The Journal of Social Sciences Research

General Information on Author Guidelines
In article submissions, it is mandatory to use the official Word template file provided by the journal.
Authors should not create a new and blank Word document to prepare their manuscripts from scratch.
Instead, the manuscript must be completed directly within the provided template.

All writing and formatting rules (font type, paragraph structure, heading format, page layout, reference style, etc.) are predefined and exemplified within the template file.
Therefore, detailed author guidelines are not separately provided on this page.

Authors are expected to prepare their manuscripts by preserving the structural integrity of the template and working exclusively within this file.

🔗 You can access the template file here:
👉 Social Sciences Research Journal Template File

Points to Consider When Submitting a Manuscript
To ensure that the manuscript complies with the journal’s writing guidelines, please observe the following points:

The manuscript must be prepared directly on the template file. A new document should not be created.

The quick styles in the template (title, abstract, main text, references, etc.) must be used exactly as provided. Manual formatting should not be applied.

Font type, font size, and line spacing settings must not be altered.

The reference list must comply with the APA citation style as formatted in the template.

Common Issues in Files Not Prepared Using the Template:
✔️ Disruptions in heading structure
✔️ Use of different font types
✔️ Inconsistencies in references and in-text citation style
✔️ Page layout distortions
✔️ These issues are considered grounds for editorial rejection.

Headings and New Subsections
Authors may add new headings and subheadings where necessary, provided they are relevant to the manuscript content.
However, all headings must be formatted using the predefined heading styles in the template.
Free formatting or manually applied styles may lead to technical incompatibilities.

Implementation Suggestion
📌 Download the template file and save it on your computer using the “Save As” option.
📌 Then, complete your manuscript within that file.
📌 This ensures full compliance with the formatting rules and facilitates a systematic evaluation process.

Journal Publishing Policy

a) The Journal of Social Sciences Research is published on the ULAKBIM Journal platform with the status of "Refereed Journal". The journal is published twice (June and December) per year in electronic form.
b) The journal publishes original Turkish and English studies in pre-mentioned disciplines of social sciences.
c) Manuscripts sent to the journal are directed to the relevant field editor after the editor and assistant editor review. And upon the approval of the field editor, the manuscript will go through a double-blind peer-review process.
d) No fee is charged for the articles, book reviews, etc. published in the Journal of Social Sciences Research and also the journal does not pay any fees to authors.
e) Research should be prepared in accordance with ethical rules and citations in the manuscript should be indicated. The upper limit of acceptable similarity rate is %20 as of the June 2021 issue.
f) The arguments expressed in the published manuscripts do not represent the views of the journal, and it is the responsibility of the author(s).
Copyright
a) Authors are obliged to fill and send a "Copyright Agreement Form" for the manuscripts sent to the journal.

Publication Ethics

The publication process of the Journal of Social Sciences Research is based on the unbiased production, improvement, and sharing of information by using scientific methods.
The publication ethics and open access policy of the Journal of Social Sciences Research require that all stakeholders of the publication process comply with the ethical principles in line with the guidelines and policies (For example, "Publication Ethics Committee (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors;" Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors "and" COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors") published by the Publication Ethics Committee (Committee on Publication Ethics, COPE) on open access.
If such situations as manipulating and distorting the data used in the articles and using make-up data are detected, this situation will be officially reported to the institutions of the author(s) and the manuscript will be rejected.
The journal has the right to request the output files of the analysis results from the authors according to the feedback given by the editors and / or referees.
Publisher's Ethical Responsibilities
The Journal of Social Sciences Research is in the public interest and non-profit. The editorial board of the journal consists of a chief editor, an assistant editor, and field editors. A new member is appointed to replace the leaving member. According to the subject of the manuscript, when necessary, the editor may send manuscripts to faculty members who are not members of the editorial board and who have at least a PhD degree to be reviewed as field editors.

The Responsibilities of the Journal Editorial Board
The editorial board is responsible for every manuscript submitted to the journal, and the editorial board is aware of this responsibility.
The editorial board strives to continuously improve the journal and increase its publication quality.
The editorial board ensures that such journal policies as publication, blind review, review process, and ethical principles are determined and implemented.
The editorial board is responsible for taking measures regarding intellectual property rights, unscientific-unethical behaviors, plagiarism during the publishing process of manuscripts and journals.
The editorial board carries out the responsibility of appointing an expert referee for the manuscripts sent to the journal.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editorial Board
While deciding on the publication of manuscripts, editors consider that the manuscripts are original and contribute to the scientific literature.
When editors give decisions about the manuscripts, they take into account the original value of the manuscripts, their contribution to the field, the validity and reliability of the research method, the clarity of the language, and the purpose and scope of the journal
Editors implement the policies of blind review and review process, which are among the publishing policies of the journal, keep the identity information of the referees confidential, and ensure that each manuscript is reviewed objectively and in time.
Editors send the manuscripts by taking into account the field of expertise of the editors and referees, and they support the impartial and independent review.
Editors pay attention to unbiased review of the manuscript. Editors strive to ensure the diversity of the referee committee and the constant change of the committee.
Editors ensure the protection of personal data in reviewed manuscripts. Editors pay attention to the protection of human rights in the manuscripts and care about documenting the explicit consent of the participants of the manuscripts. They reject the manuscripts when the authors do not have the approval of the ethics committee related with the participants of the manuscripts.
Editors take precautions against misconduct. When there are complaints about misconduct, they make an objective investigation and shares the findings on the complaints.
Editors take into account the consistent criticism of the manuscripts published in the journal, and give the right to reply to the author(s) for the criticism.
Editors examine the complaints submitted to the journal and make the necessary explanations.

Ethical Responsibilities of Referees
In the process of reviewing the manuscripts, the two-way blind refereeing principle is applied. Referees cannot communicate directly with the authors. The manuscript review forms, and the notes specified on the manuscript and requests for correction are conveyed to the author(s) by the editors through the journal management system. Referees who will review the manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Social Sciences Research Journal should bear the following ethical responsibilities:
Referees should only accept manuscripts related to their field of expertise.
Referees should notice neutrality and confidentiality of review process.
In case of a conflict of interest, referees should refuse to review the manuscripts and inform the editors.
Referees should review the manuscripts in a constructive language in accordance with academic ethic principles and avoid personal comments containing insults and hostility.
The referees should review the manuscripts, which they have accepted, within the time limit.
The referees should give detailed reasons for acceptance or refusal.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Author(s) should not send the manuscript that they have published elsewhere or sent to be published elsewhere.
The manuscript sent by the author(s) should be distinctive.
Author(s) should refer (cite) to the sources of the manuscript in line with ethical principles.
The names of people who do not contribute to the manuscript should not be mentioned as authors. It should not be suggested to change the order of the authors and to remove or add authors for the manuscript submitted for publication,
If information or data about the manuscript is requested from the author(s) during the review process, author(s) should provide the expected information to the editors.
The author(s) should provide the approval of the ethics committee for the research that requires quantitative or qualitative data collection methods such as experiments, questionnaires, scales, interviews, observations, and focus group studies. The document indicating the ethics committee decision should be uploaded to the system with the application of the manuscript.

Notification of the Editor for the Unethical Cases
In case of encountering an unethical case regarding editors, referees and authors or the manuscript in an early view or in review process that does not comply with ethical principles, it should be reported to sbad@gop.edu.tr e-mail address.
Obtaining Legal / Private Ethical Committee Approval
The articles related to the Principles of Ethics in the previous years in the EXPLANATION and DISCLOSURE Criteria for the TR Index Principles of Ethics were detailed with explanations in 2020 and the issue of “including information about permission in the manuscript” was added to the criteria by assuming permission was obtained for studies requiring ethics committee approval in the field of research.
The researches that require ethical committee approval are as follows, and the forementioned permission must be obtained for the publication of such studies;
1) All kinds of research conducted with qualitative or quantitative approaches that require data collection from participants using questionnaire, interview, focus group study, observation, experiment, and interview techniques
2) Use of humans and animals (including material / data) for experimental or other scientific purposes,
3) Clinical researches on humans,
4) Research on animals,
5) Retrospective studies in accordance with the law on the protection of personal data