Publication Ethics
To ensure that studies published in the Ahi Evran University Journal of Kırşehir Education Faculty (KEFAD) are unbiased and ethically sound, the Editorial Board has developed a set of ethical policies. These policies cover authors, reviewers, editors, and the processes related to manuscripts. The ethical duties and responsibilities set out for KEFAD have been prepared taking into account the publication policies of nationally and internationally indexed journals, as well as the openly accessible guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to KEFAD are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:
-Submitted manuscripts are expected to be original and up to date. Authors must provide complete and accurate citations and/or quotations for all works consulted.
-Individuals who have not made a substantive contribution to the content of the manuscript must not be listed as authors. Any situations or relationships that may constitute a conflict of interest must be disclosed.
-Authors may be requested to provide the raw data relating to their manuscripts during the evaluation process. Authors must submit the requested data and information to the editorial and/or scientific board.
-If authors identify an error or inaccuracy in their own published work or in a manuscript under review, they are obligated to notify the journal editor or publisher and to cooperate with the editor in correcting or retracting the work.
-Authors may not have the same manuscript under submission to more than one journal at the same time.
-A manuscript that has already been published in another journal may not be submitted to KEFAD.
-A manuscript submitted to another journal and still under review may not be submitted to KEFAD.
-Once the evaluation process for a manuscript has begun, requests to add or remove authors or to change the order of authors are not permitted.
Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of Editors
General duties and responsibilities
Editors,
-Ensuring the Journal's development at the national and international level;
-Managing processes aimed at improving the quality of published studies;
-Overseeing the implementation of ethical rules for all stakeholders of the Journal;
-Updating the Journal's publication and ethical policies to contribute to its development;
-Organizing and keeping the Journal's website up to date.
Relations with the reader
Editors,
-Taking into account readers' feedback on the Journal's publication practices, scope, and ethics;
-Improving the studies published in KEFAD with due consideration of readers' interests and needs;
-Responding to readers' inquiries within the framework of ethical principles.
Relations with authors
Editors' relationship with authors;
-Forwarding submitted manuscripts to the editorial board, which decides whether they are sent to reviewers;
-Informing authors about the Journal's publication and ethical policies;
-Preventing potential conflicts between authors and reviewers;
-Ensuring a fair and unbiased evaluation by properly implementing the concept of "blind review";
-Evaluating, on appropriate grounds, authors' requests that their manuscripts not be sent to reviewers with whom they have declared a conflict of interest;
-Responding favorably to authors' requests to withdraw manuscripts still under review;
-Evaluating authors' objections to reviewer and editorial decisions/reports and, where appropriate, initiating a new evaluation process.
Relations with reviewers
Editors' relationship with reviewers;
-Assigning a reviewer appropriate to the subject matter of the candidate manuscript;
-Providing reviewers with the information and guidance they need during the evaluation process;
-Monitoring for any conflict of interest between authors and reviewers;
-Keeping information about the reviewer conducting the evaluation confidential;
-Encouraging reviewers to remain impartial;
-Answering reviewers' questions regarding publication and ethical policies;
-Making updates to expand and improve the reviewer pool;
-Sending reviewers reminders regarding the evaluation period;
-Encouraging reviewers to conduct their evaluations in a constructive, courteous, and appropriate manner.
Relations with the Editorial Board
Editors,
-Meeting with the Editorial Board at regular intervals;
-Providing the Board with the information and guidance it requires regarding -KEFAD's publication and ethical policies;
-Providing training to the Board on KEFAD's publication and ethical policies when needed;
-Developing the Journal by taking Board feedback into account;
-Ensuring the impartiality of Board members;
-Encouraging the Board to evaluate manuscripts within scientific criteria;
-Liaising with the relevant Board member regarding the evaluation of a candidate manuscript, according to its subject matter.
Author Rights:
Authors
-May specify reviewers to whom they do not wish their manuscript to be sent, for reasons of conflict of interest and/or ethics.
-May withdraw their as-yet-unpublished manuscript while it is under review.
-Have the right to object to reviewer reports and editorial decisions.
-May request a correction (erratum) for problematic sections of their manuscript in the first issue in which it is published, arising from material errors occurring during the printing process, or for informational errors originating from themselves.
Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
Manuscripts submitted to KEFAD are sent, anonymously, to at least two reviewers with relevant subject-matter expertise. Where reviewer opinions on a manuscript are evenly split between positive and negative, the opinion of the editor or a third reviewer is sought.
KEFAD has adopted a double-blind peer review process, whereby authors and reviewers remain unaware of each other's identities. Accordingly, reviewers evaluating manuscripts for KEFAD are expected to fulfill the following ethical responsibilities:
Read KEFAD's publication principles.
-Agree to evaluate only manuscripts within their area of expertise, and decline to evaluate manuscripts for which they lack the relevant expertise, even if they have a general interest in the topic.
-Decline to conduct an evaluation upon recognizing that they would be unable to remain impartial.
-Complete the evaluation process within the specified time frame.
-Conduct evaluations in an impartial and confidential manner.
-Decline to conduct an evaluation and notify the editor when faced with a conflict of interest or similar situation.
-Notify the editor upon discovering that a manuscript under their review has been simultaneously submitted to another journal.
-Conduct evaluations in a constructive and courteous manner, refraining from personal comments involving hostility, insult, or defamation.
-Ensure that evaluations relate solely to the content of the manuscript, and take care that factors such as belief, sect, race, gender, or political opinion do not, under any circumstances, influence the evaluation process.
Manuscripts submitted for publication in KEFAD must not have been previously published, or currently under submission, in another journal. Papers previously presented at a conference (provided the study has not been published in full in the conference proceedings) and articles derived from graduate theses must include the relevant disclosure as an author's note under the heading following the discussion section. Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their published works.
Authors are required to obtain "Ethics Committee Approval" for their manuscripts.
Reporting Non-Compliance with Ethical Principles to the Editor
If editors, reviewers, or authors become aware of an unethical situation concerning a manuscript under review, in early view, or already published, they are obligated to report the matter to the editor by sending an e-mail to kefad@ahievran.edu.tr.
Publication Policy
In each issue, KEFAD may include at most one academic work by any given author.
Peer Review and Publication Process
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal undergo a preliminary review by the Editorial Board to assess their compliance with the Journal's scope and manuscript preparation guidelines. Manuscripts deemed suitable following this review are then sent, using a blind review method, to at least two reviewers for evaluation. Reviewers are given 30 days to complete their assessment; if a reviewer fails to respond within this period, a new reviewer is appointed in their place. For a candidate manuscript to be accepted for publication, it must receive a positive recommendation from at least two reviewers. If one reviewer's recommendation is positive and the other's negative, the manuscript is referred to a third reviewer. Authors are obligated to complete any revisions recommended by reviewers (if applicable) within 30 days. Manuscripts that receive a publishable report from the reviewer(s) and have been verified by the Journal's editorial office proceed to the publication stage. The final formatting of the manuscript is the responsibility of the author(s). Manuscripts accepted for publication are assigned a DOI number and placed in the Early View section; they are subsequently published in an appropriate issue by decision of the Editorial Board. No changes may be made to manuscripts once they have been finalized and entered into the publication process. Authors may withdraw their manuscript during the preliminary review stage. Authors may also withdraw their as-yet-unpublished manuscript while it is under review.
Reviewers have no knowledge of the authors' identities, and authors have no knowledge of the reviewers' identities. Responsibility for maintaining this confidentiality rests with the Journal's editorial office.
Similarity (Plagiarism) Screening
All candidate manuscripts must be screened using software such as iThenticate© or Turnitin© prior to submission to KEFAD, and the corresponding similarity reports must be submitted together with the manuscript. The overall similarity rate for the manuscript must be below 20%, and the similarity rate for any single source—excluding matches originating from the article template—must be below 1%. KEFAD reserves the right to reject, at the editorial stage, any candidate manuscript found to contain academic plagiarism.
Open Access Policy
KEFAD is an open access journal and makes its published content directly and freely available. The Journal aims to contribute to supporting and advancing the Open Access movement in science through the content it publishes. Provided that proper attribution is given in accordance with recognized standards, all uses other than commercial use and modification of content (including online linking, copying, printing, reproduction in any physical medium, and distribution) are made available—unless otherwise indicated for specific content—under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Content may be copied, distributed, and reused for non-commercial purposes provided that proper attribution is given, but no modifications may be made to it. Written permission from the publisher is required for any commercial use of the content.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.tr
Publication Fee
KEFAD does not charge authors any fee, under any circumstances, at the manuscript submission stage, during the evaluation process, or at the publication stage.