Bartın Forestry Faculty Journal (BAROFD) adopts compliance with national and international ethical principles as a fundamental publication policy in all scientific research and publication processes. The journal follows the principles of scientific research and publication ethics set by the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye, the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing.
The journal endorses the “Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing” published by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME. Within this framework, BAROFD aims to ensure that all editorial and publication processes are conducted in a transparent, impartial, accountable, ethical, and scientifically reliable manner.
To support researchers in fulfilling their ethical responsibilities, authors are encouraged to use the “EASE Ethics Checklist for Authors” prepared by the European Association of Science Editors (EASE). In order to prevent plagiarism and other forms of publication misconduct, submitted manuscripts may be checked using similarity detection software such as Turnitin, iThenticate, or equivalent tools.
By submitting a manuscript to BAROFD, all authors are deemed to have declared and accepted that their work complies with scientific research and publication ethics, that all necessary permissions have been obtained, that the data have been presented accurately and honestly, that the manuscript has not been previously published, and that it is not under consideration by another journal.
1. General Ethical Principles and International Standards
BAROFD considers national regulations as well as internationally recognized standards in matters of research and publication ethics. In this context, the journal adopts the following institutions, guidelines, and principles as key references:
- Principles of scientific research and publication ethics of the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye
- COPE - Committee on Publication Ethics
- ICMJE - International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
- DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals
- OASPA - Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association
- WAME - World Association of Medical Editors
- EASE - European Association of Science Editors
The journal considers the clear definition of the responsibilities of editors, authors, reviewers, and publishers; the transparent conduct of publication processes; the preservation of the integrity of the scientific record; and the impartial evaluation of allegations of ethical misconduct as core principles.
2. Research Ethics
BAROFD regards research ethics as a fundamental responsibility covering all stages of scientific research, from study design and data collection to analysis, reporting, and publication. All studies submitted to the journal must be conducted in accordance with the national legislation of the country in which the research was carried out, the ethical guidelines of the relevant institutions, and international standards of research ethics.
2.1. Ethics Committee Approval
For research involving human participants, ethics committee approval must be obtained for studies involving surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, observations, experimental applications, or any form of personal data collection.
In studies requiring ethics committee approval, the name of the ethics committee, approval date, and approval number must be clearly stated in the manuscript. This information should be provided in the Methods section or under a separate heading such as “Ethics Committee Approval”, as deemed appropriate by the journal.
In addition, authors are required to upload the Ethics Committee Approval Declaration Form signed by all authors, during manuscript submission. For studies requiring ethics committee approval, the relevant Ethics Committee Approval Document must also be uploaded as part of the submission files. Detailed information regarding studies that require or do not require ethics committee approval is provided in the Ethics Committee Information Statement. Authors are strongly encouraged to review this document before submission.
For studies that do not require ethics committee approval, authors must clearly state this together with the relevant justification. Review articles, bibliometric studies, analyses of publicly available secondary data, and other studies that do not require ethics committee approval should also include a statement confirming that the research was conducted in accordance with ethical principles.
2.2. Informed Consent and Voluntary Participation
In studies involving data collection from human participants, participants must be informed about the purpose, scope, voluntary nature, possible risks, and data use procedures of the research.
Where necessary, written, electronic, or verbal informed consent must be obtained from the participants. Participants must be clearly informed that participation in the research is voluntary, that they may withdraw from the study at any stage without providing a reason, and that withdrawal will not result in any negative consequences for them.
2.3. Protection of Personal Data and Confidentiality
The identities, personal data, and privacy of participants must be protected. Personal data obtained during the research process must be used only for the purposes of the study, must not be shared with unauthorized persons, and must be stored in accordance with applicable legislation on the protection of personal data.
Information that may directly or indirectly reveal the identity of participants, such as names, surnames, contact details, institutional information, or other identifying data, must not be published unless explicit consent has been obtained. Research results should be presented, wherever possible, using anonymized or coded data.
2.4. Institutional Permissions and Field Studies
In studies involving data collection from public institutions, private sector organizations, enterprises, forest enterprises, educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, or other institutional structures, the necessary permissions must be obtained from the relevant institutions where required.
Field studies, field observations, use of institutional data, business records, survey applications, and interview processes must be conducted in accordance with the rules of the relevant institutions and ethical principles.
2.5. Experimental Research and Use of Materials
Experimental research, field studies, laboratory analyses, environmental sampling, use of biological materials, or applications involving living organisms must be carried out in accordance with applicable national and international ethical rules.
The materials, methods, sampling processes, experimental procedures, and analyses used in the research must be reported accurately, completely, and in a reproducible manner.
2.6. Data Accuracy and Research Integrity
Authors are responsible for avoiding data fabrication, data falsification, selective reporting, misleading analysis, inappropriate image manipulation, unsupported interpretations, or any practice that may misrepresent research findings.
The accuracy, reliability, and, where necessary, verifiability of the data used in the research are the responsibility of the authors. Authors must present the methodology and data analysis procedures clearly enough to allow scientific scrutiny.
2.7. Funding and Support Statement
Any person, institution, or organization providing financial support for the conduct of the research, data collection, analysis and interpretation, writing of the report, or submission of the manuscript for publication must be clearly stated.
If the funding source had any role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing of the manuscript, or decision to submit the manuscript for publication, this role must be clearly explained. If the funding source had no such role, this must also be explicitly stated.
2.8. Conflict of Interest Statement
All financial, institutional, personal, or academic conflicts of interest that may affect the results or interpretation of the research must be declared by the authors.
If there is no conflict of interest, this must also be clearly stated using a statement such as: “The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.”
3. Publication Ethics
BAROFD is committed to academic integrity, transparency, impartiality, accountability, and the preservation of the integrity of the scientific record in all publication ethics processes. All manuscripts submitted to the journal are evaluated in terms of originality, scientific quality, methodological adequacy, ethical compliance, and suitability for the scope of the journal.
3.1. Submission Declaration and Originality
Submission of a manuscript to BAROFD indicates that the work has not been previously published, is not under consideration by another journal, has been approved by all authors, and will not be published elsewhere in the same form if accepted.
By submitting their manuscripts to the journal, authors are deemed to have declared that they have acted in accordance with scientific research and publication ethics, that the work is original, that the data have been presented accurately and honestly, that all sources used have been properly cited, and that the manuscript does not contain plagiarism.
3.2. Similarity Check and Plagiarism Policy
Submitted manuscripts may be checked using similarity detection software such as Turnitin, iThenticate, or equivalent tools in order to verify originality and prevent plagiarism.
For BAROFD, the maximum acceptable similarity rates are 2% for an individual source and 20% for the overall similarity index. However, similarity rates within these limits do not automatically mean that the manuscript is ethically acceptable. The editorial board also evaluates similarity reports in terms of content, source use, citation practice, and the nature of textual overlap.
3.3. Ethical Misconduct
Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, salami slicing, inappropriate authorship, ghost authorship, gift authorship, concealment of conflicts of interest, simultaneous submission of the same work to more than one journal, manipulation of the peer-review process, and any other practice that may mislead the published scientific record are considered ethical misconduct.
In cases of suspected ethical misconduct, the editorial board initiates the necessary investigation. During the investigation process, COPE guidelines, the principles of scientific research and publication ethics of the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye, ICMJE recommendations, and relevant national and international publication ethics standards are taken into consideration.
3.4. Authorship and Author Order
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a significant scholarly contribution to the conception or design of the study, data generation, analysis, interpretation, or scientific writing of the manuscript. Authorship contributions must be based on genuine and meaningful scientific contribution.
Authors are expected to carefully review the author list and author order before submitting their manuscript. The addition, removal, or rearrangement of author names may only be considered before manuscript acceptance, with a clear justification and the written approval of all authors, subject to editorial evaluation.
After manuscript acceptance, authorship changes are considered only in exceptional circumstances. Authorship changes approved after publication may require the publication of a correction.
3.5. Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author
The corresponding author guarantees that all authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript, that the work is not under consideration by another journal, that all necessary ethical permissions have been obtained, and that conflict of interest and funding declarations have been made accurately.
If a significant error is detected in a published work, authors are obliged to promptly inform the journal editor and cooperate in the correction or retraction process.
3.6. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for maintaining the scientific quality and ethical standards of the journal. Editors evaluate manuscripts submitted to the journal solely on the basis of scientific content, originality, methodological adequacy, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
The language, religion, nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, political views, or personal characteristics of authors must not influence the editorial evaluation process.
Editors ensure that the peer-review process is conducted through an impartial, confidential, fair, and effective double-blind peer-review system. Editors take the necessary measures to prevent potential conflicts of interest between authors, editors, editorial board members, reviewers, or others involved in the process. In cases of conflict of interest, the relevant editor must withdraw from the editorial process.
Editors are responsible for preventing plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, false authorship, peer-review manipulation, and other forms of ethical misconduct. In cases of suspected ethical misconduct, editors initiate the necessary procedures in accordance with international publication ethics principles.
3.7. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers are obliged to act in accordance with scientific ethical principles and academic integrity during the review process.
Reviewer evaluations must be based solely on the scientific quality, originality, methodology, validity of findings, and contribution of the manuscript to the literature. The language, religion, nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, or political views of the authors must not be considered in the review process.
Reviewers must treat all manuscripts assigned to them as confidential documents. They must not share manuscript content with third parties or use it for personal, academic, or commercial benefit.
Reviewers who suspect plagiarism, copyright infringement, data fabrication, data falsification, lack of ethics committee approval, conflict of interest, or any other ethical problem must promptly inform the editor.
Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in cases where they have a conflict of interest. They must also inform the editor in a timely manner and withdraw from the process if the manuscript falls outside their area of expertise or if they are unable to complete the review within the required time.
Reviewers should prepare their reports in a clear, constructive, academic, and respectful language that contributes to the improvement of the manuscript.
Reviewers should perform their duties in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and contribute to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly publishing process
3.8. Editorial Independence
BAROFD is committed to preserving editorial independence and scientific impartiality. Publication decisions are made solely on the basis of the scientific quality, originality, methodological adequacy, ethical compliance, and suitability of the manuscript for the scope of the journal.
In manuscripts authored by editors, editorial board members, or reviewers, the relevant individuals are excluded from the evaluation process in order to prevent conflicts of interest, and the process is handled by independent editors.
To protect the editorial independence and scientific impartiality of the journal, editors, editorial board members, or reviewers may be listed as authors in no more than 20% of the research articles published in a single issue.
3.9. Correction, Retraction, and Expression of Concern Policy
BAROFD may publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary in order to preserve the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the published scientific record.
These processes are conducted in accordance with the principles of scientific research and publication ethics of the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye, COPE guidelines, ICMJE recommendations, the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and other relevant international ethical guidelines.
If a significant error, methodological problem, ethical violation, data reliability issue, or misleading information is identified in a published article, the editorial board initiates an investigation.
As a result of the investigation, a correction is published for factual errors that do not invalidate the scientific content of the article. In cases of serious ethical misconduct, data fabrication, data manipulation, plagiarism, or circumstances that undermine the reliability of the work, the article may be retracted. Retracted articles remain accessible in the journal archive with a clear indication that they have been retracted and with the reason for retraction stated.
If it is necessary to inform readers while an investigation is ongoing, an expression of concern may be published. These practices are carried out to ensure academic transparency, inform readers, and preserve the integrity of the scientific record.
3.10. Action Plan for Ethical Misconduct
BAROFD may check all submitted manuscripts using similarity detection software in order to protect academic integrity.
Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, data manipulation, salami slicing, false authorship, manipulation of the peer-review process, and concealment of conflicts of interest are considered ethical misconduct.
Allegations of ethical misconduct are examined by the editorial board in accordance with international publication ethics guidelines. Where necessary, the institutions with which the authors are affiliated may be contacted. If misconduct is confirmed, the manuscript may be rejected, a published article may be retracted, a correction may be published, or an editorial notice may be issued.
Throughout the process, the parties’ right to explanation and response is respected. All procedures are carried out under the responsibility of the editorial board, in accordance with the principles of impartiality and confidentiality.
4. Peer Review Policy
Manuscripts submitted to BAROFD are evaluated through a double-blind peer-review process. Manuscripts found suitable for review are generally sent to at least two independent experts in the relevant field for evaluation in terms of scientific quality, originality, methodological adequacy, and suitability for the journal’s scope.
The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of the manuscript is made by the Editor-in-Chief based on the reviewers’ reports. All submissions are evaluated objectively and impartially. The journal is committed to ensuring a transparent, fair, impartial, and confidential review process.
5. Use of Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Tools
Authors must clearly disclose the use of artificial intelligence-assisted tools in their manuscripts. Artificial intelligence-assisted tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, DeepL, Copilot, or similar tools may be used only for technical support, such as language editing, translation assistance, code suggestions, or text checking.
Artificial intelligence tools must not replace the responsibility of human authors in scientific content generation, data analysis, evaluation of findings, or scholarly interpretation.
Artificial intelligence tools cannot be accepted as authors. Full responsibility for the scientific content, accuracy, ethical compliance, and final version of the manuscript belongs entirely to the human author or authors.
If artificial intelligence tools have been used, this must be clearly stated at the end of the manuscript under a separate heading titled “Artificial Intelligence Contribution”. For example:
“ChatGPT was used only for English language editing in this study.”
If the use of artificial intelligence-assisted tools is not disclosed, the editorial board may request an explanation from the authors. For detailed information on the use of artificial intelligence tools, please click here.
6. Copyright, License, and Open Access Policy
Authors retain the copyright of their works published in the journal.
All articles published in this journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License. This license permits the non-commercial use, sharing, reproduction, distribution, and adaptation of works, provided that proper attribution is given, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated. Derivative works must be distributed under the same license terms.
By submitting their manuscripts, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual right to publish, reproduce, archive, and distribute all versions of the work, including the final published version, in all media and formats.
This journal adopts an open access publishing model. All content is made available to users free of charge immediately upon publication, without requiring subscription or payment. Users may read, download, copy, distribute, and link to articles. Reuse of content is subject to the relevant license terms.
Authors are required to complete the Copyright and Publishing Agreement Form when submitting a manuscript to the journal.
7. Article Processing Charge Policy
BAROFD does not charge authors or their institutions any fees at any stage of the publication process.
The journal does not charge submission fees, editorial processing fees, peer-review fees, article processing charges, language editing fees, page charges, color printing charges, or any other fees under any name.
All published articles are made available to readers free of charge under the open access model.
8. DOI Information
A DOI number is assigned to each article accepted for publication in BAROFD.
9. Online Submission and Final Proofreading Process
The online submission system guides authors step by step through the process of entering manuscript details and uploading files. Editable files are required for the final publication and typesetting of the manuscript. Authors are expected to upload their manuscripts in Microsoft Word format.
All correspondence, including editorial decision notifications and revision requests, is conducted through the DergiPark system. Manuscripts must not be submitted to any editor by e-mail. The journal accepts all submissions and correspondence only through the online system.
Corresponding authors are invited through the online system or by e-mail to complete the final proofreading process for accepted manuscripts. The final proofreading stage should be used only to check the typesetting, formatting, completeness, and accuracy of the text, tables, and figures. Substantial changes to an accepted manuscript may only be considered with the permission of the editor.
It is important that all corrections are sent to the journal in a single communication. After publication, further corrections may only be made within the framework of the journal’s correction policy.
10. Manuscript Submission
Manuscripts are accepted only through the DergiPark online submission system.
Submission address:
https://dergipark.org.tr/journal/171/submission/start
August 15, 2026
Page
159-169
