clear guidelines to authors, reviewers, and readers about the publication process and manages it accordingly.
- Editors ensure transparency and integrity by communicating corrections or clarifications when needed.
- Editors assign manuscripts to reviewers with relevant expertise and require reviewers to declare any conflicts of interest before evaluation.
- The double-blind review system must be strictly preserved, ensuring mutual confidentiality between authors and reviewers.
- Editors maintain a reviewer database, adding new experts and updating it based on reviewer performance.
- Reviewers who demonstrate unprofessional conduct, use inappropriate language, or fail to respond or complete reviews in a timely manner are removed from the database.
- Editors first evaluate manuscripts for compliance with language, format, and publication principles, then assess their originality and contribution to the field. Decisions on acceptance or rejection are based on originality, clarity, relevance, and alignment with the journal’s scope.
- If a manuscript is rejected before the review process begins, the decision and its reasons must be promptly communicated to the author(s). If preliminary revisions (grammar, punctuation, citation, etc.) are needed before review, authors must be allowed reasonable time to make corrections.
- Editors must protect intellectual property rights of published works, take necessary measures against violations, and safeguard both the journal’s and authors’ rights.
- Published articles must include submission and acceptance dates.
- Editors must communicate transparently with authors without violating anonymity, and address external criticism or complaints regarding the journal objectively and appropriately.