WRITING RULES and AUTHOR’S GUIDELINE

A) PREPARATION
Language: Turkish, English, Arabic, German, Russian, and Turkish Dialects
Types of Publication: Research, Review, Translation, Book Critique, Technical Note.
Article Format: MS Word Template
Image Format: JPEG: minimum of 300 dpi
Citation Style: ISNAD

* Articles should be prepared according to the ISNAD Citation System. Depending on the field of science, either The ISNAD Citation Style In-Text Format or The ISNAD Citation Style Footnote Format can be preferred.
** Multi-Authored Manuscripts: Authors are required to carefully review the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and to provide the definitive list of authors at the time of original submission.

B) WRITING RULES
The submitted manuscripts should be arranged in the following order of presentation:
1. Title: The title should be chosen from words and terms that best describe the content. The title, which is bold and capitalized, should not exceed twelve (12) words.
2. Author name(s) and address(es): Each author's name and surname should be written in bold, while their addresses should be in italic characters. The institution, email, and ORCID number of each author should be provided.
3. Abstract: At the beginning of the article, there must be an abstract in Turkish. The abstract should clearly and concisely elucidate the topic within a range of 75 to 150 words. It should not contain bibliographies, figures, or notes. Between the abstract and keywords, one empty line must be left. The keywords should consist of at least 5 and at most 8 words. Following the keywords, the abstract and keywords must be translated into English.
4. Main Body of the Text: Articles should be composed using the MS Word program, with Gentium Plus font type. The text should be formatted in 12-point size with 1.5 line spacing on A4 paper (29.7x21 cm). There should be a 2.5 cm margin on all sides of the page, and pages should be numbered. The article should not exceed 9000 words, while book reviews should be limited to 1000 words. Text passages requiring emphasis should be italicized rather than bolded.
5. Section Titles: The manuscript should be organized with main titles and sub-titles to provide systematic information. If necessary, all headings can be numbered. The main titles (main sections, references, and appendices) should be fully capitalized, while the sub-titles should capitalize only the first letter and be written in bold. Sub-titles should be followed by a colon, and the text should continue on the same line after the colon. The titles should adhere to the ISNAD citation style.
6. Tables and Figures: Tables should be numbered and accompanied by captions. Vertical lines should not be used in the tables, while horizontal lines should be used solely to separate the sub-titles within the table. The table number should be written at the top, fully aligned to the left. Captions should be written in italics, with the first letter of each word capitalized. Tables should be placed where they are most appropriate in the text. Figures should be prepared to be compatible with black-and-white printing. Figure numbers and captions should be centered directly below the figures. The numbers of figures should be written in italics and followed by a full stop, while the figure titles should be presented vertically with only the first letter capitalized.
7. Pictures: Pictures should be included in articles at high-resolution print quality. The same principles applied to naming figures and tables should be followed for pictures. The combined total of pages containing figures, tables, and pictures should not exceed 10 pages (no more than one-third of the article's length).

C) FINAL CHECKLIST
The following checklist is beneficial for the final review of the prepared article before submission to the journal system. Please ensure that the following items are provided before submission:
a) Author information has been provided (including English versions).
• Email address
• Complete mailing address
• Phone number
b) All necessary files have been uploaded.
• Article text
• Copyright Notice Text
c) The article has been "spelling checked" and "grammar checked."
d) All references cited in the bibliography are cited in the text and vice versa.

D) SUBMIT ARTICLE
In applications, the account of the study's corresponding author should be used. All correspondence regarding the application is forwarded to the corresponding author via e-mail sent through the journal system, DERGIPARK. When uploading the article file, make sure that this file does not contain any elements that would reveal the author's identity due to the double-blind peer review process.
During submission, the following commitment is electronically obtained from the author:
1. I am authorized (or authorized by the co-authors) to submit this work to your journal.
2. The manuscript is original, has not been formally published in another peer-reviewed journal, is not under review by another journal, and does not violate any existing copyright or other third-party rights.
3. I/We agree that if the article is accepted for editorial publication, it will be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.
4. The copyright and intellectual property rights of the author(s), or if applicable, the author(s)' employer, are reserved. The authors undertake that the publisher is not responsible for any claims or lawsuits filed by third parties due to copyright infringement and that all responsibility belongs to them.
5. The authors undertake that there are no criminal elements or illegal expressions in the article and that no illegal materials or methods were used during the research.

E) AUTHOR'S GUIDE

Authorship and Contribution
Authorship should be limited to those who made significant contributions to the conception, design, conduct or interpretation of the study. All significant contributors should be listed as co-authors. If there were minor contributors to the study, such as language editing, they should be acknowledged in the acknowledgments section. The corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission for publication. Authors are expected to carefully review the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and to provide the final author list at the time of original submission. Only under exceptional circumstances and with the unanimous consent of all authors, may the Editor-in-Chief consider requests for addition, deletion, or rearrangement of authors after submission. Authors take joint responsibility for the work.

Author Change Requests
Addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the author list can only be made before the manuscript is accepted and only if approved by the editor of the journal. If such a change is requested, the Editor will request from the responsible author (a) the reason for the change in the author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail) from all authors that they agree to the addition. Only in exceptional cases will the editor consider the addition, deletion or reorganization of authors after the article has been accepted.

Article Writing
Authors of original research papers should address the topic in an original and objective manner. The paper should include sufficient detail and references to enable others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly false statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Originality
The author must ensure that the article is original, has not been previously published elsewhere, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, including in another language.
Using Original Sources and Citation
Authors should ensure that their work is entirely original, and if they have utilized the ideas or words of others, proper citations must be provided. Information obtained privately, such as through conversations, correspondence, or discussions with third parties, should not be used without the explicit written consent of the source.

Data Access and Preservation
Authors may be requested to provide research data to support their articles for editorial review and/or to adhere to the journal's open data policies. Authors should be ready to grant public access to such data whenever feasible and to maintain it for a reasonable duration post-publication. The journal recommends uploading research data to TUBITAK's Aperta Portal.

Multiple and Simultaneous Publication
An author should refrain from publishing the same research article in multiple journals, as it violates ethical standards. Simultaneous submission of the same article to multiple journals is also considered unethical. Additionally, submitting a previously published article for consideration in another journal is discouraged, except in the form of an abstract.

Publication of Studies Based on Surveys and Interviews
For research conducted in all scientific fields that require Ethical Committee approval, ethical approval must be obtained, stated, and documented in the article. In studies requiring ethical committee approval, information regarding the approval (committee name, date, and number) should be provided in the methods section, as well as on one of the first/last pages of the article. In case presentations (interviews, etc.), information should be provided in the article indicating that informed consent forms were signed by the individuals from whom the data were collected.

Conflict of Interest
Any financial or other interest that may cause the person to be conflicted in his or her work, significantly impair his or her objectivity, or provide an unfair advantage in favor of any person or organization. All sources of financial support received during the conduct of the research and preparation of the manuscript and the role of sponsors in the study should be disclosed. If there is no source of funding, this should also be indicated. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that should be disclosed include consultancies, salaries, grants. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed at the earliest possible stage.

Error Reporting
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her published work, he/she should notify the journal immediately. It is also the author's obligation to cooperate in withdrawing or correcting the manuscript if deemed necessary by the editor. If the editor or publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains an error, it is the author's obligation to cooperate with the editor, including informing the editor.

Image Integrity
It is not acceptable to enhance, darken, move, remove or add a specific feature in an image. Authors must adhere to the policy for graphic images implemented by the journal.

Publication Ethics and Principles
Publication Ethics may be defined as a self-regulatory mechanism insisting on integrity by authors, peer reviewers, and publishers to establish higher standards of editorial processing. Ethical standards for publication exist to ensure high-quality scientific publications, public trust in scientific findings, and that people receive credit for their ideas.
• Ethical researchers do not plagiarize.
• They do not misreport sources.
• They do not conceal objections that they cannot rebut.
• They do not caricature or distort opposing views.
• They do not destroy or conceal sources and data important for those who follow.

Peer-reviewed studies are the ones that support and materialize the scientific method. At this point, it is of utmost importance that all parties included in the publication process (authors, readers, researchers, publisher, reviewers, and editors) comply with the standards of ethical considerations. The Journal of Religious Studies adheres to national and international research and publication ethics standards. It complies with Press Law, Intellectual and Artistic Works Law, and Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive. The Journal of Religious Studies adopted the International Ethical Publishing Principles published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). It also undertakes to comply with the Decisions of the Turkey Editors' Workshop.
• Press Law (National Legislation)
• Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)
• Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics for Higher Education Institutions (National Legislation)
• Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (International Standards)
• Decisions of the Turkey Editors' Workshop (National Standards)

Duplicate Publication
Duplicate publication is the publication of the same article or substantially similar articles in more than one journal. The editor returns the article unreviewed. After that, the editor may consider no articles by any of the authors for a period of time and may announce publicly in the journal (perhaps as a simultaneous announcement with the editor of the journal that published the earlier article) that the authors have submitted a previously published article, or may do any combination of these actions, at the editor’s discretion.

Simultaneous Submission of Manuscripts
Authors should not send the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. If the editor learns of possible simultaneous submission, the editor reserves the right to consult with the other editor(s) who have received the article. Further, the editor may return the article without review, or may reject it without regard to the reviews, or make this decision in discussion with the other editor(s) involved, and may decide to consider no articles from the author from the authors for a period of time, and may also write to the author's employers, or may do any combination of these actions, at the editor’s discretion.

Publication Check for Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of presenting, either partially or entirely, the ideas, methods, data, practices, writings, figures, or works of others as one's own without giving proper citations to the original sources based on scientific standards.
The Journal of Religious Studies routinely screens article submissions for Plagiarism. The studies submitted for review are checked for plagiarism using Turnitin and Ithenticate. The similarity rate is expected to be less than 20%. When the similarity rate of the article exceeds this threshold, it is either returned to the author or rejected by the Editorial Board. The main measure of similarity is that the author complies with the citation and citation rules. Even though the similarity rate is 1%, if the citation and citation are not duly made, plagiarism may still be in question. In this respect, citation and citation rules should be known and carefully applied by the author: ISNAD
Plagiarism, duplication, false authorship/denied authorship, research/data fabrication, article slicing, slicing, copyright infringement, and concealment of conflict of interest are considered unethical behaviors. All articles that do not comply with accepted ethical standards are removed from the publication. This includes articles with possible irregularities and inconsistencies detected after publication.

Forgery and Data Fabrication
Generating data that lacks a foundation in research, altering or revising submitted or published work using fabricated data, reporting or publishing such work, and presenting research that has not been conducted as if it has been completed are considered academic misconduct and breaches of scholarly integrity.
Manipulating research records and acquired data, presenting unused methods, devices, and materials as if they were utilized in the research, disregarding data inconsistent with the research hypothesis, manipulating data and/or results to conform to relevant theories or assumptions, and distorting or shaping research outcomes to align with the interests of supporting individuals and organizations are considered forms of academic misconduct.

Human Participants
The Journal of Religious Studies requires that all research involving personal or sensitive data or material relating to human participants that is not legally available to the public is subject to formal ethical review.

Allegations of Research Misconduct
The Journal of Religious Studies adheres to the Ethics Toolkit for a Successful Editorial Office outlined by COPE. Editors of The Journal of Religious Studies are committed to taking proactive measures to forestall the publication of papers marred by plagiarism, citation manipulation, data tampering, data fabrication, and other forms of research misconduct. Under no circumstances will the journal's editors tolerate such unethical practices. Should the editors become aware of any allegations of research misconduct pertaining to an article published in their journal, they will adhere to COPE's Ethical Principles Flow Chart.

Ethical Violation Notices
When readers notice a significant error or mistake in an article published in The Journal of Religious Studies or have any complaints about editorial content (plagiarism, duplicate articles, etc.), they can email diniarastirmalar98@gmail.com. We welcome any inquiries as it will allow us to improve, and we respond quickly and constructively.

Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern
The journal editor may consider publishing a correction if minor errors that do not affect the published paper's results, interpretations, and conclusions are detected. The editor may consider retraction if major errors and/or misconduct that invalidate the results and conclusions are identified. An expression of concern may be issued by the editor if there is evidence of research or publication misconduct by the authors if there is evidence indicating that the findings are unreliable, and if the institutions of the authors fail to investigate the matter or if the investigation appears to be unfair or inconclusive. Guidelines provided by COPE are consulted in determining the appropriate course of action regarding corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

Publication of Studies Based on Survey and Interview
The Journal of Religious Studies adopts the "Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" and "Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers" of the Publication Ethics Committee (COPE) in order to create ethical assurance in scientific periodicals. In this context, the authors are requested to comply with the following issues in the studies submitted to the journal:
1) For research conducted in all branches of science that require ethics committee permission (ethics committee approval must be obtained. This approval must be stated and documented in the article.
2) In research that requires ethics committee permission, information about the permission (name of the committee, date and number) is given in the method section, and after the bibliography section of the article; In case reports, information about signing the informed consent/consent form should be included in the article.

Special Issue Publishing Policy
A special issue may be published in our journal once a year upon the request of the Editorial Board. Articles submitted for inclusion in the special issue are first subjected to editorial preliminary review. It is then examined for compliance with the journal's spelling rules, and similarity scanning is performed to prevent plagiarism. After these stages, it is taken into the peer evaluation process, where the double-blind model is used.

Editorial Duty of Confidentiality
The editors of the Journal of Religious Studies treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents, which means they will not divulge information about a manuscript to anyone without the authors' permission. During the manuscript review process, the following people may also have access to manuscripts: Editors and editorial staff at the Journal of Religious Studies. The only occasion when details about a manuscript might be passed to a third party without the authors’ permission is if the editor suspects serious research misconduct.

Allegations of Scientific Misconduct
There are differing definitions of scientific misconduct. The editors of the Journal of Religious Studies deal with these problems on a case by case basis while following guidance produced by the major publication ethics bodies. The editors have to act if they suspect misconduct or if an allegation of misconduct is brought to them. This duty extends to both published and unpublished papers. Editors should not simply reject papers that raise concerns about possible misconduct. They are ethically obliged to pursue alleged cases. Editors should follow the COPE flowcharts where applicable. Editors should first seek a response from those suspected of misconduct. If they are unsatisfied with the response, they should ask the relevant employers, institution, or some appropriate body (perhaps a regulatory body or national research integrity organization) to investigate. Editors should make all reasonable efforts to ensure that a proper investigation into alleged misconduct is conducted; if this does not happen, editors should make all reasonable attempts to persist in obtaining a resolution to the problem. This is an onerous but important duty.
The Journal of Religious Studies abides by the Ethics Toolkit for a Successful Editorial Office by COPE. Editors of the Journal of Religious Studies take reasonable steps to prevent the publication of papers where plagiarism, citation manipulation, data tampering, data fabrication, and other research misconduct have occurred. In no circumstances will the journal editors knowingly allow such misconduct to occur. If the editors become aware of any allegations of research misconduct related to an article published in their journal, they will follow COPE’s guidelines in dealing with allegations. Reviewers should notify the editor when they suspect research or publication misconduct. The editor is responsible for carrying out the necessary actions by following the COPE recommendations.
The Journal of Religious Studies will implement the COPE Flowcharts when it encounters misconduct allegations on the following or similar issues.
• Redundant (duplicate) publication in a submitted manuscript
• Plagiarism in a submitted manuscript
• Fabricated data in a submitted manuscript
• Changes in authorship
• Undisclosed conflict of interest in a submitted manuscript
• Ghost or gift authorship in a submitted manuscript
• Suspected ethical problem in a submitted manuscript
• Responding to whistleblowers when concerns are raised directly
• Responding to whistleblowers when concerns are raised via social media

Procedure for Complaints
This procedure applies to complaints regarding content, procedures, or policies that are the responsibility of the Journal of Religious Studies or our editorial staff. Complaints can provide an opportunity and incentive for improvement, and we aim to respond quickly, courteously and constructively.
The complaint must be related to the content, procedures or policies that are the responsibility of the Journal of Religious Studies or our editorial team. Complaints should be emailed directly to diniarastirmalar98@gmail.com and will be treated confidentially. The editor responds to complaints immediately. The editor follows the procedure outlined in the COPE flowchart regarding complaints.
Complaints are reviewed by the relevant member of the editorial team and if they cannot be resolved, the following processes are followed:
• If this initial response is deemed inadequate, the complainant may request that their complaint be referred to a more senior member of the journal.
• If the complainant is dissatisfied, complaints can be forwarded to the editor-in-chief.
• A full response will be given within two weeks if possible.
COPE publishes a code of practice for editors of scientific journals. This will facilitate the resolution of disputes with editors, journals and publishers, but can only be submitted after the journal's own complaints procedures have been exhausted.

Appeal Process
Peer review by editors and external reviewers is usually based on a mix of evidence and opinion, and some decisions to reject may be close calls. We welcome serious appeals. If you believe that we have rejected your article wrongly, perhaps because we have misunderstood its scientific content, please submit an appeal (rebuttal) letter to our editorial team at diniarastirmalar98@gmail.com. Do not try to submit a revised version of your article at this stage. If we agree that your appeal is warranted, we may invite you to submit a revised version of your article. Then, we can go through our peer review process again. Lastly, we can consider only one appeal per manuscript, so please spend as much time and effort on writing the appeal letter as you think necessary to put the case clearly - you have one chance, so use it well. We have found that prolonged negotiation over rejected papers are usually unsatisfactory for both authors and editors, so we no longer engage in this.

Conflicts of Interest
Conflict of interest exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest may be influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain or personal rivalry). We believe that, to make the best decision on how to deal with an article, we should know about any competing interests that authors may have, and that if we publish the article readers should know about them too.
Conflict of Interest is any financial or other interest that may conflict with one's work, significantly impair objectivity, or provide an unfair advantage to any person or organization. All authors must disclose in their writing any financial and personal relationships with individuals or organizations that may be seen to improperly influence their work. All financial support resources and the role of sponsors in the study should be explained during the conduct of the research and the preparation of the article. If there is no source of funding, this should also be stated. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that need to be disclosed include consultations, hiring, grants. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed at the earliest possible stage.
The Journal of Religious Studies has a declared process for handling submissions from the editors, employees or members of the editorial board to ensure unbiased review. Such manuscripts are primarily directed to other journals. If this is not possible, the author's role in the journal will be temporarily terminated. These submissions are reviewed through a double-blind process.
The editor must not be involved in decisions about papers which s/he has written him/herself or have been written by family members. Further, any such submission must be subject to all of the journal’s usual procedures. The editor shall apply the COPE guidelines relating to the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest by authors and reviewers.

Research Ethics
The Journal of Religious Studies 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 so that the participants are not at risk.
• The independence of research must be clear; any conflict of interest or must be disclosed.
• In experimental studies with human subjects, written informed consent must be obtained from the participants who decide to participate in the research. In the case of children and those under wardship or with confirmed insanity, the 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 a 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.

The publication of articles in the journal and the processes involved therein are not subject to any fees. No processing fee or submission fee is charged for articles submitted to the journal or accepted for publication under any circumstances. In accordance with the publication policies of the Journal of Religious Studies, sponsorship and advertising are not accepted. All expenses of the Journal of Religious Studies are covered by Motif Yayıncılık (www.motifyayincilik.com). This decision was made by the editorial board during its meeting on January 29, 2024.