Ethical Framework

The International Journal of Turkish Education Sciences (IJTES) conducts all editorial and publication processes in accordance with the principles of research integrity, transparency, and responsible publishing. IJTES follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for handling submissions, peer review, allegations of misconduct, authorship disputes, and post-publication actions. This policy applies to all submissions, accepted manuscripts, editorial evaluations, and interactions between authors, editors, and reviewers. When the journal encounters an issue not explicitly addressed in this document, COPE flowcharts and best practices guide the decision-making process.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to uphold the highest academic and ethical standards throughout the research and publication process.

Research Reporting Standards

Authors must present their research accurately, clearly, and transparently. The manuscript should include sufficient methodological detail to allow replication and demonstrate appropriate rigor. Data, analyses, and interpretations must reflect actual findings without manipulation or selective reporting.

Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not contain plagiarized content, self-plagiarized text, or improperly cited material. Overlap with the authors’ previous work is permitted only when properly referenced. Manuscripts detected with significant or unexplained similarity may be rejected during any stage.

Duplicate and Concurrent Publication

Manuscripts under review elsewhere or previously published are not accepted. Submissions derived from theses or presented as conference papers are allowed only if substantially revised, expanded, and transparently disclosed on the Title Page.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must reflect meaningful scholarly contributions, consistent with the CRediT taxonomy. All authors must approve the final manuscript. Individuals who contribute to the study but do not meet authorship criteria must be acknowledged. Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after the review process begins are considered only in exceptional, justified cases.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts—financial, institutional, or personal—that could influence the research or interpretation of findings. When no conflicts exist, a statement declaring so must be included.

Ethics Approval

For studies involving human participants or sensitive educational data, ethics approval from a recognized committee is mandatory. The ethics committee name, approval date, and approval number must appear on the Title Page and, in anonymized form, within the manuscript. Authors must provide supporting documentation during submission.

Maintaining Double-Blind Review

Authors must ensure full anonymization of the manuscript, including by:

• removing names, affiliations, or acknowledgments
• citing their own work neutrally
• avoiding institution-specific identifiers
• cleaning metadata that may reveal authorship

Failure to maintain anonymity may result in return or rejection.

Data Management and Availability

Authors must manage research data responsibly, ensure participant confidentiality, and maintain data for at least five years after publication. A Data Availability Statement is required for every manuscript and must indicate whether data are openly accessible, available upon reasonable request, restricted, or not applicable. When ethically possible, authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in reputable repositories.

Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools

AI tools may assist with language editing, formatting, or coding support, but may not generate or alter scientific content, interpretations, results, or references. AI models must not be credited as authors. All AI use must be disclosed on the Title Page. Undisclosed or inappropriate AI use may lead to rejection or post-publication action.

Error Correction

If authors discover an error in a submitted or published manuscript, they must promptly notify the editor and cooperate with correction or retraction procedures in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, transparent, and ethical publication process.

Fair Evaluation

Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigor, and relevance of the manuscript. Editors do not discriminate based on authors’ identity, institutional affiliation, nationality, or personal characteristics.

Oversight of Peer Review

Editors select qualified, independent reviewers with appropriate expertise. They ensure that reviews are conducted in a timely, constructive, and unbiased manner. Editors are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the double-blind review process.

Conflicts of Interest

Editors must declare conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when appropriate. Manuscripts authored by individuals affiliated with the editorial board are handled by independent editors.

Confidentiality and Use of Information

Editors must protect the confidentiality of submissions and must not use unpublished data or ideas for personal research or benefit.

Handling Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by providing evidence-based justification. Editors may uphold the decision, seek additional reviews, or reopen evaluation. Appeals are handled transparently and respectfully.

Responding to Ethical Concerns

Editors evaluate allegations of plagiarism, unethical research practices, data manipulation, or authorship disputes. Investigations follow COPE procedures and may result in rejection, correction, retraction, or institutional notification.

Corrections and Retractions

If significant errors are identified in published work, editors initiate corrections, retractions, or notices of concern in accordance with COPE standards.

Citation Ethics

Editors must not request citations for the purpose of manipulating journal metrics or increasing citation counts.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a critical role in ensuring the scholarly quality of publications.

Objectivity and Constructiveness

Reviews must be impartial, respectful, and focused on improving the manuscript’s academic quality. Personal criticism is not acceptable.

Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents. They may not share, discuss, or use manuscript content for personal advantage.

Competence and Timeliness

Reviewers should accept assignments only if they have the required expertise and can complete the review within the expected timeframe.

Identifying Issues

Reviewers should inform editors of:

• missing citations,
• substantial similarity with other works,
• concerns about methodology or ethics,
• undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Maintaining Double-Blind Review

Reviewers should not attempt to identify authors. If author identity becomes apparent, they must notify the editor.

AI Use by Reviewers

Reviewers must not upload manuscripts to AI systems. Confidential content must remain protected at all times.

Conflicts of Interest Policy

All stakeholders must disclose conflicts that might affect judgment or impartiality. Undisclosed conflicts may lead to withdrawal of manuscripts or post-publication action.

Handling Research Misconduct

Cases of plagiarism, duplication, data falsification, fabricated reviews, authorship manipulation, citation manipulation, or unethical research are handled according to COPE flowcharts. Sanctions may include:

• desk rejection
• removal from review
• retraction
• notification of institutions or funding bodies

Misconduct in a published article results in formal correction or retraction.

Assignment to Associate Editor

An Associate Editor manages the review and makes the final decision after considering reviewer reports.