Journal of Planning, Architecture and Design (JPAD) Publication Ethics Guidelines
The Journal of Planning, Architecture and Design (JPAD) adheres to the ethical principles and standards recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and ensures that these principles are observed by all parties involved in the publication process (authors, editors, and reviewers). Below are the ethical responsibilities outlined for authors, editors, and reviewers:

Authors' Ethical Responsibilities
- Authors must avoid actions violating research ethics, such as plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, salami slicing, and honorary authorship, as outlined in the Higher Education Institutions' Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics.
- Copyrights for ideas and artistic works must be respected. Appropriate permissions must be obtained for visual materials when necessary.
- All sources used in the article must be properly cited, following the journal's writing guidelines.
- Submissions should not have been previously published or be under review elsewhere.
- If the article is derived from a thesis or project, this must be explicitly stated at the end of the study.
- Data from the sources used in the study must be interpreted objectively.
- Authors must notify the editor or publisher if they identify an error in their work during the review or publication process and request correction or retraction.
- For research requiring ethics committee approval, authors must ensure that necessary approvals and consents from participants are obtained and referenced in the article.
- In multi-author articles, the author list and order should be finalized at the time of submission. All individuals who contributed significantly to the study's design, execution, or interpretation must be listed as co-authors. Changes to the author list or order after submission require written approval from all authors and are subject to the editor's review.
- Individuals who did not contribute to the study should not be listed as authors, and all listed authors must be knowledgeable about the submitted work.

Editors' Ethical Responsibilities
- Editors must strive to meet the information needs of readers and authors, improve the journal, and enhance the quality and content of published works.
- Editors should support authors' freedom of thought and protect intellectual property rights.
- They are responsible for ensuring that published content complies with journal policies and does not violate human or animal rights, with all necessary ethical approvals obtained.
- Editors must maintain current and accessible information about the journal's editorial policies, peer review processes, and submission guidelines.
- Rejected articles during the preliminary review must be accompanied by a clear explanation to the author.
- Editors must select reviewers based on their expertise and ensure no conflicts of interest arise during the review process.
- Double-blind peer review must be maintained, ensuring the confidentiality of authors' and reviewers' identities.
- Editors should regularly update the reviewer database based on expertise areas and aim to broaden the reviewer pool.
- Editorial board members should be selected based on their active contribution to the journal's development, and regular meetings should be held to discuss journal matters.
- Records of each article and related correspondence should be stored electronically for future reference.

Reviewers' Ethical Responsibilities
- Reviewers should only accept manuscripts related to their area of expertise for evaluation.
- They must decline to review if they suspect any conflict of interest and promptly inform the editors.
- Reviewers should provide constructive and academically appropriate feedback, avoiding offensive or subjective comments.
- Reviewers must respond to review invitations promptly and complete evaluations within the specified timeframe.
- Confidentiality must be upheld, and reviewers must not share or disclose information about the manuscript until its publication.