Publication Ethics
The publication processes implemented in Doğuş University Journal constitute the foundation for the impartial and reputable development and dissemination of knowledge. Accordingly, the processes applied are directly reflected in the quality of the work of authors and the institutions supporting them. Peer-reviewed studies are works that embody and support the scientific method. At this point, it is important that all stakeholders of the process (authors, readers and researchers, publisher, reviewers, and editors) comply with ethical standards. Within the scope of publication ethics, Doğuş University Journal expects all stakeholders to assume the following ethical responsibilities.
The ethical duties and responsibilities listed below have been prepared in accordance with the guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as open access.
Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Authors who submit a manuscript to Doğuş University Journal are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:
• The submitted work must be original. If authors benefit from or use other studies, they must provide complete and accurate references and/or quotations.
• Individuals who have not made an intellectual contribution to the content of the study should not be listed as authors.
• Any situations or relationships that may constitute a conflict of interest, if any, must be disclosed for all submitted manuscripts.
• Within the framework of the review process, authors may be requested to provide raw data related to their manuscripts. In such a case, authors should be prepared to submit the expected data and information to the editorial board.
• Authors must possess documents demonstrating that they have the rights to use the data, have obtained the necessary permissions related to the research/analyses, or have obtained the consent of the participants involved in the study.
• If authors notice an error or inaccuracy in their published, early-view, or under-review work, they are obliged to inform the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor in the correction or retraction process.
• Authors may not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. A new submission may only be initiated after the completion of a previous application. A study that has been published in another journal cannot be submitted to Doğuş University Journal.
• Changes to author responsibilities (such as adding an author, changing the order of authors, or removing an author) cannot be proposed for a manuscript whose review process has already begun.
Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of Editors
The editors of Doğuş University Journal should adhere to the following ethical duties and responsibilities based on the “COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors” and the “COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors” published as open access by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE):
General Duties and Responsibilities
Editors are responsible for every publication published in Doğuş University Journal. Within this scope of responsibility, editors undertake the following roles and obligations:
• Making efforts to meet the information needs of readers and authors,
• Ensuring the continuous development of the journal,
• Managing processes aimed at improving the quality of the studies published in the journal,
• Supporting freedom of thought,
• Ensuring academic integrity,
• Continuing business processes without compromising intellectual property rights and ethical standards,
• Demonstrating clarity and transparency in terms of publication in matters requiring correction or clarification.
Relations with Readers
Editors should make decisions by considering the knowledge, skills, and experience expectations of all readers, researchers, and practitioners. They should ensure that the published studies contribute to readers, researchers, practitioners, and the scientific literature, and that they are original in nature. In addition, editors are obliged to take into account feedback from readers, researchers, and practitioners, and to provide explanatory and informative responses.
Relations with Authors
The duties and responsibilities of editors toward authors are as follows:
• Editors should make positive or negative decisions based on the significance, originality, validity, clarity of expression, and alignment with the aims and scope of the journal.
• Editors should take manuscripts that fall within the scope of publication into the preliminary evaluation stage unless they have serious problems.
• Editors should not disregard positive reviewer recommendations unless there is a serious issue with the manuscript.
• New editors should not change decisions made by previous editor(s) regarding manuscripts unless there is a serious problem.
• The “Blind Peer Review and Evaluation Process” must be published, and editors should prevent deviations from the defined procedures.
• Editors should publish an “Author Guidelines” document that includes detailed information on all matters expected by authors. These guidelines should be updated at regular intervals.
• Authors should be provided with clear, explanatory, and informative notifications and feedback.
Relations with Reviewers
The duties and responsibilities of editors toward reviewers are as follows:
• Reviewers should be selected in accordance with the subject of the manuscript.
• Editors are obliged to provide reviewers with the information and guidelines they may need during the evaluation process.
• Editors must consider whether there is any conflict of interest between authors and reviewers.
• In the context of blind peer review, editors must keep reviewers’ identities confidential.
• Reviewers should be encouraged to evaluate the manuscript in an impartial, scientific, and objective manner.
• Reviewers should be evaluated based on criteria such as timely responses and performance.
• Practices and policies aimed at improving reviewer performance should be established.
• Necessary steps should be taken to ensure the dynamic updating of the reviewer pool.
• Uncourteous and unscientific evaluations should be prevented.
• Efforts should be made to ensure that the reviewer pool consists of a broad and diverse range of experts.
Relations with the Editorial Board
Editors must ensure that all editorial board members carry out processes in accordance with the publication policies and guidelines. They should inform board members about publication policies and keep them updated on developments. New editorial board members should be trained on publication policies and provided with the information they need.
In addition, editors should:
• Ensure that editorial board members evaluate manuscripts impartially and independently.
• Select new editorial board members who are qualified and capable of contributing to the journal.
• Send manuscripts to board members for review in accordance with their areas of expertise.
• Maintain regular communication with the editorial board.
• Organize meetings at regular intervals with the editorial board to discuss publication policies and the development of the journal.
Relations with the Journal Owner and Publisher
The relationship between editors and the publisher is based on the principle of editorial independence.
Editorial and Blind Peer Review Processes
Editors are responsible for implementing the “Blind Peer Review and Evaluation Process” policies included in the journal’s publication policies. In this context, editors ensure that each manuscript is evaluated fairly, impartially, and in a timely manner.
Quality Assurance
Editors are responsible for ensuring that every article published in the journal complies with the journal’s publication policies and international standards.
Protection of Personal Data
Editors are obliged to ensure the protection of personal data related to participants or images included in the evaluated studies. They are responsible for rejecting studies unless documented explicit consent has been obtained from the individuals involved. In addition, editors are responsible for protecting the personal data of authors, reviewers, and readers.
Ethics Committee, Human and Animal Rights
Editors are responsible for ensuring the protection of human and animal rights in the studies they evaluate. They are obliged to reject studies in cases where there is no ethical committee approval for the subjects involved or the necessary permissions for experimental research.
Research requiring ethical committee approval includes, but is not limited to:
• Any research conducted using qualitative or quantitative approaches that involves data collection from participants through surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation, experiments, or other interviewing techniques.
• Experimental or other scientific use of humans or animals (including materials or data).
• Clinical research conducted on humans.
• Research conducted on animals.
• Retrospective studies in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Law.
Additionally:
• Case reports must indicate that “informed consent” has been obtained.
• Permission must be obtained from owners for the use of scales, surveys, photographs, or other materials belonging to others, and this must be clearly stated.
• Compliance with copyright regulations must be indicated for any used intellectual or artistic works.
Prevention of Misconduct and Abuse of Duty
Editors are responsible for taking measures against possible misconduct and abuse of duty. This includes conducting meticulous and objective investigations of complaints related to such cases and sharing relevant findings as part of the editor’s responsibilities.
Ensuring Academic Publishing Integrity
Editors must ensure that errors, inconsistencies, or misleading statements in studies are corrected promptly.
Protection of Intellectual Property Rights
Editors are 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 potential violations. Additionally, editors must take necessary measures to ensure that the content of published articles does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of other publications.
Constructiveness and Openness to Discussion
Editors should:
• Consider persuasive criticisms regarding works published in the journal and adopt a constructive attitude toward such criticisms.
• Grant the author(s) of criticized studies the right to reply.
• Not ignore or exclude studies containing negative results.
Complaints
Editors are obliged to carefully examine complaints submitted by authors, reviewers, or readers and respond in an informative and explanatory manner.
Political and Commercial Concerns
The journal owner, publisher, or any other political or commercial entity must not influence the independent decision-making of editors.
Conflicts of Interest
Editors must ensure that the publication process of manuscripts is completed independently and impartially, taking into account any potential conflicts of interest among author(s), reviewers, and other editors.
Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
The evaluation of all manuscripts through blind peer review directly affects publication quality. This process ensures trust through objective and independent assessment. The evaluation process of Doğuş University Journal is conducted in accordance with the principle of double-blind peer review. Reviewers cannot communicate directly with authors; evaluations and comments are conveyed through the journal management system. During this process, review forms and reviewers’ comments on full texts are transmitted to the author(s) via the editor.
In this context, reviewers evaluating manuscripts for Doğuş University Journal are expected to adhere to the following ethical responsibilities:
• Accept only manuscripts related to their area of expertise.
• Conduct evaluations impartially and confidentially.
• If they believe they are facing a conflict of interest during the review process, decline to review the manuscript and inform the journal editor.
• In accordance with the principle of confidentiality, destroy the manuscripts they have reviewed after the evaluation process. They may use only the final published versions after publication.
• Conduct evaluations objectively, focusing solely on the content of the manuscript. Nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political views, or commercial concerns must not influence the evaluation.
• Provide evaluations in a constructive and courteous manner. They must not make derogatory personal comments containing hostility, defamation, or insults.
• Complete the evaluation of accepted manuscripts in a timely manner and in accordance with the ethical responsibilities stated above.
Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher
Doğuş University, the publisher of Doğuş University Journal, is a non-profit foundation university. In this context, the university acts with awareness of the following ethical responsibilities regarding the journal:
• Editors are responsible for all processes of manuscripts submitted to Doğuş University Journal. Within this framework, editors are decision-makers without consideration of economic or political gains.
• The publisher undertakes to ensure the formation of independent editorial decisions.
• The publisher is responsible for taking measures against all forms of scientific misconduct related to editors, including citation manipulation and plagiarism.
If You Encounter an Unethical Situation
If you encounter any unethical behavior or content—whether related to the ethical responsibilities mentioned above or otherwise—in Doğuş University Journal, please report it via email to journal@dogus.edu.tr.