Journal of Innovations in Civil Engineering and Technology (JICIVILTECH) is an independent, international, double-blind peer-reviewed, and open-access journal published by Prof. Dr. Hüseyin AKBULUT. The journal is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards, following the guidelines and core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the YOK (Republic of Turkiye Council of Higher Education) Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive.

1. Peer Review and Editorial Principles

·        Double-Blind System: All manuscripts are evaluated anonymously. Neither authors nor reviewers are aware of each other's identities.

·        Independent Evaluation: Each manuscript is reviewed by a minimum of two (2) independent national or international reviewers with expertise in the relevant field.

·        Review Timeline: Reviewers are expected to complete evaluations within 4–16 weeks. Authors must complete requested revisions within 15 days.

·        Final Authority: The Editor-in-Chief holds the final authority and responsibility for the acceptance or rejection of all submissions based on editorial quality and reviewers' reports.

·        Editorial Integrity: The Editorial Board is committed to publishing corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies whenever needed, following the COPE guidelines for journal editors.

2. Scientific Research and Publication Ethics

JICIVILTECH strictly prohibits any form of publication malpractice and ethical violations. Responsibilities are defined as follows:

·        Plagiarism & Similarity Limits: Presenting others' ideas, methods, or data as one's own without proper attribution is strictly prohibited. All submitted articles are screened for similarity using professional detection software (such as iThenticate or Turnitin) before the peer-review process. The general similarity index must not exceed 25%, and the individual similarity from a single source must not exceed 5% (excluding references). If these limits are exceeded, the author will be requested to revise the text or the manuscript will be rejected immediately.

·        Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work upon submission. Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other close relationships with any of the authors or institutions.

·        Research Ethics and Approvals: For studies involving human participants, surveys, interviews, or clinical/experimental data, authors must state that the research received ethical approval from an institutional review board or an ethics committee. Proper documentation and informed consent must be provided upon request.

·        Fraud & Fabrication: Producing, reporting, or manipulating data not based on actual research or falsifying results is a severe violation and results in an immediate ban from the journal.

·        Slicing (Least Publishable Unit): Dividing a single research project into multiple parts to increase publication counts is unacceptable and will be treated as an ethical breach.

·        Unfair Authorship: Including individuals who did not contribute significantly to the intellectual work, or excluding active contributors, is strictly prohibited. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript.

3. Open Access, Copyright, and Fees

·        No Fees (APC): JICIVILTECH does not charge any submission, editorial processing, or publication fees. It is a completely free-of-charge diamond open-access journal.

·        Copyright: Authors retain the copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of first publication under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, allowing others to share and adapt the work with proper attribution.

4. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

In alignment with modern transparency standards in scientific writing:

·        Declaration: The use of Generative AI (GenAI) tools for language editing, proofreading, or technical assistance must be clearly disclosed by the authors in the 'Declarations' section of the manuscript.

·        Authorship: AI tools, chatbots, or large language models cannot be listed as an author or co-author under any circumstances, as they cannot hold legal accountability.

·        Reviewers: The use of AI tools by reviewers during the evaluation and peer-review process of manuscripts is strictly prohibited to protect confidentiality and intellectual property.

5. Publisher’s Ethical Responsibilities

·        Editorial Independence: The Publisher guarantees that the evaluation and publication processes of JICIVILTECH are conducted with absolute editorial independence. The Publisher shall not interfere with, influence, or alter the editorial decisions made by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board regarding any manuscript.

·        Non-Profit and Public Interest: The Publisher operates JICIVILTECH as a non-profit scholarly platform dedicated to the public interest, aiming to foster the global development and dissemination of scientific knowledge in civil engineering and technology.

·        Ethical Alignment: The Publisher is committed to working with the Editorial Board to ensure that the journal aligns with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Council of Higher Education (YOK) Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive.

·        Archiving and Access: The Publisher ensures the permanent preservation, availability, and open access of all published articles under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, securing the digital record against loss or alteration.

·        Handling Misconduct: In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent data, or plagiarism, the Publisher shall collaborate with the Editorial Board to take all necessary measures, including the prompt publication of errata, clarifications, or formal retractions. Anyone who suspects scientific misconduct or wishes to appeal an editorial decision can submit a formal complaint directly to the Editor-in-Chief via j.iciviltech@gmail.com. All complaints will be thoroughly investigated and resolved within 30 days in full accordance with COPE guidelines.