BATÜ-TDF is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes original and scholarly research articles. This document outlines the ethical responsibilities of the publisher, editors and section editors, reviewers, and authors involved in the publication process of BATÜ-TDF. All stakeholders are expected to comply with these ethical principles.

Adherence to ethical standards by all parties involved in the publication process (authors, readers and researchers, publisher, reviewers, and editors) is of paramount importance. BATÜ-TDF is committed to national and international standards of research and publication ethics. The journal complies with the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions.
It adopts the International Ethical Principles for Scholarly Publishing issued by M-JIS, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). In addition, the journal undertakes to comply with the decisions of the Turkey Editors’ Workshop.

Ethical Framework

Press Law (National Legislation)

Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)

Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions (National Legislation)

Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (International Criteria)

Decisions of the Turkey Editors’ Workshop (National Criteria)

Studies Requiring Ethics Committee Approval

Ethics committee approval is mandatory for the following types of studies:

Research conducted using qualitative or quantitative methods that require data collection from participants through surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, experiments, or similar techniques

Experimental or other scientific use of humans or animals (including materials/data)

Clinical studies conducted on humans

Studies conducted on animals

Retrospective studies requiring compliance with the Law on the Protection of Personal Data

Authors must upload the ethics committee approval document as a supplementary file during manuscript submission. Manuscripts lacking ethics approval will not be processed.

Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher guarantees the editorial independence of the editor-in-chief and section editors throughout all stages of the publication process, from manuscript submission to publication. Neither the publisher nor any external party may interfere with editorial decisions or exert pressure that compromises editorial independence.

The publisher protects the intellectual property and copyright of all articles published in BATÜ-TDF and is responsible for maintaining accurate publication records. For each article, the publisher must provide information regarding copyrighted materials, if any, in the Article Information section. If copyrighted material is used, a written permission statement from the author must be obtained and recorded in the system.

In line with the Open Access policy, the publisher undertakes to provide permanent and free access to all articles published in BATÜ-TDF. No financial or non-financial fees are charged to authors during submission or publication. The publisher takes necessary measures to ensure the archiving and preservation of online content.

In cooperation with the editors, the publisher is responsible for taking appropriate action in cases of scientific misconduct or plagiarism. If an ethical violation is identified, corrective actions such as rectification, publication of a correction notice, or retraction of the article may be implemented.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts will be published in BATÜ-TDF. Submitted manuscripts undergo a preliminary evaluation by the editor-in-chief and associate editors in terms of academic quality, plagiarism, and compliance with the journal’s scope and publication principles. Manuscripts that pass this stage are forwarded to the peer-review process by the section editors.

Decisions regarding acceptance or rejection are based solely on academic merit. During the evaluation process, characteristics such as the authors’ gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, political views, or institutional affiliations are not considered.

All information regarding submitted manuscripts is treated as confidential and is shared only with authors, reviewers, editors, the editorial board, and the publisher. Confidentiality is maintained even after publication or rejection, in accordance with M-JIS confidentiality principles.

Editors may not use unpublished information or ideas obtained through the review process for their own research without the explicit written consent of the author. Manuscripts should not be assigned to reviewers with potential conflicts of interest. Reviewers must be selected based on expertise, and care should be taken to avoid institutional overlap between authors and reviewers.

Editors must ensure that manuscripts are promptly sent for review and that reviewers’ decisions are communicated to authors without delay. Reviewer identities must remain confidential, and manuscripts sent for review must not contain any author-identifying information.

The reviewer pool should be continuously updated and expanded. Rejection decisions should be communicated using respectful and non-derogatory language. Ethical complaints regarding published articles are investigated regardless of the time elapsed since publication. If an ethical breach is confirmed, a correction notice or other appropriate action is taken.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer review is a fundamental component of the scholarly publishing process. Reviewers contribute to the improvement of manuscripts through editorial communication and may not contact authors directly under the double-blind review system.

Reviewers must promptly inform the editor whether they can undertake the review. If the manuscript falls outside their area of expertise or if time constraints prevent timely completion, they should notify the editor and withdraw from the review process.

All information related to manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential. Manuscripts must not be shared or discussed with others without editorial authorization. Reviewers must conduct evaluations objectively, offering constructive, balanced, and evidence-based feedback focused on the manuscript rather than the author.

Reviewers must identify uncited sources, potential plagiarism, or overlap with previously published work and inform the editor accordingly. They must disclose any conflict of interest and decline the review if necessary. Reviewers may not use manuscript content for their own research without the author’s explicit written permission, nor may they compel authors to cite the reviewers’ own work.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must accurately and clearly present how their research was conducted, its significance, and its results in an objective manner. Manuscripts should include sufficient detail to allow replication and must properly acknowledge all sources used.

Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are entirely original and that all borrowed ideas, data, or direct quotations are accurately cited. Plagiarism in any form constitutes a serious violation of publication ethics and is unacceptable.

Authors must be prepared to provide raw data upon request for editorial or peer-review purposes. Manuscripts may not be submitted to more than one journal simultaneously. In exceptional cases where republication is permitted, the editor must be informed and the original publication must be clearly cited.

Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the study should be listed as authors. One author must be designated as the corresponding author, responsible for communication with the journal. Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the research.

If an author identifies a significant error in a published article, they are obliged to notify the editor immediately and cooperate in issuing a correction or retraction.