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).
• 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)

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.

If plagiarism is detected in our journal, first of all, an official notification is made to the university to which the plagiarizing author is affiliated and cooperation is made to initiate the necessary procedures regarding the violation. If the detected article has been published, the PDF copy will be removed from the journal website, links to the article will be disabled, and the phrase “Plagiarized Article” will be added to the article title. In addition, the account of the author responsible for the violation will be closed on the journal system and this author will be banned from submitting any work to the journal for 4 years.

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) For studies that require ethics committee approval, the details of the ethics committee approval (name of the committee, date of approval and number) must be clearly stated in the article. In addition, in case reports, the information that the participants signed an informed consent form must be included in the article.

Special Issue Publishing Policy
Special issues may be published once a year in our journal in line with the decision of the Editorial Board. All articles in the special issue are subjected to the editorial and peer review processes applied in other issues of our journal. Please click here to access our previously published special issues.

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 involving human subjects, it should be clearly stated in the text of the article that “informed consent” was obtained from the participants and ethics committee approval was obtained from the institution where the study was conducted.

Publication Policies

A) Article Evaluation Process
* In the manuscripts to be submitted; it is required to be an original article that will fill a gap in the field or a review that evaluates previously published studies and puts forward new and remarkable views on this subject.
* Our journal uses a double blind review system in which the identities of referees and authors are kept confidential to each other. For this reason, the names of the referees are not published. Authors and reviewers should endeavor to keep their identities confidential. For this purpose, authors, editors and referees who submit files to the system should pay attention to the following points regarding the text and files. Authors should delete their names and institutions in the text. Including side texts such as page footnotes etc. When storing Microsoft documents, personal information is also written in the file information. For this reason, either this personal information should be found and deleted from the document properties, or the document should be re-saved in a way that does not contain personal information.
* A special plagiarism detection program scans all submitted manuscripts to prevent plagiarism. The studies submitted for review are checked for plagiarism using Turnitin & Ithenticate software. The similarity rate is expected to be less than 20%. When the similarity rate exceeds this limit, the article is either returned to the author or rejected by the Editorial Board.
* The Editorial Board first examines the manuscripts submitted to the journal in terms of publication principles and the scope of the journal, scientific content and form.
* A Field Editor is appointed by the Editor for the works that pass the preliminary review. The Field Editor sends the work to at least 2 referees who are experts in their fields and independent from our journal for evaluation.
* Authors make the necessary edits in their articles in line with the suggestions from the referees and upload the updated version to the system again. The updates are first reviewed by the field editor and then submitted to the reviewers for evaluation.
* In order for the work to be accepted to the journal, it must receive a positive evaluation from 2 referees. If necessary, a 3rd referee may be asked to contribute to the evaluation process.
* The publication process of the accepted work takes an average of 3-4 months from the date of receipt of the work.
* Click here for detailed information about the article evaluation process.

B) Open Access Policy
Articles published in our journal are published as open access under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. Click here for detailed information.

C) Copyright Policy
Copyright of the authors on the works published in our journal is reserved. Click here for detailed information.

D) Archive Policy
Articles published in our journal are digitally archived in LOCKSS. Click here for detailed information.

E) Fee Policy
The publication of articles in the journal and the execution of article processes are not subject to any fee. No processing fee or submission fee is charged for articles submitted to the journal or accepted for publication. Click here for detailed information.