1) Bitlis Theology Journal publishes academic studies in the fields of Social and Humanities Sciences, with a primary focus on Fundamental Islamic Sciences, Philosophy and Religious Sciences, Islamic History and Arts, Religious Culture and Ethics Education.
2) Our journal is published twice a year, in June and December, in electronic format. The article submission dates are 1 January to 1 May for the June issue and 1 July to 1 November for the December issue. If the number of articles reaches a sufficient level, the article submission process may be closed before these dates.
3) Submitted articles must be in line with the journal's purpose and scope.
4) Original, unpublished articles that are not under review by another journal and have been approved by each author in terms of content and submission will be accepted for evaluation.
5) Authors retain the copyright of their works published in the Bitlis Theology Journal, and their works are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
6) Master's and doctoral students may submit their work to the journal in collaboration with their supervisors (the student as the first author and primary contributor, and the supervisor as the second author). Book reviews written by experts are also considered for review.
7) Only one article by the same author may be processed during the same publication period and published if it passes peer review.
8) Studies must be prepared in accordance with the journal's writing rules.
9) Articles must be submitted electronically via the ‘Submit Article’ section on the journal's website.
10) Articles should be written in Microsoft Word using the Bitlis Theology Journal Article Template, with main headings in 12-point Palatino Linotype font, subheadings in 11-point font, text in 11-point font with 1.5 line spacing, references in 11-point font with single line spacing, and footnotes in 9-point font with single line spacing.
11) The ISNAD Citation System is used in our journal. Submissions to our journal must be prepared in accordance with the ISNAD Citation System. Click here for detailed information.
12) Articles exceeding 8,000 words or 30 pages, including the cover page, will be returned to the author for reduction in word count and page count.
13) Submitted articles must include a 150-200 word Turkish abstract, an English abstract, and at least 5 Turkish and English keywords. Abstracts should be in Palatino Linotype font style with 11-point headings and 10-point body text. Articles accepted for publication will be requested to provide an extended English abstract of 600-750 words (the extended abstract should be in Palatino Linotype font style, single-spaced, 10-point, and fit on one page).
14) All expenses of the journal are covered by the Publisher. There is no charge for publishing articles in the journal or for the article submission process. No processing fee or submission fee is charged for articles submitted to the journal or accepted for publication.
15) Once an article has been submitted to the Journal for publication, none of the authors' names can be removed from the list of authors, a new name cannot be added as an author, and the order of authors cannot be changed without the written consent of all authors.
16) Our journal checks submitted works for plagiarism using Turnitin software. Plagiarism, duplication, ghost authorship/disowned authorship, fabrication of research/data, article salami slicing, salami slicing publication, copyright infringement, and concealment of conflicts of interest are considered unethical behaviour. All articles that do not comply with accepted ethical standards will be removed from publication. This includes articles found to contain possible irregularities or inappropriateness after publication.
17) Double-Blind Peer Review: After plagiarism checking, suitable articles are evaluated by the chief editor for originality, methodology, the importance of the subject matter, and compatibility with the scope of the journal. The editor ensures that articles undergo fair double-blind peer review and, if the article complies with formal requirements, submits the manuscript to at least two reviewers, either domestic and/or international, for evaluation.
18) Publication Decision: If deemed necessary by the reviewers, the author makes revisions. The Editorial Board decides whether the revised manuscript will be published.
19) The preliminary review and peer review process takes an average of 70 days/10 weeks.
20) Articles published in this journal are digitally archived in LOCKSS. The LOCKSS system has permission to collect, preserve, and serve this Access Archive.
21) All documents and files must be submitted as Word documents (.doc or .docx).
22) The contribution statement of researchers, any acknowledgements and thank you statements, and conflict of interest statements must be indicated in the article text in accordance with the table below. 
23) For articles requiring Ethics Committee approval, such approval must be obtained and this approval (committee name, date and number) must be stated on the first page of the article and in the methods section. For studies requiring Ethics Committee approval, please review the Journal's Ethical Principles and Publication Policy.
24) If artificial intelligence-based tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly, etc.) have been used in the article production process, the stages in which they were used must be clearly stated. This information must be provided during the article submission stage. All responsibility regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence lies with the authors.
25) If the articles are derived from a thesis, project, or presented as a paper, this must be stated on the first page of the article.
26) The legal responsibility for articles published in the journal lies with the authors.

NOTE: Submissions to our journal must be prepared in accordance with the article template. Click here to access the article template.

NOTE: Submissions to our journal must be uploaded to the system together with the copyright form and cover information files. Click here to access the copyright form. Click here to access the cover information file.

Page Layout Details

Page Structure
Page margins: 2 cm (on all sides)

Article Text
Text font: Palatino Linotype
Main headings: 12 point
Subheadings: 11 point
Text font size: 11 point
Line spacing: 1.3 line spacing
First line of paragraph: 1.25 cm

Direct quotations
1.3 line spacing
Palatino Linotype Font Style 10 Point
Indentation: Right and Left 1.25 value

References:
Single line spacing
Second line of references: Hanging 1.25 cm.

Footnote Text
Footnote font: Palatino Linotype
Footnote point size: 9
Footnote line spacing: Single line spacing
Footnote paragraph alignment: 0.4 value

For a more detailed examination of the citation system we use, see
ISNAD Footnoted: https://www.isnadsistemi.org/en/guide/isnad2-2/isnad-author-title-system/ 
ISNAD In-Text: https://www.isnadsistemi.org/en/guide/isnad2-2/isnad-author-date-system/ 
ISNAD Abbreviations: https://www.isnadsistemi.org/en/guide/isnad2-2/academic-writing/22-list-of-abbreviations-turkish-english-arabic/ 
ISNAD Abstract and Summary Writing: https://www.isnadsistemi.org/en/guide/isnad2-2/academic-writing/4-abstract-and-summary/ 
ISNAD Citation and Quotation: https://www.isnadsistemi.org/en/guide/isnad2-2/academic-writing/18-citation-and-citing/ 
ISNAD Academic Writing: https://www.isnadsistemi.org/en/guide/isnad2-2/academic-writing/ 

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
The ethical principles and publication policy of our journal have been prepared in accordance with the guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

Actions Contrary to Scientific Research and Publication Ethics
• Plagiarism: Presenting the original ideas, methods, data or works of others as one's own, in whole or in part, without proper scientific attribution.
• Fabrication: Using data that does not actually exist or has been falsified in scientific research.
• Distortion: Altering research records or obtained data, presenting equipment or materials not used in the research as if they had been used, altering or shaping research results in line with the interests of the individuals and organisations providing support,
• Duplicate publication: Presenting duplicate publications as separate publications for academic appointment and promotion,
• Salami slicing: Dividing the results of a research study into parts in an inappropriate manner that compromises the integrity of the research and publishing them as multiple publications, presenting these publications as separate publications for academic appointments and promotions,
• Unfair authorship: Including individuals who have not made an active contribution among the authors or excluding those who have, changing the author order in an unjustified and inappropriate manner, removing the names of those who have made an active contribution from subsequent editions, or including one's name among the authors by using one's influence despite not having made an active contribution,

Other types of ethical violations include:
a) Failing to acknowledge the individuals, institutions, or organisations that provided support for research resulting in publications,
b) Using theses or studies that have not yet been submitted or defended as sources without the permission of the owner,
c) Failing to comply with ethical rules in research involving humans and animals, failing to respect patient rights in publications,
c) Acting contrary to the provisions of relevant legislation in biomedical research involving humans and other clinical research,
d) Sharing information contained in a work assigned for review with others prior to publication without the express permission of the author,
e) Using resources, premises, facilities and equipment provided or allocated for scientific research for purposes other than those intended,
f) Making unfounded, unwarranted, and deliberate allegations of ethical violations,
g) Publishing data obtained without the explicit consent of participants in surveys and attitude studies conducted as part of scientific work, or without the additional consent of the institution if the research is to be conducted at an institution,
h) Harming animal health and ecological balance in research and experiments,
ı) Failing to obtain the necessary written permissions from the competent authorities before commencing research and experiments.
i) Conducting research and experiments that violate the relevant provisions of legislation or international agreements to which Turkey is a party.
j) Failure by researchers and officials to comply with the obligation to inform and warn relevant parties about potentially harmful practices related to scientific research,
k) In scientific studies, failing to use data and information obtained from other persons and institutions to the extent and in the manner permitted, failing to respect the confidentiality of this information and failing to ensure its protection.
l) Making false or misleading statements regarding scientific research and publications in academic appointments and promotions.

Responsibilities of Stakeholders

Responsibilities of Publishers
• To act in accordance with impartiality, transparency and ethical principles throughout all stages of the publication process.
• Not to interfere with the independent decision-making processes of editors.
• To clearly present the journal's publication policy, open access conditions, copyright and ethical principles on its website.
• Conduct necessary investigations into publication ethics violations (plagiarism, etc.) and proceed according to COPE guidelines.
• Ensure confidentiality in the peer review process.
• Ensure the digital archiving and long-term accessibility of articles.

Responsibilities of Editors
• Make publication decisions based on scientific merit, originality, and referee opinions.
• Keep the identities of referees and authors confidential from each other.
• Refer articles to at least two independent referees with subject expertise.
• Not participating in the evaluation of articles where the editor or editorial board has a conflict of interest.
• Taking immediate action in cases of correction, retraction, or ethical violations.
• Evaluating authors' appeals through a fair process.
• Being responsible for the implementation and updating of the journal's ethical policies.
• Conducting the timing, communication, and decision-making processes of the publication process in a transparent manner.

Authors' Responsibilities
• Declare that the submitted work is original, scientific, and complies with ethical principles.
• Commit that the article has not been previously published and is not simultaneously submitted to another journal.
• Ensure that all authors have made a meaningful contribution to the article and have given their approval.
• Cite all sources used appropriately.
• Clearly state any funding, conflicts of interest, or support information.
• Respond to referee or editor feedback on a scientific basis.
• Verify or provide access to data when required.
• Immediately notify the editor of any errors discovered after publication.

Referees' Responsibilities
• Strictly adhere to the principle of confidentiality during the review process.
• Complete the review objectively, constructively, and in a timely manner.
• Inform the editor if there is a personal or institutional conflict of interest.
• Evaluate the scientific content, methodological accuracy, and appropriateness of citations.
• Inform the editor if ethical violations (plagiarism, etc.) are detected in the article.
• Focus on scientific quality without being influenced by factors such as language, country, or author identity.

Ethics Committee Approval
Our journal requires that all studies in scientific fields requiring ethics committee approval have obtained the relevant ethics committee decision. In this context, information regarding ethics committee approval (committee name, date, and decision number) must be clearly stated in the article text.
In line with the regulations implemented by Ulakbim TR Index since 2020, studies without ethics committee approval are not considered for publication in our journal.

Studies Requiring Ethics Committee Approval
Studies requiring ethics committee approval in our journal include the following:
• All research conducted using qualitative or quantitative approaches involving data collection from participants through methods such as surveys, interviews, focus group studies, observation, and interview techniques,
• Retrospective studies within the framework of the Personal Data Protection Law.
For such studies to be considered for evaluation, the relevant ethical committee approvals must have been obtained and clearly stated in the article text.

Plagiarism Check
Articles submitted to our journal for publication are scanned using the Turnitin programme to confirm that they have not been previously published and do not contain plagiarism. If plagiarism is detected in an article submitted to or published in our journal, our journal acts in accordance with COPE principles (Plagiarism in a submitted manuscript - Plagiarism in a published article).

Use of Artificial Intelligence
The use of artificial intelligence in studies submitted to our journal is acceptable in processes that do not affect the originality of the article, such as literature review or language control. However, the use of artificial intelligence must be carried out within the framework of ethical rules and must not be used for unethical purposes such as fabricated data or manipulation.
For studies involving the use of artificial intelligence, it is mandatory to inform our journal of this situation during the article submission stage. All responsibility regarding the use of artificial intelligence lies with the authors themselves.

Privacy Statement
All personal data submitted to our journal is protected. Data belonging to authors, referees, and other individuals is not shared with third parties or institutions.

Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern
Editors may consider publishing a correction if minor errors are found in a published article that do not affect the findings, interpretations, or conclusions. Editors should consider retracting an article when major errors/violations invalidate the findings and conclusions. COPE guidelines are taken into account regarding corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

Protection of Intellectual Property Rights
Our journal is responsible for protecting the intellectual property rights of all published articles and defending the rights of the journal and the author(s) in the event of possible infringements.

Conflicts of Interest
Our journal ensures that the publication process is completed independently and impartially, taking into account conflicts of interest between authors, reviewers, and other editors.

Complaints and Appeals to Our Journal
You may email any complaints or appeals regarding content, procedures, or policies under the responsibility of our journal or its editorial board members to bider@gmail.com. Complaints and appeals submitted to our journal are carefully reviewed and evaluated in accordance with COPE principles.