ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
This journal adheres to universal ethical principles in scientific publishing as a fundamental principle. Transparency, impartiality, integrity, accountability, and academic ethics are the basis of the publication process. The journal observes the ethical publishing standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), TR Index, and relevant international indexes.
1. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Works submitted to the journal must be original and must not have been previously published or under review elsewhere.
All sources must be cited in accordance with scientific rules. Ethical violations such as plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and duplicate publication are unacceptable.
It is unethical to list individuals who have not contributed to the study as authors or to exclude individuals who have contributed.
In cases where ethical committee approval is required for the research (human participants, oral history studies, surveys, etc.), the necessary approvals must have been obtained and this must be clearly stated in the article.
Authors are obliged to inform the editorial board if there is a conflict of interest regarding the work.

2. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers shall act in accordance with the principles of impartiality, confidentiality, and objectivity during the evaluation process.
Referees should not accept to evaluate works that are outside their area of expertise or that may give rise to a conflict of interest.
Information and documents obtained during the evaluation process are kept confidential and are not shared with third parties in any way.
Referee reports are prepared in a constructive and respectful language based on scientific reasoning.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors and the Editorial Board
Editors and the editorial board evaluate submitted works according to scientific content, originality, and academic adequacy criteria; they do not take into account the authors' identity, institution, gender, or similar factors.
The double-blind peer review process is conducted meticulously and in accordance with the principle of confidentiality.
Editors take allegations of potential ethical violations seriously; where necessary, they act in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Works found to have ethical violations are rejected or, if published, a retraction process is initiated.

4. Plagiarism Policy
All works submitted to the journal are checked for plagiarism using appropriate software.
Works found to have a similarity rate above the acceptable threshold are not accepted for the review process.

5. Open Access and Copyright
The journal supports widespread and equal access to information. Published works are made available to readers in accordance with open access principles.
Authors retain the copyright to their works but grant the journal the right to publish and archive them.

ETHICAL VIOLATION REPORTING AND RETRACTION POLICY
This journal is committed to full compliance with ethical principles in scientific publishing and to addressing potential ethical violations in a transparent, fair, and systematic manner. Allegations of ethical violations are evaluated in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and national/international academic publishing standards.

1. Types of Ethical Violations
Situations considered ethical violations within the scope of the journal include (but are not limited to):
Plagiarism and excessive similarity
Fabrication and falsification of data
Duplication and salami publishing
Ghost authorship, gift authorship, or unethical practices in author attribution
Failure to obtain permission for studies requiring ethics committee approval
Failure to declare conflicts of interest
Breach of confidentiality in the peer review and editorial processes

2. Reporting Ethical Violations
Potential ethical violations may be reported in writing to the journal editors by authors, reviewers, editors, or third parties.
Reports are expected to include concrete information and documentation. Reports submitted anonymously may also be considered.
All reports are handled in accordance with confidentiality principles.

3. Review and Evaluation Process
The editorial board conducts a preliminary review of the reported ethical violation claim.
If deemed necessary, a written defense is requested from the author(s).
During the review process, the editorial board and, when necessary, independent expert opinions are taken into consideration.
The principles of impartiality, confidentiality, and fair evaluation are observed throughout the process.

4. Sanctions
Depending on the nature and severity of the ethical violation, the following sanctions may be applied:
Removal of the work from the evaluation process
Rejection of the work
Retraction of the published work
Restriction of the author(s) from submitting articles to the journal for a certain period of time
Notification of relevant institutions when necessary

5. Retraction Policy
If a serious ethical violation is detected in a published work, the editorial board will decide on retraction.
The retracted article remains accessible in the journal archive; however, a clear and reasoned retraction notice is published.
The retraction notice includes the title of the work, author(s), publication details, and the reason for retraction.
The retraction process is conducted in accordance with the journal's principles of transparency and academic integrity.

6. Correction & Expression of Concern
A correction may be published for minor errors or inaccuracies that do not constitute ethical violations.
An expression of concern may be published in cases where the review process is ongoing but serious doubts exist.

OPEN ACCESS AND LICENSING POLICY
(DOAJ Compliant)
This journal embraces an open access publishing policy based on the understanding that the free sharing of scientific knowledge is a fundamental principle for academic development and societal benefit.

1. Open Access Policy
All articles published in the journal are freely, permanently, and unrestrictedly accessible from the moment of publication.
Readers are not charged any fees for accessing, downloading, copying, distributing, printing, or linking to articles.
The journal does not charge authors article processing charges (APC) under its open access policy.
The open access policy is consistent with the principles of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI).
In line with this policy, the journal supports the dissemination of information, increased academic interaction, and equal access to scientific outputs.

2. Licensing Policy (Creative Commons)
All works published in the journal are published under the following license:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)
Under this license:
Readers have the right to share (copy and redistribute) and adapt (remix, transform, including for commercial purposes) the articles.
The only condition for exercising these rights is that the original author(s) and the journal are properly credited.
License information is clearly stated in the full text of each article.

3. Copyright
Authors retain the copyright to their articles.
Authors agree to the publication of their work by the journal and its archiving under open access.
The journal has the right to host published articles in national and international indexes, open archives, and digital platforms.

4. Archiving Policy
The journal commits to ensuring the long-term preservation and accessibility of all published content.
Articles may be stored in the journal's own digital archive and in appropriate open access platforms.
Authors may share the published version of their articles in institutional repositories and personal academic platforms.

5. Ethics and Open Access Relationship
The open access policy is implemented in accordance with the journal's ethical principles, double-blind peer review process, and ethical violation reporting and retraction policy. Open access is not considered an element that legitimizes ethical violations; rather, it is approached as a publishing approach that enhances transparency and accountability.