Publication Ethics

The publication processes of the Amasya Education Journal are based on the unbiased production, development, and sharing of knowledge through scientific methods.
Peer-reviewed articles ensure the implementation of scientific methods and impartiality. All components of the publication process—publisher, editors, authors, reviewers, and readers—must adhere to ethical principles. In this context, the journal’s publication ethics and open-access policy require all participants to follow the guidelines and policies published in open access by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE, Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, and COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors).
If data in submitted articles are found to be manipulated, distorted, or fabricated, this will be officially reported to the author’s institution, and the article will be rejected. The journal has the right to request the output files related to the analysis results from the authors based on feedback from editors and/or reviewers.

Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher of the journal, Amasya Education Journal, is a public educational institution that is non-profit and prioritizes public interest. Since 2012, it has been responsible for the regular biannual publication of the journal.
Members of the Editorial Board are appointed by the editor determined by the Faculty Board of Amasya University’s Faculty of Education. These members are academicians from national and at least five different international universities specializing in subject-matter education and educational sciences. The editor may appoint one or more assistant editors and section editors when necessary. According to the topic of the submitted manuscript, the editor may assign it to faculty members outside the Editorial Board for review.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

• The Editorial Board is responsible for every manuscript submitted to the Amasya Education Journal, and for all post-publication processes. The Editorial Board acknowledges this responsibility. Decisions must be made solely with public interest in mind, without personal gain and independently. The relationship between the Publisher and the Editorial Board is based on independence; editors make decisions independently of the publisher or any other institutions.
• The board strives to continuously improve the journal and enhance its publication quality.
• The board ensures the implementation of journal policies regarding publication, blind peer-review, evaluation processes, and ethical principles.
• It protects the copyrights of authors whose articles are published.
• It takes measures against intellectual property violations, unethical behavior, plagiarism, and citation cartels.
• It prepares and updates, when necessary, an "Author Guide" to meet authors' information needs, and a "Reviewer Guide" to assist reviewers.
• It establishes reviewer and author motivational policies.
• It maintains records and correspondence related to each article, both electronically and in print.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors, Associate Editors, and Field Editors

• Editors respond to the needs of reviewers, authors, researchers, practitioners, and readers, and act transparently in matters requiring clarification or correction.
• Editors decide on the publication of articles based on originality, contribution to the field, and value to the literature.
• Decisions (positive or negative) are made considering the article’s originality, contribution to the field, validity and reliability of methods, clarity of expression, and the journal’s aims and scope.
• Submissions are accepted for pre-review unless there are significant issues, and positive peer reviews are considered. Previous editorial decisions are generally respected unless there are substantial problems.
• Editors implement blind peer-review policies, keep reviewer identities confidential, and ensure fair and timely evaluations.
• Manuscripts are assigned to reviewers and field editors based on subject expertise to ensure objective assessments.
• Conflicts of interest between editors, reviewers, and authors are considered to avoid bias.
• Editors strive to expand and regularly update the reviewer pool.
• Editors prevent unscientific and discourteous evaluations.
• Editors ensure all publication processes comply with journal policies and guidelines, inform participants of relevant updates, and organize training if necessary.
• Editors ensure effective communication with all involved and hold regular meetings.
• Editors protect authors’, reviewers’, and readers’ personal data in reviewed manuscripts.
• Editors prioritize the protection of human and animal rights in articles and require documented consent and ethics committee approvals for experimental research.
• Editors take precautions against misconduct and investigate complaints objectively, sharing findings as needed.
• Editors correct errors, inconsistencies, or misleading elements in articles.
• Editors protect the intellectual property rights of published articles and take necessary steps to prevent violations, including originality checks.
• They consider well-founded criticism of published articles and provide authors the opportunity to respond.
• Editors do not discriminate against studies with negative results.
• They review complaints submitted to the journal and provide necessary explanations.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

In the article evaluation process of Amasya Education Journal, a double-blind peer review system is applied; authors and reviewers do not have access to one another's identities. Reviewers are not allowed to contact authors directly; feedback and revision requests are shared with the authors by the editors through the journal’s management system via evaluation forms and in-text comments.
Reviewers who evaluate manuscripts submitted to the journal should adhere to the following ethical responsibilities:

• Reviewers should only agree to evaluate manuscripts within their field of expertise.
• Reviews must be conducted objectively and confidentially. Reviewers must delete the manuscript after the review process and may only use it after publication. Nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political views, or commercial concerns must not affect impartiality.
• Reviewers must inform the editors and decline the review if they detect any conflict of interest or collaboration with the author(s).
• Reviews should be constructive and courteous, written according to academic etiquette, and free of hostile or insulting language.
• Reviewers must complete evaluations within the allotted time.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors who submit manuscripts to the Amasya Education Journal are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:

• Authors must not submit an article already published or under review elsewhere, nor should they submit more than one article simultaneously to this journal.
• Authors must submit original manuscripts.
• All sources used must be accurately cited in accordance with ethical standards.
• Individuals who do not contribute to the study must not be listed as authors. After submission, the order of authorship must not be changed, and no author may be added or removed.
• Any existing conflicts of interest or relationships must be disclosed to the editors.
• Authors must provide the requested information or raw data to editors during the review process when asked.
• Authors must ensure that they have the necessary rights to use the data, have obtained required permissions for analysis, and have secured informed consent from research participants when necessary.
• If the author(s) detect any error in their article during the review, early access, or post-publication phases, they must notify the editor to request correction or withdrawal.
• For studies requiring ethics committee approval (e.g., experiments, surveys, scales, interviews, observations, focus group studies involving qualitative or quantitative data collection), authors must obtain and declare this approval. The ethics committee name, approval date, and number must appear on the first and last pages of the article and in the method section. The approval document must also be uploaded during submission. Additionally, informed consent must be mentioned in case reports.
• Authors must present proof of adherence to ethical principles during data collection (e.g., permission to use other people's surveys, questionnaires, images). Manuscripts must state compliance with research and publication ethics and copyright regulations for intellectual and artistic works. If the research involves human or animal subjects, the study must comply with international declarations, guidelines, etc.
  • For review articles, ethics committee approval is not required. However, even for studies that do not require ethical approval, this must be explicitly stated on the first and last pages and in the method section.

Reporting Violations of Ethical Principles

If any ethical misconduct is observed involving editors, reviewers, authors, or any article in the review, early access, or published stages of Amasya Journal, it must be reported via email to editor.aefd@amasya.edu.tr