ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Ethics has become an indispensable part of our daily lives with the increasing awareness, publication and adoption of ethics. ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) recommendations and COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) International Standards for Editors and Authors are taken into consideration in all scientific manuscripts submitted to our journal.
ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors): https://www.icmje.org
COPE International standards for editors and authors: https://publicationethics.org/resources/resources-and-further-reading/international-standards-editors-and-authors
In addition, the authors of the article must comply with all the rules specified to be followed within the scope of the “Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions” (https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Kurumsal/mevzuat/bilimsel-arastirma-ve-etik-yonetmeligi.aspx) in the whole process from the planning, implementation, data collection and data analysis of the research. None of the actions specified under the second section of the Directive, “Actions Contrary to Scientific Research and Publication Ethics”, must have been carried out and the authors must make a statement in this context under the Research Ethics heading under the Methodology of their articles.
Policies, legislations, directives, guidelines, etc. related to ethics are published both at the senior management level, such as the T.R. Prime Ministry Public Officials Ethics Board (http://etik.gov.tr/tr-tr), and at the local government level, such as Kocaeli University Ethics Board (http://etikkurul.kocaeli.edu.tr). In this context, we recommend that scientists carefully read the following two articles published by the Ethics Board of Public Officials of the Prime Ministry of the Republic of Turkey:
Ethical Principles in Scientific Research and Publications - Prof . Dr. Şevket RUACAN, Institute of Oncology, Hacettepe University, http://etik.gov.tr/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sevketruacan-bilimselarastirmaveyayinlardaetik.pdf
Scientific Publication Ethics (Types of Scientific Misrepresentation with Examples) - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yeşim Işıl Ülman, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University http://etik.gov.tr/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/yesimisilulman-yayinetigi.pdf
In this context, it is important that all individuals and organizations serving in the field of science adopt the principles and values of professional ethics and practice the right behaviors. The following responsibilities have been compiled from the above-mentioned sources within this framework.
Decleration of Use of Large Language Models
Large Language Models (LLMs)—such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and similar AI-based tools—which have become widespread in recent years, can be used in scientific research processes for limited support purposes, such as planning research, writing text, and improving grammar and expression. However, it is generally accepted within the principles of scientific publishing that such artificial intelligence tools cannot assume scientific responsibility for the research, cannot be considered authors, and cannot hold copyright over the resulting intellectual outputs.
Our journal, inline with COPE, and international academic publishing principles and YÖKAK quality assurance principles require transparency in the use of AI-based tools in the scientific publishing process. Accordingly, authors submitting work to our journal must make a clear and transparent statement regarding whether Large Language Models were used. If Large Language Models have been used, the scope and purpose of their use must be clearly stated; if they have not been used, this must be explicitly stated. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the statement made and for all scientific, ethical, and legal responsibilities of the work.
Ethics Committee Permission
TR-Dizin has defined the Code of Ethics as follows (Article 8 under the title “TR-Dizin Journal Evaluation Criteria” at https://trdizin.gov.tr/kriterler) and authors are required to comply with these rules.
8.1. For research in all disciplines that require ethics committee approval (ethics committee approval must be obtained, this approval must be stated and documented in the article.
8.2 For studies requiring ethics committee approval, information about the approval (name of the committee, date and number) should be included in the method section, as well as on one of the first/last pages of the article; in case reports, information on the signing of the informed consent form should be included in the article.
8.3. The journal web page should include a statement that the articles comply with Research and Publication Ethics. Our journal article template includes headings (both at the end of the methods section and before the bibliography) with these statements. Please use our current article template: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/kuje/writing-rules
Copyright regulations must be respected for the intellectual and artistic works used.
Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Kocaeli University Journal of Education has adopted the “Double Blind Review Process”. In this framework, the application and evaluation processes of the articles are carried out through the DergiPark system. The articles assigned by the Field Editors to the referees for evaluation are submitted through the system in a way that guarantees Blind Refereeing (by deleting personal information etc. from the Word document). In this context, the communications to be carried out regarding a study are carried out through the Field Editor.
The corresponding author of a study can use the communication window opened by the Field Editor for all communication requirements. All evaluations and comments are made through the communication window on the DergiPark platform. The evaluation forms, comments and necessary files submitted by the reviewer are forwarded to the corresponding author by the Field Editor in a way that does not violate blind reviewing.
The author(s) submitting a study to Kocaeli University Journal of Education must comply with the following ethical responsibilities:
In order to be included among the authors of the study, the following three conditions must be met: “a) contribute to the planning, design, analysis or interpretation of the study, b) prepare the publication or make a significant intellectual contribution
As of 2026, each issue will publish 15 articles in the order in which they were accepted.