Ethical Principles and Publication Policy
Author Guidelines – Ethical Principles
The Journal of the Faculty of Forestry, Artvin Çoruh University strictly adheres to academic principles and ethical values in its publication policy. All authors are considered responsible for ensuring that the submitted manuscripts comply with ethical standards.
1. General Ethical Principles
All submitted manuscripts are evaluated for compliance with the journal’s ethical principles and standards.
Practices such as plagiarism, fabrication, duplication (republication), data falsification, slicing (salami publication), and unjust authorship are strictly prohibited and considered unethical.
Manuscripts found to violate ethical rules during the initial review will not be considered for evaluation. If violations are detected during the review process, the evaluation will be stopped and the manuscript returned to the author. Manuscripts found to violate ethical standards after publication will be retracted.

2. Ethical Committee Approval
According to TR Index criteria, for studies that require ethical committee approval, submission of the ethical approval document is mandatory at the time of manuscript submission.
The ethical approval document must clearly state the institution name, date of approval, and decision/number.

3. Similarity Rate
During the preliminary review, the similarity rate of manuscripts is determined using iThenticate software.
To be considered for evaluation, the similarity rate must not exceed 20%.
For studies derived from graduate theses, this rate can be up to 30%.
4. Peer Review
Peer review is conducted according to the Double-Blind Review principle.
The responsibility for the opinions and arguments presented in the manuscripts rests with the author(s).

Publication Policy
The Artvin Çoruh University Journal of Forestry is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that has adopted a "Continuous Publication" model as of 2026.
The journal prioritizes original research articles in the fields of Forest Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Forest Industrial Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Physical Sciences, and publishes a limited number of review articles.
Manuscript submission begins when the author(s) upload their work via DergiPark.
Author(s) are required to submit a signed Copyright Form during submission. Manuscripts without a copyright form will not be considered for evaluation. (Click here to access the Copyright Form
)
All submissions are subject to a preliminary check before peer review. During this process, the manuscript is evaluated for suitability with the journal's aims, scope, methodology, and writing standards. Manuscripts deemed unsuitable are rejected.
Manuscripts that pass the preliminary check are sent to two (2) independent reviewers to initiate the peer review process.
Authors may withdraw their manuscript only during the preliminary check phase.
Authors are fully responsible for citation accuracy and reference verification in accepted manuscripts.
The journal reserves the right to make formatting and language corrections to submitted manuscripts.
Publication processes are conducted to ensure that manuscripts are evaluated, improved, and published in a fair, reputable, and rigorous manner.

Article Correction Policy

The Artvin Çoruh University Journal of Forestry Faculty reserves the right to correct published articles in order to rectify identified errors, complete missing information, or make necessary updates to preserve the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. Corrections may include, but are not limited to, the correction of factual errors, revisions to figures or tables, updates to author information, modifications to author contribution statements, or other post-publication amendments.

Requests for corrections to published articles may be submitted by authors, editors, or readers. All requests shall be evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board based on the supporting documentation and justification provided. 

The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board shall determine whether a correction is warranted, the scope of the correction, and the manner in which it will be published, in accordance with the journal's publication policies and principles of publication ethics. When appropriate, corrections will be published as a separate correction notice linked to the electronic version of the original article. The nature of the changes and the date of the correction shall be clearly indicated.

To preserve the integrity of the scholarly record, the Journal may publish a corrected version of the article and make the corresponding correction notice available by linking it to the original publication. 

Article Retraction Policy 

The Artvin Çoruh University Journal of Forestry Faculty may retract a published article when necessary to safeguard the reliability and integrity of the scholarly record. Retraction decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board following an investigation conducted in accordance with internationally accepted publication ethics principles.

• Retraction may be considered under, but is not limited to, the following circumstances:
• Fabrication, falsification of data, or serious methodological errors that render the research findings unreliable;
• Plagiarism or other forms of research and publication misconduct;
• Duplicate publication or simultaneous submission/publication of substantially the same work;
• The article's scientific conclusions rely substantially on unreliable or retracted publications, thereby significantly compromising the validity of the work;
• The published article contains serious errors identified after publication that invalidate or substantially undermine the reliability of the findings;

Circumstances in which correction is insufficient to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Before a retraction decision is made, the corresponding author and, where deemed necessary, the co-authors shall be invited to provide a written explanation. The Editorial Board may also obtain opinions from independent experts and, where appropriate, communicate with relevant institutions during the investigation.

If an article is retracted, its DOI and bibliographic metadata shall be retained. Whenever possible, the electronic version of the article shall remain accessible, with each page clearly marked as "Retracted," and a separate Retraction Notice shall be published and permanently linked to the original article.

The Retraction Notice shall clearly state the reason(s) for the retraction, the date of the retraction, and that the decision was made by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board.

Retraction decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specific circumstances of each case. In reaching its decision, the Editorial Board shall consider publication ethics principles, the integrity of the scholarly record, and any explanations or evidence provided by the relevant parties.

 
Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools
The following principles must be observed when using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in manuscripts submitted to the Artvin Çoruh University Journal of Forestry:
AI tools may be used only as supportive aids in manuscript preparation (e.g., improving grammar and expression). AI cannot replace the authors’ critical thinking, academic responsibility, or original scientific contribution.
If AI tools are used in manuscript preparation, this usage must be declared transparently in the manuscript, in the Acknowledgments section.
AI cannot be used to write the abstract, introduction, literature review, or discussion sections. Its use must be limited and supportive.
It is strictly prohibited to generate fake, unverifiable, or non-existent references using AI. All cited sources must be accurate, complete, and verifiable, in accordance with academic ethics and standards.
Authors must verify and approve all references. Where available, all sources must include a DOI number.
The AI usage statement must include the following information:
    The AI system or tool(s) used,
    The sections of the manuscript where AI-generated or AI-assisted content appears,
    The level of contribution of AI in the content creation process.
Failure to disclose AI use or violation of these rules may result in the manuscript being rejected without peer review or withdrawn at any stage of the publication process.

DOI Numbers
If a cited source has a DOI, it must be included in the reference list. When writing a DOI, the "doi:" prefix should not be used; the DOI should be provided as an active link in the format "http…". If a source does not have a DOI, the URL where the publication is accessible should be included in the reference.