Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies (JBBS) follows international principles of transparency and best prctice in scholarly publishing as indicated in the “Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing” by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) on https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines-new/principles-transparency-and-best-practice-scholarly-publishing

Responsibilities of the Authors:

- Submitted papers must be original and unpublished, or under review of any other publication.
- The articles must be in accordance with scientific and ethical rules.
- The authors must follow the copyright laws and conventions. Copyright objects can only be used with permission.
- For all ideas and information taken from other studies the author must give the referance with full title of quoted source including the page number where the information is taken.

Responsibility of the Editors:

- Editor-in-Chief and managing editors evaluate the submissions only according to their scientific content without taking into consideration the “ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship, religious belief or political philosophy of the authors.”
- They provide a double-blind peer review of the research articles.
- They must ensure the anonymity of the reviewers.
- They are responsible to treat the manuscripts confidential before publishing.
- They are responsible for the quality of articles published in the journal.
- They are responsible to prevent any conflict between the authors and reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief is also responsible to prevent any conflict between the editors and authors.
- The Editor-in-Chief has the right to share the evaluation of one reviewer with other reviewer in case of necessity (for example to clarify a specific point).
- The Editor-in-Chief has the full authority to decide the publication of the articles in the journal.

Responsibility of the Reviewers:

- If a reviewer feels that she/he is not qualified should refuse the review and inform the Editor-in-Chief.
- If a reviewer recognize the author of the article to be evaluated, she/he must inform the Editor-in-Chief and refuse the evalution.
- The reviewers must be objective in their evaluation of the research articles.
- They are responsible to keep all information in the articles as confidential.
- They must inform the editors when they reconize any plagiarism or copyright violation.

Research Ethics

Cited from the website: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ppil/policy

“The journal adheres to the highest standards in research ethics and follows the principles of international research ethics as defined below. The authors are responsible for the compliance of the manuscripts with the ethical rules.
- Principles of integrity, quality and transparency should be sustained in designing the research, reviewing the design and conducting the research.
- The research team and participants should be fully informed about the aim, methods, possible uses and requirements of the research and risks of participation in research.
- The confidentiality of the information provided by the research participants and the confidentiality of the respondents should be ensured. The research should be designed to protect the autonomy and dignity of the participants.
- Research participants should participate in the research voluntarily, not under any coercion.
- Any possible harm to participants must be avoided. The research should be planned in such a way that the participants are not at risk.
- The independence of research must be clear; and any conflict of interest or must be disclosed.
- In experimental studies with human subjects, written informed consent of the participants who decide to participate in the research must be obtained. In the case of children and those under wardship or with confirmed insanity, legal custodian’s assent must be obtained.
- If the study is to be carried out in any institution or organization, approval must be obtained from this institution or organization.
- In studies with human subject, it must be noted in the method’s section of the manuscript that the informed consent of the participants and ethics committee approval from the institution where the study has been conducted have been obtained.”

Plagiarism, Manipulation, and Duplication
JBBS is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. All submissions are checked using recognized anti-plagiarism tools. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism or self-plagiarism, data or image manipulation, falsification of sources, or duplicate publication.
Suspected misconduct is carefully investigated and may result in rejection, withdrawal, or retraction of an article. In serious cases, editorial actions may be publicly documented in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
Corrections and Retractions
JBBS publishes corrections, errata, or retractions when necessary to preserve the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. Any post-publication changes are handled transparently and according to established editorial procedures.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
JBBS allows limited use of AI tools for technical assistance only, such as language editing or grammar correction. AI tools may not be used to generate original scholarly content, arguments, interpretations, data, images, or references.
• AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.
• Authors remain fully responsible for all submitted content.
• Any use of AI tools must be clearly disclosed, including the tool name and purpose.
• Undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI may lead to rejection or retraction.
JBBS does not use AI for editorial decision-making or peer-review evaluations.
Policy for Authors
Authors must ensure the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their work.
Permitted (with disclosure):
• Grammar and language revision
• Translation assistance with human post-editing
• Text or data analysis with transparent methodology
Prohibited:
• Generating original academic content using AI
• Fabricating or altering data, references, or quotations
• Creating or modifying images or figures using AI
• Using AI to disguise plagiarism
Disclosure of AI use should be included in the acknowledgements or a dedicated note.
Policy for Peer Reviewers
Peer reviewers must rely solely on their own expertise and judgment.
• Reviewers must not upload manuscripts or parts of manuscripts to AI tools.
• AI may be used only for language revision of the review text itself, with disclosure.
• Confidentiality of the review process must be strictly maintained.
Failure to comply may result in removal from the reviewer pool.
Personal Data Protection
JBBS complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – EU 2016/679). Personal data collected during editorial processes are used solely for publishing purposes and are not shared with third parties without consent.
Copyright and Open Access
JBBS follows open-access principles and publishes content under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license, unless otherwise stated. Authors retain copyright and are free to reuse, distribute, and archive their work in accordance with the license.
Equity, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination
JBBS promotes academic diversity, gender equality, and inclusion. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. Editorial boards and reviewers are encouraged to reflect diverse geographic, cultural, and disciplinary backgrounds.
Accessibility and Sustainability
JBBS is committed to improving digital accessibility and long-term preservation of its content. The journal supports sustainable publishing practices and open scholarly communication.
Reporting Ethical Concerns
Concerns regarding ethical misconduct may be reported to the JBBS Editorial Board. All reports are handled confidentially, fairly, and in line with COPE principles.