General Statement
Samsun Health Sciences Journal adheres to the ethical principles and standards set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Articles submitted to the journal must not have been previously published or under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Author Responsibilities
Authors submitting to the Samsun Health Sciences Journal must comply with the following ethical responsibilities:
- Submitted work must be original. If other works are referenced or used, proper and complete citations must be provided.
- Individuals who have not intellectually contributed to the content should not be listed as authors.
- Any potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
- Authors must be ready to submit raw data if requested by the editorial or scientific board.
- Articles must comply with national and international ethical principles and publication policies. Permission must be obtained and declared for any copyrighted tools or scales used.
- Studies involving "humans" must comply with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. In such cases, the method section should include a statement regarding ethical approval and informed consent.
- If "animals" are involved, authors must state that the principles of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals were followed and ethical approval obtained.
- For case reports, informed consent must be obtained regardless of anonymity, and confidentiality must be ensured.
- If the manuscript involves commercial products or financial support, the nature of the relationship must be disclosed.
- If ethical approval is required, it must be declared with date and reference number in the method section.
- Authors must include a statement of compliance with research and publication ethics.
- Authors should possess necessary permissions for data usage and participant consent documentation.
- If an error or inaccuracy is discovered in the published or submitted article, the editor must be informed, and cooperation must be provided for corrections or retractions.
- Simultaneous submission to more than one journal is not permitted. Previously published articles cannot be submitted.
- Author changes (additions, removals, or order changes) are not allowed after the review process has started.
Editor Responsibilities
Editors are accountable for every published article in accordance with the COPE Code of Conduct. Responsibilities include:
- Making independent decisions solely based on public interest.
- Ensuring editorial independence from the publisher or external entities.
- Striving for continuous improvement of the journal.
- Enforcing and applying journal policies on publication, peer review, and ethics.
- Ensuring all published articles are reviewed by qualified referees.
- Protecting the copyright of authors.
- Preventing unethical practices such as plagiarism and citation manipulation.
- Updating author and reviewer guidelines as needed.
- Maintaining records of every manuscript and correspondence.
Reviewer Responsibilities
Samsun Health Sciences Journal employs a double-blind peer review system. Reviewers must:
- Review only within their expertise.
- Maintain confidentiality and objectivity.
- Dispose of the manuscripts after review due to confidentiality.
- Inform the editor in case of any conflict of interest.
- Provide constructive, respectful, and academic feedback.
- Avoid discriminatory comments or personal attacks.
- Submit their evaluations in a timely manner using the review form.
Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism includes the use of others’ ideas, words, or work without proper citation. Self-plagiarism refers to reusing one’s own previous work without acknowledgment. Since 2019, manuscripts found to contain plagiarism or self-plagiarism are rejected. Authors must submit a similarity report (iThenticate, Turnitin, etc.) upon submission. Manuscripts with more than 15% similarity are considered plagiarized and are rejected.
Review Timeline
The evaluation process for submissions typically takes between 12 to 16 weeks. In exceptional cases, this period may be extended.
Corrections and Retractions
Once the peer review process begins, manuscripts cannot be withdrawn. Authors may submit a withdrawal request for articles not yet in review. Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern may be issued as necessary, based on the severity of errors or misconduct. All such notices will be indexed and linked to the original article.
Copyright Policy
The journal does not charge any fees for submission, review, or publication. All copyrights of accepted articles belong to the journal. Authors must submit a copyright transfer form and disclose contributions.
Scientific Responsibility
All listed authors must have made significant academic or scientific contributions to the manuscript. The corresponding author is responsible for the final version on behalf of all authors.
Reporting Ethical Misconduct
Any ethical concerns or suspected misconduct should be reported via email to jshs@omu.edu.tr.
Archiving
All articles published in the journal are archived on the Dergipark platform.