ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

The Journal of Disadvantaged Groups and Social Work (DGSW) adheres to the highest ethical standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and follows COPE’s International Standards for Editors and Authors in all submitted and published works.

1. Ethics Committee Approval
-For studies involving human or animal subjects, obtaining ethics committee approval is mandatory.
-Detailed information on which studies require ethics approval can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

According to TR Index criteria:
-Separate ethics committee approval must be obtained and documented for all studies requiring ethical review, including those in the social sciences.
-Ethics committee details (committee name, date, and approval number) must be clearly stated in the Method section of the manuscript.
-For interviews, case studies, and similar research, informed consent must be obtained from participants and reported in the Method section.

2. Copyright, Scale Use, and Data Permissions
For all manuscripts submitted to DGSW:
-If copyrighted scales, questionnaires, or similar materials are used, permission from the rights holders is mandatory.
-Authors must explicitly state in their manuscript that all required permissions have been obtained.

3. Originality and Publication Ethics
Submitted manuscripts must:
-Be original
-Not have been published elsewhere
-Not be under consideration by any other journal
-Properly cite all referenced ideas and materials
-If ethical misconduct is detected at any evaluation stage, the manuscript will be returned to the authors.

4. Conflict of Interest
If the research involves direct or indirect commercial ties, funding, or any potential conflict of interest, authors must declare this on the submission page and at the end of the manuscript.

5. Double-Blind Peer Review
-All manuscripts submitted to DGSW undergo a double-blind peer review process.
-The editorial board may seek additional reviewer evaluations if necessary.

6. Authors’ Ethical Responsibilities
Authors must:
-Not request royalties for submitted works
-Submit only original manuscripts
-Ensure that all cited works are properly referenced
-Provide raw data upon editorial request
-Notify the editor if they discover an error in their article at any stage
-Not request changes to authorship (adding/removing/changing order) after the review process begins
-Adhere to research and publication ethics in all submissions

7. Editors’ Ethical Responsibilities
Editors follow the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines.
Their responsibilities include:
-Ensuring the development and quality of the journal
-Upholding academic integrity and intellectual freedom
-Guaranteeing fair, unbiased, and timely peer-review processes
Preventing conflicts of interest
-Protecting personal data of authors, reviewers, and participants
-Managing complaints transparently
-Implementing corrections or retractions when necessary

8. Reviewers’ Ethical Responsibilities
-Reviewers evaluating manuscripts for DGSW must:
-Provide fair, impartial, and objective evaluations
-Maintain confidentiality of all materials
-Avoid any conflicts of interest with authors or funders
-Have expertise in the subject matter they review
-Offer constructive and respectful feedback
-Report any suspected ethical misconduct to the editor
-Abide by all ethical rules applicable to authors
-Complete evaluations within the expected timeframe

PUBLICATION POLICY
All manuscripts submitted to JDGSW undergo a four-stage evaluation process.
1. Initial Editorial Screening
Manuscripts are first reviewed by the editor. A submission may be returned or revisions may be requested if:
-Similarity (plagiarism) score exceeds 20%
-Ethical requirements are not met
-The writing quality is insufficient
-The manuscript is outside the journal’s scope

2. Evaluation by Section Editor
-Manuscripts passing the first stage are assigned to the relevant section editor.
-If the study is insufficient in terms of quality or ethics, the section editor may reject it.

3. Peer Review Stage
-Selected manuscripts are sent to experts in the field under a double-blind review system.
-If necessary, a third reviewer may be appointed.
Manuscripts deemed inadequate by reviewers will be rejected.

4. Revision Stage
Authors revise the manuscript based on reviewer comments.
Failure to revise adequately may result in rejection.

5. Acceptance and Publication
-Accepted manuscripts are queued for publication.
-The dates of submission and acceptance are published transparently.
-All authors must submit a signed Copyright Transfer Form via the journal’s email.
-Failure to provide the form will result in the manuscript being returned.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
-The journal is open access and charges no fees at any stage.
-Average review time is 30–45 days, depending on the manuscript.
-A detailed flowchart outlining the publication process is available on the journal website.