Publication Ethics Principles

Publication ethics can be defined as a self-regulation mechanism that insists on integrity on the part of authors, reviewers, and publishers in order to establish higher standards of editorial practice. Ethical standards in publishing exist to ensure high-quality scientific publications, to maintain public confidence in scientific findings, and to give proper credit to people’s ideas.

Honest researchers:

     - Do not commit plagiarism.

    - Do not misrepresent sources.

    - Do not conceal objections they cannot refute.

    - Do not distort opposing views.

    - Do not destroy or hide data.

Peer-reviewed studies are works that support and implement the scientific method. At this point, it is of great importance that all parties involved in the publication process (authors, readers and researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) adhere to ethical principles. Hitit Journal of Social Sciences [e-ISSN 2757-7449] is committed to both national and international standards regarding research and publication ethics. It complies with the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive. The journal has also adopted the International Principles of Ethical Publishing issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). In addition, it undertakes to comply with the decisions of the Turkish Editors’ Workshop.

-  Press Law (National Legislation)

-  Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)

-  Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions (National Legislation)

-  Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (International Criteria)

-  Decisions of the Turkish Editors’ Workshop (National Criteria)

The publication processes applied in the Hitit Journal of Social Sciences form the basis for the impartial and reputable development and dissemination of knowledge. Accordingly, the processes implemented are directly reflected in the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed studies embody and reinforce the scientific method. At this point, it is essential that all stakeholders in the process (authors, readers and researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) comply with the standards of ethical principles. Within the scope of publication ethics, the Hitit Journal of Social Sciences expects all stakeholders to assume the following ethical responsibilities:

The ethical duties and responsibilities outlined below have been prepared in consideration of the guidelines and policies published as open access by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (see: COPE Guidelines, COPE Flowcharts – Turkish). If cases such as data manipulation, falsification, or the use of fabricated data in manuscripts are detected, this situation will be formally reported to the author’s affiliated institution, and the manuscript will be rejected. The Hitit Journal of Social Sciences reserves the right to request output files related to analysis results from authors, based on the feedback provided by editors and/or reviewers. If the manuscript prepared for publication is derived from a book chapter, an unpublished conference paper, or a master’s or doctoral thesis, this must be explicitly stated on the first page of the article.
- For articles derived from conference papers to be considered for review, the author must submit the article together with a signed statement declaring: “My work has not been published previously and will not be published elsewhere.” Since duplication/re-publication/scientific misconduct/multiple publication constitutes an ethical violation, such a commitment is required. According to the TÜBİTAK Publication Ethics Committee, duplicate publication refers to the submission or publication of the same research results in more than one journal. If an article has already been reviewed and published, any subsequent publication of the same work is considered duplicate publication.

Duplicate Publication

Duplicate publication refers to the publication of the same article, or substantially similar articles, in more than one journal. The editor will return such manuscripts without review. Following this, the editor may impose an embargo on the author who attempted duplicate publication, make a public announcement in the author’s previously publishing journal (possibly in coordination with the editor of that journal), or apply all of these measures simultaneously.

Simultaneous Submission

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time. If the editor becomes aware of a possible simultaneous submission, they reserve the right to consult with the editor(s) of the other journal(s) involved. The editor may also return the manuscript without review, reject it without considering the reviews, or make a joint decision with the other editor(s) concerned. Furthermore, the editor may decide not to accept manuscript submissions from the author(s) for a certain period, may inform the authors’ employers, or may implement all of these measures together.

Plagiarism Check and Prevention

Presenting the ideas, methods, data, practices, writings, figures, or works of others as one’s own—whether in part or in full—without proper scientific attribution constitutes plagiarism. The Hitit Journal of Social Sciences screens all submitted manuscripts to prevent plagiarism. Submitted works are checked using the iThenticate software. The similarity index is expected to be below 20%. However, the essential criterion is the author’s compliance with citation and quotation rules. Even if the similarity index appears as low as 1%, failure to cite and quote properly may still constitute plagiarism. For this reason, authors must be familiar with and carefully apply the rules of citation and quotation. Plagiarism, duplication, false authorship/denied authorship, research/data fabrication, salami publication, segmented publication, copyright infringement, and concealment of conflicts of interest are considered unethical practices. Any manuscripts that do not comply with accepted ethical standards will be withdrawn from publication, including those in which irregularities are detected after publication.

Fabrication and Falsification

Fabrication refers to producing data that are not based on actual research, presenting or publishing a work by basing it on false data, or reporting a study that was never conducted as if it had been carried out. Falsification involves manipulating research records and obtained data, presenting methods, devices, and materials that were not actually used in the research as if they were, excluding data that do not fit the research hypothesis, altering data and/or results to align them with certain theories or assumptions, or distorting and shaping research findings in line with the interests of supporting individuals or institutions.

Protection of Personal Data of Participants

The Hitit Journal of Social Sciences requires that all research involving personal or sensitive data or materials related to human participants, which are not legally available to the public, be subject to formal ethical review.

- Handling Allegations of Research Misconduct

The Hitit Journal of Social Sciences adheres to COPE’s Ethical Toolkit for Successful Editorial Practice. Editors of the journal will take measures to prevent the publication of articles in which plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, or other research misconduct is identified. Under no circumstances will the editors knowingly allow such misconduct to occur. If the editors become aware of any allegations of research misconduct in an article published in the journal, they will follow COPE guidelines in dealing with such allegations.