PUBLICATION ETHICS AND PUBLICATION POLICY

The Journal of German Language and Cultural Studies (Alman Dili ve Kültürü Araştırmaları Dergisi – ALKAD) is an international, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal aimed at publishing high-quality, original, and ethically compliant scientific studies in the fields of German language, literature, culture, linguistics, translation studies, and language teaching.

Our journal is grounded in scientific integrity, editorial independence, impartial evaluation, and the ethical responsibilities of all stakeholders within the publication process. This policy is implemented in accordance with the ethical publishing guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and relevant national regulations.

1. Responsibilities of the Publisher The publisher of the journal supports editorial decisions being made solely on the basis of scientific criteria, independent of external influence. The publisher aims to provide the necessary institutional conditions to maintain the journal's scientific quality and publication ethics standards. The publisher supports the publication of works in accordance with copyright laws and the licensing conditions defined by the journal, as well as the permanent preservation of records for published articles.

2. Responsibilities of Editors and the Editorial Board The editors and the editorial board evaluate submissions in terms of the journal’s aims and scope, scientific quality, originality, methodological adequacy, and academic contribution. Editorial decisions must be made independently of authors' personal characteristics, institutional affiliations, or any non-scientific factors. Editors are obliged to adhere to the principles of impartiality and confidentiality in their evaluation and publication decisions.

The primary responsibilities of the editors include:

• Evaluating the suitability of manuscripts in relation to the aims and scope of the journal.
• Conducting a preliminary review of manuscripts regarding scientific competence and originality.
• Directing eligible manuscripts to expert peer reviewers in the relevant field.
• Ensuring that the peer-review process is conducted in accordance with confidentiality and impartiality principles.
• Preventing individuals with conflicts of interest from participating in the review process.
• Evaluating suspected ethical violations and initiating the necessary procedures when required.
• Making publication decisions in line with scientific evaluations, reviewer comments, journal policies, and relevant legislation.

Editors may not use unpublished information and materials obtained during the evaluation process in their own research or for personal gain without the explicit permission of the authors.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers Reviewers must objectively evaluate manuscripts assigned to them in terms of scientific competence, originality, methodological consistency, and contribution to the field.

The responsibilities of reviewers include:

• Basing evaluations on scientific criteria and objectivity.
• Expressing their opinions in a clear, substantiated, and constructive manner.
• Providing suggestions that will contribute to the improvement of the manuscript.
• Reporting significant deficiencies, citation/source issues, or potential ethical violations to the editor.
• Maintaining the confidentiality of information obtained during the review process.
• Notifying the editor in case of a conflict of interest or a lack of required expertise to evaluate the manuscript.
• Completing the review within a reasonable time frame upon accepting the assignment or informing the editor about potential delays.

Reviewers may not use unpublished data, ideas, or materials obtained during the review process in their own work, nor may they share them with third parties without the explicit consent of the authors.

4. Responsibilities of Authors Authors are responsible for the originality, scientific accuracy, and ethical compliance of the manuscripts they submit to the journal.

Authors must adhere to the following principles:

• Declaring that the manuscript is original, has not been published elsewhere, and is not concurrently under review in another journal.
• Appropriately citing and referencing ideas, text, data, and findings belonging to others.
• Presenting research methods, data, and results accurately and transparently.
• Obtaining ethics committee approvals and other necessary permissions, and specifying this information within the manuscript.
• Ensuring that all listed authors have made significant scientific contributions to the study and that all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.
• Disclosing financial support and potential conflicts of interest.
• Considering scientific feedback from reviewers and editors, and addressing necessary revisions with clear justifications.
• Promptly informing the editorial office if a significant error or inaccuracy is identified during the publication process.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all information submitted to the journal throughout the review process.

5. Peer-Review and Evaluation Process At ALKAD, manuscripts are initially examined for compliance with the journal’s aims and scope, formatting guidelines, originality criteria, and ethical standards. Manuscripts deemed suitable for scientific evaluation are reviewed by at least two field-expert reviewers using a double-blind peer-review model. The identities of the reviewers are concealed from the authors, and the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers. Editors make publication decisions by taking reviewer reports and the scientific quality of the work into consideration. Reviewer reports serve as essential inputs in the editorial decision-making process; final decisions rest with the authorized editorial bodies of the journal. When deemed necessary, editors may solicit additional reviewer opinions or make decisions in accordance with the scientific merit of the manuscript and the journal's policies. Details regarding the review and evaluation process are governed by the journal's Review Process policy.

6. Originality and Plagiarism Screening Submissions must be original, and ideas, statements, data, and works of others must be properly cited. Plagiarism is considered a violation of scientific research and publication ethics. Manuscripts submitted to ALKAD are screened using similarity detection software. According to current journal practices, for similarity checks conducted via Turnitin (excluding quotes, matches under five words, and the bibliography), the total similarity index is expected to be below 20%, and the similarity index from a single source must be below 3%. Similarity reports alone do not constitute a definitive finding of an ethical violation. Reports are evaluated by the editorial team, taking into account the nature of citations, formatting of references, extent of overlapping sections, and overall originality of the work. If plagiarism, copyright infringement, or other ethical violations are identified, the manuscript may be rejected or the evaluation process suspended. Where necessary, formal ethical investigation procedures may be initiated.

7. Duplicate Publication and Redundant Submission A manuscript cannot be submitted simultaneously to more than one journal for evaluation. Previously published work cannot be presented as an original manuscript without appropriate explanations and permissions. In exceptional cases where appearing in more than one publication can be scientifically justified, the relationship with the previous publication must be explicitly stated, necessary permissions and explanations must be provided, and the situation must be evaluated by the editorial board.

8. Authorship and Contributorship Statement Authorship must reflect substantial scientific contribution to the study. Listing individuals who have not contributed meaningfully as authors or excluding those who have contributed is unacceptable. The author order should be determined based on authors' contributions and the relevant journal declaration policies. Requests to change authorship information after submission are evaluated by the editorial board upon receiving a justified formal request and the written consent of all authors involved. Financial support, author contributions, and conflicts of interest must be disclosed in accordance with the journal's relevant disclosure policies.

9. Conflict of Interest Authors, editors, and reviewers are required to disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or professional relationships that could influence the review or publication decisions. Individuals with a conflict of interest must recuse themselves from the evaluation process of the manuscript in question. To ensure impartial evaluation, the editorial board may assign an alternative editor or reviewer when deemed necessary. Details regarding conflict of interest and contribution rate statements are governed by the journal’s Conflict of Interest and Author Contribution Declaration policy.

10. Handling Ethical Violations, Corrections, and Retractions The journal takes allegations of ethical misconduct regarding submitted or published manuscripts seriously. When necessary, explanations and documentation may be requested from authors, and relevant institutions may be contacted. If an ethical violation or an error significantly impacting the scientific integrity of a published work is confirmed, a correction (erratum/corrigendum), article retraction, or other appropriate editorial actions may be issued depending on the nature of the issue. These procedures are conducted in accordance with available evidence, relevant legislation, and COPE's ethical publishing guidelines. Impartiality, confidentiality, and the right of the parties involved to respond are respected throughout the process.

11. Open Access, Copyright, and Disclaimer ALKAD adopts open-access publishing principles supporting the accessibility of scientific knowledge. Works published in the journal are made accessible under the licensing terms established by the journal. Authors are responsible for the originality of their work, the accuracy of its content, and compliance with third-party copyrights. Views and opinions expressed in the journal are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the journal or the publisher.

ALKAD is committed to upholding reliability, editorial independence, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing.

RESEARCH ETHICS PRINCIPLES

The Journal of German Language and Cultural Studies (Alman Dili ve Kültürü Araştırmaları Dergisi – ALKAD) is based on the principles of integrity, transparency, impartiality, accountability, and respect for the rights of research participants in the conduct of scientific research. Manuscripts submitted to the journal must comply with relevant national legislation, the principles of scientific research and publication ethics, and the ethical standards appropriate to the nature of the research.

In matters of research ethics, our journal takes into account the Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), relevant legislation, and the ethical publishing guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Ethics Committee Approval As of January 1, 2026, manuscripts submitted to the journal that fall within the scope of research requiring ethics committee approval must have obtained approval from the relevant ethics committee. This requirement is evaluated within the framework of the type of research and the legislation in force.

For studies requiring ethics committee approval, the following information must be stated in the manuscript, and the necessary documents must be submitted:

• Full name of the ethics committee,
• Date of the ethics committee decision,
• Ethics committee decision/approval number,
• Necessary explanations regarding the approval obtained for the research.

Information regarding ethics committee approval must be presented in the method section of the manuscript and in the designated area specified in the journal’s author guidelines. For studies requiring ethics committee approval, obtaining such approval does not relieve the authors of their responsibility to conduct the research in accordance with ethical principles.

For studies that do not require ethics committee approval, the justification for this must be explained when necessary. If there is any doubt regarding the necessity of ethics committee approval, relevant legislation and the regulations of competent authorities must be taken as a basis.

2. Participant Rights and Informed Consent In research conducted with human participants, the principles of voluntariness, privacy, protection of personal data, and non-harm to participants must be observed. Depending on the nature of the study, researchers must inform participants about the aim, scope, and procedures of the research, and obtain informed consent where necessary.

In research involving minors or vulnerable groups, the approvals and protective measures required by relevant legislation and ethical principles must be secured. Information that allows the identification of participants must not be published without the necessary legal grounds and explicit permissions.

3. Data Integrity and Scientific Honesty Researchers are obliged to collect, analyze, store, and report research data in accordance with scientific methods. Research results must be presented truthfully; misleading alterations must not be made to the data, and findings must not be distorted to fit the researcher's expectations or the interests of supporting individuals and institutions.

The methods, materials, data sources, and analytical procedures used in the research must be presented with sufficient clarity to allow for scientific evaluation of the work. Limitations and methodological challenges that may affect research outcomes must be appropriately stated.

4. Actions Violating Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Our journal does not tolerate actions that violate scientific research and publication ethics. In this context, the following actions are considered ethical violations:

• Plagiarism: The use of others' ideas, methods, data, texts, or works without proper citation.
• Fabrication (Data Falsification): Producing nonexistent data or basing research on non-authentic/unreal data.
• Falsification (Data Distortion): Altering or selectively presenting research records, data, or results in a manner that distorts scientific reality.
• Duplicate Publication (Redundant Publication): Submitting the same or substantially overlapping study as a new and original publication without providing the necessary explanations.
• Salami Slicing (Data Fragmentation): Inappropriately dividing the integrity of a study into multiple parts to present them as separate publications.
• Unfair Authorship: Listing individuals who made no scientific contribution as authors, or excluding individuals who contributed from authorship.
• Other Ethical Violations: Other ethical breaches specified in relevant legislation, such as failure to disclose research support, failure to obtain necessary permissions, failure to protect personal data, or misuse of research resources.

Relevant legislation, the Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive of the Council of Higher Education, and COPE guidelines serve as the basis for evaluating ethical violations.

5. Protection of Personal Data and Research Materials Researchers are required to comply with applicable legislation regarding the protection of personal data obtained during the research. Information identifying participants, confidential documents, and unpublished research materials must not be shared with unauthorized third parties.

In cases where research data is shared or reused, relevant permissions, confidentiality obligations, copyrights, and personal data protection regulations must be respected.

6. Evaluation of Allegations of Ethical Violations Allegations concerning misconduct in research ethics are evaluated impartially within the scope of available information and documentation. When deemed necessary, explanations and documents may be requested from the authors, and relevant institutions may be contacted.

If an ethical violation is identified, depending on its nature and severity, the evaluation process of the manuscript may be suspended, the paper may be rejected, or correction/retraction procedures may be implemented for an already published study.

Our journal regards the preservation of research ethics principles and the maintenance of trust in scholarly publishing as one of its core responsibilities.