General Principles

1. Research and review articles submitted to the Ankara University Journal of Real Estate Studies (AU-JRES) must be original and must not have been previously published in any form. Submissions must not be under review by another journal, nor submitted elsewhere for publication. During the submission process, the author(s) are required to declare that the manuscript has not been submitted to any other journal.
2. Copyright of manuscripts submitted to the Ankara University Journal of Real Estate Studies is transferred to the journal. The Copyright Transfer Form (see Forms) must be completed and signed by all authors, and uploaded to the system together with the manuscript as a PDF or JPG file. Manuscripts submitted without the Copyright Transfer Form will not be considered for evaluation.
3. The document entitled “Author Contribution, Conflict of Interest, and Financial Support Statement” (see Forms) must be uploaded with the manuscript. This form must include information regarding author contributions, potential conflicts of interest, acknowledgements and/or funding support, and whether the study has been derived from a project, conference paper, or thesis.
4. For studies requiring ethics committee approval, the ethics committee approval certificate must be uploaded to the system together with the manuscript file. Ethics approval is mandatory for all research conducted using qualitative or quantitative methods that involve data collection from participants through surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, observation, experiments, or similar techniques.
5. In addition, ethics approval information (committee name, approval date, and decision number) must be clearly stated on the Title Page (e.g., Ethics Committee Approval: Ethics approval for this study was obtained from the Ankara University Ethics Committee Presidency with the decision dated …/…/… and numbered …). Manuscripts lacking the required ethics approval will not be considered for review.
6. For articles derived from projects supported by universities, public or private institutions, or international organizations, it is also required to provide the project title, funding source, project coordinator, and written permission documents from the relevant supporting institution(s).
7. The manuscript Word file uploaded to the DergiPark system must be fully anonymized. The manuscript must not contain any identifying information related to the author(s), including names, ORCID IDs, institutional affiliations, contact information, or any indication that the study was derived from a project, conference paper, or thesis. The full text must be uploaded as an anonymous version, and author details must not appear until the end of the evaluation process. The manuscript title and complete author information must be provided only on the Title Page, which must be uploaded as a separate file.
8. The “Author Declaration and Publication Approval Form” must be signed by the corresponding author after the manuscript has been accepted and the typesetting/layout process has been completed, following the necessary final checks, and must then be uploaded to the system.
9. Completion of the “Artificial Intelligence Use Declaration Form” is mandatory for all submissions to the Ankara University Journal of Real Estate Studies. This form is required to declare the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools during the preparation of the manuscript.
10. All legal, academic, and ethical responsibility for manuscripts submitted to the Ankara University Journal of Real Estate Studies in accordance with these guidelines rests solely with the author(s)..

Writing Rules

These guidelines are applicable to articles written in English.
1. Articles must be prepared in A4 size using the journal article template (see Forms) in “MS Office Word 2016” or a later version.
2. Along with the article submitted for publication, a title (or cover) page containing author information must also be uploaded to the system. The title page must include the article title, the institution(s) and academic titles of the author(s), contact addresses, mobile and office phone numbers, ORCID numbers, and e-mail addresses (see Forms).
3. Length of the study: Article length should be between 3,500 and 10,000 words (references, figures, and tables) according to the journal format.
4. First page of the study: On the first page, the article title must be provided in both Turkish and English. Information about the author(s) must not be included under any circumstances.
If the study is written in Turkish, the Turkish title must be written in Bely font, size 20 pt, and immediately below it, the English title must be written in Palatino Linotype font, size 16 pt. Article titles (Turkish and English) must consist of 20 words.
The terms ÖZET/ABSTRACT must appear at the beginning of the Turkish and English abstracts. Abstracts must be prepared in Aptos Light font, 8 pt, justified alignment. The abstract length must be between 150–200 words. Abstracts must not include non-standard abbreviations, equations, citations, etc. Keywords must be at least 3 and at most 5.
5. Paragraph structure: In the texts, regardless of heading level, the first paragraph must have right and left indentation set to 0.25 cm, and no special indentation should be applied. In the paragraphs following the first one, right and left indentation must again be 0.25 cm, and additionally, in the “Special” section, “First Line” must be selected to define a 0.5 cm first-line indentation.
6. Section headings: The article may include the following sections: introduction, materials and methods, research findings and discussion, conclusion, references, and appendices. If there are subsections, all must be numbered. Main and subheadings must be aligned to the left with no indentation and numbered as 1., 1.1., 1.2., 1.1.2, etc. In the text, headings may be used up to the third level only, and headings beyond the third level must not be created.
First-level headings must be formatted in Bely font, 17 pt, with the first letter of every word capitalized. One blank line must be left before the heading; however, no blank line should be left after the heading and the text must follow immediately.
Second-level headings must also be in Bely font but in 13.5 pt, with the first letter of every word capitalized. No blank line should be left before or after these headings.
Third-level headings must be formatted in Bely font, 12 pt. Only the first letter of the first word should be capitalized; the following words must begin with lowercase letters. No blank line should be left before or after these headings.
7. Tables and figures: Figure and table titles must be centered in the text, written in sentence case, using Aptos Light font, 10 pt. Figure titles must be placed below the figure; table titles must be placed above the table. Each table and figure must be numbered consecutively (Table 1, Table 2,… Figure 1, Figure 2,…). The source of the table or figure must be written immediately below it in 10 pt. Text inside tables or figures must be between 8–10 pt. All tables and figures must be cited in the text at the relevant place (Figure 1). One line spacing must be left before tables and figures. Tables and figures must appear immediately after the paragraph where they are cited (Table 1). Figures must not exceed 18 cm in width and 10 cm in height; their width and height (scale settings) must be adjusted while keeping the aspect ratio fixed. Figures in the article must remain in standard width and be centered. Low-resolution (scanned, photocopied) figures are not accepted.
8. Formulas, equations, or mathematical expressions: Equations, formulas, or mathematical expressions included in the text must be written using the Microsoft Word Equation Editor. They must be numbered consecutively, with the numbers placed in parentheses and aligned to the right side of the page. In the main text, references must be made as “Equation (1)” or “Formula (1)”.
9. Footnotes: Important details and explanations must be provided as footnotes at the bottom of the page. Footnotes must be created using the “Insert Footnote” option under the References section in Microsoft Word. Footnotes must be numbered consecutively starting from 1. Footnotes must be written in Aptos Light font, 8 pt, justified alignment.
10. Citations (referencing): Citations must follow APA 7 style. In-text citations must include the author(s)’ surname and the publication year. If the author name is not available, the institution name must be used as the author. All sources listed in the references must be cited in the text, and all sources cited in the text must appear in the reference list.
Page numbers in quotations must be separated from the year information using a colon “:”. If a quotation is taken from only one page, only that page number must be provided in parentheses (Şimşek, 2019:22). If the quotation is taken from consecutive pages, a hyphen “-” must be used (ÇŞİDB, 2025:140-142). If quotations are taken from different non-consecutive pages, page numbers must be separated by commas (Gündoğan & Önder 2010:11,14). If the entire source has been used, page numbers should not be provided (Öztürk et al., 2010).
In-text citation examples must be as follows:
a. If the cited source has one author:
• Parenthetical citation: … (Şimşek, 2019:22).
• Narrative citation: … Şimşek (2019) …
b. If the cited source has two authors:
• Parenthetical citation: … (Gündoğan & Önder 2010:11,14).
• Narrative citation: … Gündoğan and Önder (2010) …
c. If the cited source has three or more authors:
• Parenthetical citation: … (Öztürk et al., 2010:25-27).
• Narrative citation: … Öztürk et al. (2010) …
d. If the cited source has no author name (newspaper, article, etc.) or if institutional reports are used:
• Parenthetical citation: … (New York Times, 2021) (ÇŞİDB, 2025).
• Narrative citation: … ÇŞİDB (2025) …
e. If more than one source is cited in the same section:
• They must be separated by semicolons: … (ÇŞİDB, 2025:142; Öztürk et al., 2010:41; Gündoğan & Önder 2010:11).
f. Primary sources should be cited. If the primary source cannot be accessed, secondary sources may be cited using the term “cited in.”
• Parenthetical citation: … (cited in: Yılmaz, 2023:156).
g. Direct quotations made without altering the original text (laws, regulations, communiqués, etc.) must be presented in a separate paragraph. These quotations must be enclosed in quotation marks (“ ”), justified, and paragraph settings must be adjusted so that right and left indentation are 2 cm. Omitted parts of the text must be indicated with three dots (…).

“The right of the immovable property owner to temporarily enter the neighboring property for the purpose of operating or improving their property or constructing a building on it, as well as field roads, animal watering roads, winter passageways, log sliding paths and channels, and similar passages, are subject to the provisions of special laws.
If there is no provision of special law, local custom shall apply.
Rights of passage arising directly from the law come into existence without registration in the land registry. However, those of a permanent nature are indicated in the declarations column.”

After leaving one blank line, the text must continue. In direct quotations, the author may highlight the parts they wish to emphasize by using bold font.
11. References section: The references must be written in Aptos Light font, justified, 11.5 pt. Each reference must be written with single line spacing, leaving 1.25 cm indentation and 6 nk spacing before and after. While creating the references section, all sources (without separating by type) must be listed alphabetically according to the first author’s surname. If multiple publications by the same author are included, they must be listed chronologically from oldest to newest. If an author has more than one publication in the same year, letters must be added next to the year (2026a, 2026b, 2026c). References must be written according to their type (book, article, website, interview, etc.) and prepared in accordance with the examples provided below. Reference formatting examples are shown in the article template (AU_JRES_Manuscript_Template).
12. Appendices: If an appendix section is included, it must be written in 9 pt font size and placed after the references section.
 

Ethical Principles

The Ankara University Journal of Real Estate Studies (AU-JRES) upholds the principles of academic transparency, integrity, and accountability. In this context, the journal adheres to the ethical guidelines set forth by the Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Principles Regarding the Use of Artificial Intelligence

The use of AI-based generative tools or large language models (LLMs) to write any part of a manuscript (e.g., abstract, literature review, results, etc.) is not permitted. The inclusion of AI-generated visual content or substantial AI-produced material in manuscripts is strictly prohibited. The use of AI tools for the direct generation or reporting of statistical results is not acceptable. However, authors may utilize AI-based tools in the data analysis process, provided that they are applied to the authors’ own datasets and do not replace the researcher’s role in interpretation. The use of AI tools for language editing and clarity improvement is permitted, as it is comparable to conventional spelling and grammar-checking tools. In such cases, full responsibility for the content remains with the author(s).

Editorial Responsibilities

• Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts solely based on their academic merit, regardless of the author(s)’ nationality, ethnicity, religious belief, political views, gender, or institutional affiliation.

• The editorial process is conducted fairly and impartially, without allowing any form of discrimination.

• The decision to accept or reject a manuscript for publication is made by the editorial board.

• These decisions are based on the journal’s publication and ethical policies, as well as the scientific quality, validity, and relevance of the manuscript to the journal’s scope, and are always justified.

• Editors will recuse themselves from handling a manuscript in the event of a conflict of interest with the author(s), reviewer(s), or funder(s).

• Editors and editorial board members will only share manuscript information with those directly involved in the editorial correspondence.

• The journal adheres to a double-blind peer review policy; the identities of both authors and reviewers are kept confidential throughout the process.

• All manuscripts are reviewed by at least two reviewers who are experts in the relevant field, under the double-blind review system.

• Reviewer comments are shared with authors unless they include offensive or defamatory language.

• Reasonable requests by authors to exclude specific reviewers will be considered.

• If a published article is later reported to be unethical, an investigation is initiated.

• Based on COPE guidelines, necessary actions such as clarifications, corrections, or retractions will be undertaken.

• The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the journal’s content and publication schedule.

• No external organization or political influence should interfere with editorial decisions.

• Editors are responsible for the continuous improvement of the journal’s quality and for meeting the expectations of both readers and authors.

Reviewers Responsibilities

• Reviewers must conduct the evaluation process with impartiality, professionalism, scientific objectivity, and courtesy.

• They should avoid personal criticism, discrimination, or subjective remarks.

• Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential documents and should not be shared with third parties.

• Unpublished content must not be used in the reviewer’s personal research without the explicit written consent of the author(s).

• Reviewers who decline an invitation to review are also bound by the obligation of confidentiality.

• If reviewers have any conflict of interest (e.g., with the author(s) or their affiliated institution), they must decline the review and inform the editor.

• They should not participate in the review process if there is a situation of competition, collaboration, or personal relationship with the author(s).

• Reviewers must inform the editor as soon as possible whether they accept or decline the review invitation.

• If they accept, they should complete the review within the specified time, or notify the editor in a timely manner if they are unable to do so.

• Reviewers must provide clear, well-reasoned, and constructive feedback to support editorial decisions.

• Where appropriate, they should offer suggestions to help the author(s) improve the manuscript.

• If reviewers suspect any research or publication ethics violations (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication, defamation, copyright infringement), they must inform the editor.

• If reviewers notice similarities with another published or submitted manuscript, they must alert the editor.

• They should also point out any uncited quotations or missing references in the manuscript.

• Reviewers are encouraged to draw attention to important sources in the literature that may have been overlooked.

• Reviewers must adhere to double-blind review principles, maintaining anonymity and confidentiality throughout the process.

• Any information or data obtained during the review process must be used only for the purpose of reviewing the manuscript, and not for any other purpose.

• If reviewers feel they lack sufficient subject expertise or cannot conduct a timely and thorough review, they should inform the editor and decline the review invitation.

Author Responsibilities

• Submitted works must be original, and all data used should be presented accurately, objectively, and completely.

• The research methodology, data, and findings should be described in sufficient detail to allow replication by other researchers.

• In review and editorial articles, subjective opinions must be clearly identified, while maintaining scientific objectivity.

• Knowingly providing false or misleading statements is unethical and unacceptable.

• Authors must submit only original work and properly cite the ideas, findings, or data of others.

• All forms of plagiarism—including direct, indirect, and self-plagiarism—are considered ethical violations.

• All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening. Any manuscript with a similarity rate of 10% higher will be rejected outright.

• The same manuscript must not be submitted to or published in more than one journal simultaneously.

• Except in special cases (e.g., clinical guidelines, translations), duplicate publication of the same content is considered unethical.

• Authors must respond to reviewer comments respectfully and make all requested revisions thoroughly and carefully when a “revise and resubmit” decision is issued.

• Authors must respond promptly and fully to editorial requests for raw data, ethical approvals, patient consents, or any other supporting documents.

• If a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in a published article, the author(s) must immediately notify the editor and cooperate with correction or retraction procedures.

• In the case of serious errors, the article may be withdrawn from publication.

• Authors agree to comply with all ethical guidelines, including the Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics issued by the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK).

• Scientific responsibility for the content lies solely with the author(s); the journal does not assume liability in this regard.

Authorship and Contribution Disclosure

• All individuals listed as authors must meet the following criteria:

o Have made a substantial scientific contribution to the research

o Contributed intellectually to the preparation of the manuscript

o Have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript

• Honorary or guest authorship (e.g., including a name without actual contribution) is considered unethical.

• The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have approved the final manuscript and managing all communication with the journal throughout the submission and review process.

• Individuals who have not made a scientific contribution but have provided technical, financial, or administrative support should be acknowledged in the “Acknowledgments” section. Written permission must be obtained from those being acknowledged.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

• Authors must clearly disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that may have influenced the research (e.g., funding, consulting, partnerships).

• All sources of support—including financial grants and donations—must be acknowledged in the manuscript.

• A Conflict of Interest statement is mandatory for all submitted manuscripts.

• If no conflicts exist, authors must include the following statement in the manuscript, under the heading “Conflict of Interest”, as the final section before Acknowledgments: “The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.”.

Ethics Committee Approval and Participant Rights

• For all studies involving human or animal subjects, ethics committee approval must be obtained and explicitly stated in the manuscript.

• The ethics approval should be clearly indicated in both the “Methodology” section and on the final page of the manuscript, including the name of the committee, the date of approval, and the approval number.

• Participant identities must be protected at all times. In cases where informed consent is required (e.g., clinical or personal data), written consent must be obtained from participants and clearly noted in the manuscript

Data Sharing and Retention

• Authors must be prepared to make data publicly available or share it upon request, if deemed necessary for the integrity or verification of the research.

• All data should be stored for a minimum of 10 years, preferably in institutional or trusted data repositories, in accordance with confidentiality and data protection principles.

Publication Policy

Submission and tracking of manuscripts, in either Turkish or English, must be carried out through the journal's DergiPark page.

Before proceeding to peer review, all submissions to the Ankara University Journal of Real Estate Studies (AU-JRES) undergo a preliminary evaluation to ensure:

• Compliance with the journal’s formatting and submission guidelines

• A plagiarism report generated via intihal.net, excluding “direct quotations, overlapping parts with fewer than 5 words, and references”; the total similarity index must be below 10%, and no more than 5% similarity with any single source

• Relevance to the journal’s scope

The editorial team reserves the right to reject manuscripts prior to peer review if the manuscript does not meet the journal’s ethical, editorial, or formatting standards, falls outside the scope, or requires substantial improvement. Authors will be notified of such decisions within 7 days.

If the manuscript passes this initial check and aligns with the publication criteria, it will be sent to two independent reviewers under a double-blind peer review system within 15 days. During the review process, the identities of both authors and reviewers remain anonymous. Reviewers are expected to submit their evaluations in the form of a report within 30 days. In case of conflicting reviews, a third reviewer will be consulted. Based on the feedback, the manuscript may be: Accepted, Rejected, or Returned to the author(s) for revision. If revision is required, authors are given a maximum of one month to submit a revised version that addresses the reviewers’ comments. This revision process may repeat until the manuscript receives a final acceptance or rejection decision. After receiving positive recommendations from at least two reviewers, the Editorial Board determines the issue in which the article will be published. Regardless of reviewer recommendations, the final decision to publish lies solely with the Editorial Board.