Ethical Responsibilities for Referees and Authors

The ethical responsibilities listed below have been prepared in accordance with the ethical rules and responsibilities specified by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Our journal editors, referees and authors are expected to act in accordance with the ethical rules listed below.

If artificial intelligence tools are used at any stage of the creation of articles sent to our journal for publication (idea, design, data analysis and interpretation, language control, etc.), authors must take into account the “Ethical Guide for the Productive Use of Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Research and Publication Activities” published by the Council of Higher Education and carry out the relevant processes in accordance with the guide.

1. ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR REFEREES

The referee board is reviewed at least once a year and updated regularly. Articles sent to the journal for publication are subject to an editorial process in terms of purpose, scope, method and writing principles. Articles that are suitable for publication at the end of the editorial process are sent to 2 different referees. In this context, referees of the Journal of Information Management are expected to have the following ethical responsibilities:

Ø Evaluations must be impartial.

Ø Referees must be experts in the subject they express an opinion on, and if they do not have sufficient knowledge on the subject, they must decline the referee offer.

Ø Referees must not have a conflict of interest with the research or the authors.

Ø Referees must destroy the studies they have reviewed after the evaluation process due to the principle of confidentiality.

Ø The evaluation must be objective and only related to the content of the study. They must not allow nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political beliefs and commercial concerns to affect the evaluation.

Ø As a requirement of their educational and instructive responsibilities, referees must guide the authors, avoid offensive and dishonorable comments, and statements about the inadequacies of the author/authors.

Ø They must carry out the study they have accepted to evaluate on time and within the framework of the above ethical responsibilities.

2. ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR AUTHORS

Ø Articles submitted for publication should not violate scientific publication ethics (plagiarism, forgery, distortion, re-publication, slicing, unfair authorship, failure to specify the supporting institution, failure to comply with ethical rules in animal studies, etc.).

Ø Authors must have conducted the research process of the studies they submit in accordance with ethical rules and relevant legislation. Articles must be original studies in accordance with the specified fields of study.

Ø If the articles they submit include research results requiring an ethics committee decision, authors must indicate the ethics committee decision information (board name, date, number, etc.) in the article.

Ø If direct quotes are made from other studies during the article research process, the author must be cited.

Ø The reference list must be complete and the cited sources must be specified.

2.1. Appropriateness and Reliability

Ø Authors must use appropriate data analysis methods when necessary and seek expert advice if necessary.

Ø In multi-author studies, authors must take joint responsibility for the content of their publications. Authors should check their publications at every stage to ensure that the methods and findings are reported accurately.

2.2. Honesty

Ø Articles submitted to the journal should not have been published or sent for publication elsewhere.

Ø The author should describe the research methods used and present their findings clearly and concisely.

2.3. Originality

Ø The author should undertake that the work is original and has not been published elsewhere in any language.

Ø If the research findings have been published before or have been sent to a different journal for publication elsewhere, the Editor should be informed about this during the submission process. Authors should provide copies of the relevant publications or copies of the works submitted to other journals.

Ø Multiple publications resulting from a single research project should be clearly stated and the primary publication should be referenced.

2.4. Transparency

Ø The author may be asked to provide raw data regarding their articles within the framework of the evaluation processes; in such a case, the author should be ready to present the expected data and information to the editorial board and referee board.
Ø The author must have a document showing that he/she has the rights to use the data used, the necessary permissions for the research/analysis or has carried out the permission procedures for the subjects.

Ø The author must clearly and explicitly describe his/her methods so that the findings presented in the study can be verified by others.

2.5. Responsibility

Ø Authors cannot have their work in the application process of more than one journal at the same time. Each application can be initiated following the completion of the previous application.

Ø In the event that the author notices a mistake or error regarding their published, early appearance or evaluation stage work, they are obliged to inform the journal editor and cooperate with the editor in the correction or withdrawal processes.

2.6. Multi-Author Studies

Ø In multi-author studies, all authors must be listed and must be entered in the copyright transfer form during the article submission.

Ø During the article evaluation processes, a responsible author must be selected from among the authors, and the responsible author must maintain communication with the Editor.

Ø It is not possible to propose changes to the author responsibilities of a study whose evaluation process has started (such as adding an author, changing the order of authors, removing an author).

Ø Changes and arrangements made to the article must be communicated to all authors. This process is the responsibility of the “Responsible Author”.

Ø In multi-author studies, authors are expected to take joint responsibility for the integrity of the research and reporting. However, if authors take responsibility for only certain aspects of the research and reports, this should be stated in the publication.

2.7. Peer Review Process and Copyright Transfer Form

Ø Detailed information about the peer review process is provided under the heading "Peer Review and Review Process" on the Author Guidelines page. Authors are deemed to have accepted these rules when submitting a manuscript.

Ø The author must cooperate in this process and respond to referee and editor requests in a timely and accurate manner.

Ø The author must inform the editor if he/she wishes to withdraw his/her work during the review process.

2.8. Reporting of Research Involving Humans or Animals

Ø Appropriate approvals, licenses or registrations must be obtained before the research begins and details should be provided in the report (e.g. Institutional Review Board, Research Ethics Committee approval, national licensing authorities for animal use).

Ø If requested by the editors, authors must provide evidence that the reported research has received appropriate approval and has been ethically conducted (e.g. copies of approvals, licenses, participant consent forms).
Ø The author should not publish or share personal data collected during the research without the individual’s (or their representative’s) permission. Ø The author should publish all meaningful research results that may contribute to understanding.

If You Encounter an Unethical Situation

If you notice a significant error or inaccuracy in a published article or encounter a behavior or content that does not comply with the ethical responsibilities mentioned above, please report it via e-mail to https://dergipark.org.tr/balikesirsbd.