Publication Ethics Principles
Publication ethics can be defined as a self-regulatory mechanism that insists on honesty on behalf of authors, reviewers, and publishers to establish higher editorial processing standards. Ethical standards for publication exist to ensure high-quality scientific publications, public trust in scientific findings, and respect for people's ideas.
• Honest researchers do not engage in plagiarism.
• They do not misrepresent sources.
• They do not conceal objections that cannot be refuted.
• They do not distort opposing views.
• They do not destroy or conceal data.

Peer-reviewed studies support and implement the scientific method. Therefore, adherence to ethical principles by all parties involved in the publication process (authors, readers and researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) is crucial. The International Journal of Mardin Studies adheres to national and international standards in research and publication ethics. It complies with the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Regulation on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions. The International Journal of Mardin Studies has adopted the International Ethical Publishing Principles published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). It also commits to the decisions of the Turkish Editors Workshop.
• Press Law (National Legislation)
• Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)
• Regulation on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions (National Legislation)
• Transparency and Best Practices in Academic Publishing (International Criteria)
• Decisions of the Turkish Editors Workshop (National Criteria)

Duplicate Publication
Duplicate publication is the publication of the same article or substantially similar articles in multiple journals. The editor will return such articles without review. Subsequently, the editor may impose an embargo on the author attempting to publish again, disclose this to the public (perhaps as a simultaneous announcement with the editor of the previous publication), or implement these measures together.

Simultaneous Submission of the Same Work to Multiple Journals
Authors cannot submit the same article to multiple journals simultaneously. If the editor learns of a potential simultaneous submission, they reserve the right to consult the other editor(s) who received the article. Additionally, the editor may return the article without review or reject it without considering the reviews, or make this decision in consultation with other relevant editor(s), and decide not to accept article submissions from the authors for a certain period. They may also contact the authors' employers or implement these measures together.

Control for Plagiarism Prevention
Presenting partially or completely someone else's ideas, methods, data, practices, writings, figures, or works as one's own without proper citation according to scientific rules is considered plagiarism.
The International Journal of Mardin Studies scans all submitted articles for plagiarism prevention. In the submitted studies, plagiarism is checked using Turnitin & İthenticate software. A similarity rate of less than 20% is expected. The primary measure of similarity is the author's compliance with citation and quoting rules. Even if the similarity rate is 1%, if proper citation and quoting are not followed, plagiarism may still be an issue. Therefore, authors should be familiar with and carefully adhere to citation and quoting rules.
Plagiarism, duplication, fake authorship/disclaimed authorship, research/data fabrication, article slicing, slicing for publication, copyright infringement, and concealing conflicts of interest are considered unethical behavior. All articles that do not comply with accepted ethical standards will be removed from publication. This includes articles found to contain possible irregularities or inappropriate content after publication.

Falsification
Generating data not based on research, editing or altering presented or published work based on unreal data, reporting or publishing them, presenting a study that has not been conducted as if it were conducted.
Falsifying research records and obtained data, using methods, devices, and materials not used in the research, not considering data that do not fit the research hypothesis, playing with data and/or results to adapt them to relevant theory or assumptions, distorting or shaping research results in line with the interests of supported individuals and organizations.

Protection of Participants' Personal Data
The International Journal of Mardin Studies requires all research involving non-publicly available personal or sensitive data or materials concerning human participants to be subject to official ethical review.
Addressing Allegations of Research Misconduct
The International Journal of Mardin Studies adheres to COPE's Ethical Tools Set for Successful Editorial Offices. Editors of the International Journal of Mardin Studies will take measures to prevent the publication of articles where plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, and other research misconduct occur. Under no circumstances will the editors of the International Journal of Mardin Studies knowingly allow such misconduct to occur. If the editors of the International Journal of Mardin Studies become aware of any allegations of research misconduct concerning an article published in their journal, they will follow COPE's guidelines regarding these allegations.

Reporting Ethical Violations
Readers can report any significant errors or inaccuracies in an article published in the International Journal of Mardin Studies or any complaints regarding editorial content (plagiarism, duplicate articles, etc.) by sending an email to ijms@artuklu.edu.tr. We welcome such reports as they provide an opportunity for improvement and will respond promptly and constructively.

Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern
Editors may consider publishing a correction if minor errors are found in the published article that do not affect the findings, interpretations, and conclusions. When significant errors/violations that invalidate the findings and conclusions are identified, editors should consider retracting the article. If there is a possibility of research or publication misconduct by the authors; if there is evidence that the findings are unreliable and the authors' institutions have not investigated the matter, or if the possible investigation appears unfair or inconclusive, editors should consider publishing an expression of concern. COPE and ICJME guidelines are considered regarding correction, retraction, or expression of concern.

Publication of Studies Based on Surveys and Interviews
The International Journal of Mardin Studies adopts the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) "Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" and "Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers" to create ethical assurance in scientific periodical publishing. In this context, the following points should be adhered to in the studies submitted to the journal:
1) For research in all scientific fields requiring ethical board approval (approval must be obtained, this approval should be mentioned and documented in the article).
2) In studies requiring ethical board approval, information about the approval (committee name, date, and number) should be included in the methodology section, and also information about obtaining informed voluntary consent should be included in the first/last pages of the article for case presentations.

Special Issue Publication Policy
Upon request of the Editorial Board, a special issue may be published once a year. Articles submitted for inclusion in the special issue undergo initial editorial review. They are then examined for compliance with the journal's writing standards and undergo similarity scanning to prevent plagiarism. After these stages, they are subjected to peer review using the double-blind peer review model.

Editorial Confidentiality Obligation
The editors of the International Journal of Mardin Studies treat all submitted articles as confidential documents; this means they will not disclose information about a paper without the authors' permission. During the article review process, only the following individuals may have access to the articles: Editors, Reviewers, Editorial Board Members. The only circumstance under which details of a paper may be communicated to a third party without the authors' permission is if the editor suspects serious research misconduct.

Handling Allegations of Scientific Misconduct
There are various definitions of scientific misconduct. While following guidance provided by major publication ethics institutions, the International Journal of Mardin Studies addresses these issues on a case-by-case basis. If the editor suspects or receives an allegation of misconduct, they are obligated to take action. This duty applies to both published and unpublished articles. Editors should not simply reject articles that raise concerns about possible misconduct. They are obliged to pursue cases alleged to be ethical violations. Editors should follow COPE flowcharts when appropriate. Editors should first request a response from individuals suspected of misconduct. If they are not satisfied with the response, they should request an investigation from the relevant employer or institution. Editors should make every reasonable effort to ensure that an appropriate investigation is conducted into alleged misconduct; if this is not the case, they should make every reasonable effort to insist on finding a solution to the problem. This is a laborious but important task.
The International Journal of Mardin Studies adheres to COPE's Ethical Tools Set for Successful Editorial Offices. Editors of the International Journal of Mardin Studies will take measures to prevent the publication of articles where plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, and other research misconduct occur. Under no circumstances will the International Journal of Mardin Studies or its editors knowingly allow such misconduct to occur. If the editors of the International Journal of Mardin Studies become aware of any allegations of research misconduct concerning an article published in their journal, they will follow COPE guidelines regarding these allegations.
Reviewers should inform the Editor when they suspect research or publication misconduct. The Editor is responsible for taking necessary actions following COPE recommendations.
When the International Journal of Mardin Studies encounters allegations of misconduct on the following or similar topics, it commits to applying COPE flowcharts.
• Actions to be taken when suspicion of re-publication arises
• Actions to be taken when suspicion of plagiarism arises
• Actions to be taken when suspicion of data fabrication arises
• Actions to be taken when requests for authorship changes arise
• Actions to be taken when suspicion of undisclosed conflict of interest arises
• Actions to be taken when suspicion of unfair or gift authorship arises
• Actions to be taken when suspicion of ethical problems in an article arises
• Actions to be taken when suspicion of ethical violation is reported directly via email, etc.
• Actions to be taken when suspicion of ethical violation is announced via social media

Complaints Procedure
This procedure applies to complaints about content, procedures, or policies under the responsibility of the International Journal of Mardin Studies or our editorial team. Complaints can provide an opportunity and incentive for improvement, and we aim to respond quickly, courteously, and constructively.
Complaints must relate to content, procedures, or policies under the responsibility of the International Journal of Mardin Studies or our editorial team. Complaints should be sent via email directly to ijms@artuklu.edu.tr and will be treated confidentially. The Editor responds to complaints immediately. The Editor reviews complaints following the procedure outlined by COPE.
If the initial response is deemed inadequate, the complainant may request that the complaint be forwarded to a more senior member of the journal.
If the complainant is not satisfied, complaints may be directed to the head editor.
A complete response will be provided within two weeks if possible.
COPE publishes a practice code for editors of scientific journals. This will facilitate the resolution of disputes with journals and publishers, but reference can only be made here after the journal's own complaint procedures have been exhausted.

Appeals Process
We welcome serious objections regarding evaluations made by editors and reviewers. If you believe that your article was rejected because we misunderstood its scientific content, please send an appeal message to our editorial team at ijms@artuklu.edu.tr. At this stage, please refrain from attempting to submit a revised version of your manuscript. If, after reading your appeal letter, we find that your objection is justified, we may invite you to submit a revised version of your manuscript, and your work will be reconsidered through the external peer review process. Please provide as much detail as possible in your appeal letter. Lastly, we can only consider one appeal per manuscript, so please take the time and effort to clearly articulate your objection - you have one chance, so make it count. We have found that prolonged deliberation over rejected manuscripts is generally unsatisfactory for both authors and editors, so we do not entertain multiple appeals for the same submission.

Conflicts of Interest
Conflict of interest arises when professional judgment regarding a primary interest can be influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain or personal competition). We believe that it is important for us to know about competing interests of authors in order to make the best decision regarding how to handle a manuscript, and if we publish it, readers should also be aware of them.
Conflict of interest refers to any financial or other interests that could lead to a person being in a position where their objectivity is significantly compromised or could provide an unfair advantage to any individual or organization. All sources of financial support and the role of sponsors in conducting the research and preparing the manuscript must be disclosed. If there is no source of funding, this should also be indicated. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that should be disclosed include consultancies, salary payments, grants. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed as early as possible.

Research Ethics Principles
The International Journal of Mardin Studies upholds the highest standards of research ethics and adopts the following international research ethics principles. The ethical compliance of articles is the responsibility of the authors.
• Integrity, quality, and transparency principles should be ensured in the design, review, and execution of the research.
• The research team and participants should be fully informed about the purpose of the research, methods, and anticipated uses; the requirements for participation in the research, and any risks involved.
• Confidentiality of the information provided by research participants and the privacy of respondents should be ensured. Research should be designed to preserve the autonomy and dignity of participants.
• Research participants should participate voluntarily in the research and should not be under any coercion.
• Avoidance of harm to participants should be ensured. Research should be planned to avoid putting participants at risk.
• Clear and explicit disclosure should be made regarding research independence; any conflicts of interest should be stated.
• In experimental studies involving human subjects, written informed consent should be obtained from participants who decide to participate in the research. Consent from the legal guardian should be obtained for children and wards or those with certified mental illness.
• If the study will be conducted in any institution or organization, approval should be obtained from that institution or organization.
• In studies involving human subjects, the "methods" section should indicate that "informed consent" was obtained from the participants and that ethical approval was obtained from the institution where the study was conducted.