Jun 30, 2026
Publication Type
Articles
Research Article
Book Review
The Lycus aims to publish original studies that follow scientific developments in the field of archaeology, support the production of knowledge about the past, and enable the evaluation of this knowledge through contemporary methodologies. The journal seeks to contribute to the scholarly examination of the archaeological, historical, and cultural heritage of Anatolia and its surrounding cultures within a broad chronological framework, extending from antiquity to the near modern period.
The Lycus covers scientific studies in the fields of Anatolian Archaeology and Historical Geography, encompassing the cultural heritage, findings, and results of archaeological excavations and surveys from the Prehistoric Period to the present day, as well as research in restoration, conservation, museology, anthropology, epigraphy, and ethno-archaeology.
In addition, the journal includes papers presenting new discoveries, applications, and analytical studies. In this context, Lycus publishes:
• Original research articles written from disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspectives,
• Interpretative studies based on the scientific evaluation of archaeological data,
• Theoretical and methodological discussions contributing to the field,
• Reviews that enrich the existing literature,
• Academic publications such as excavation and survey reports, and the presentation and evaluation of archaeological artifacts.
LYCUS WRITING GUIDELINES
General Rules
- Articles must be prepared in Microsoft Word using Times New Roman font. Except for Greek quotations, the entire text must be written in a single font.
- The main text must be 11 pt; the abstract, footnotes, and catalogue must be 9 pt; and the bibliography must be 10 pt. The entire text must be single-spaced.
- For A4-size documents, margins must be set as follows: 3 cm from the left and top, and 2 cm from the right and bottom.
- The main title must be in the language of the article, 12 pt, regular, bold, left-aligned, and written with the initial letter of each word capitalized. The foreign-language title must appear on the line immediately below the main title, 11 pt, italic, bold, left-aligned, and written with the initial letter of each word capitalized.
- Below the title, the names of the author(s) must be left-aligned, 10 pt, and bold. Author names must be numbered as (1), (2), (3), and displayed together with the ORCID logo and profile link. Below the author line, the academic title of the author(s) and the name of the affiliated institution must be indicated. An asterisk (*) must be placed next to the name of the corresponding author, and the corresponding author’s address and e-mail address must be provided in a footnote.
- Below the author names, an abstract of at least 100 and no more than 200 words must be provided. The abstract must contain brief and explanatory information on the aim, content, and conclusions of the study. Below the abstract, keywords consisting of at least 4 and no more than 6 words must be given. Keywords must be separated by commas; only proper nouns should begin with capital letters. In articles written in a foreign language, both an abstract in the language of the article and a Turkish abstract must be included. In articles written in Turkish, both an abstract in the language of the article and an English abstract must be included.
- Subheadings within the text must be written in uppercase letters, 11 pt, and bold.
- The entire study, including the abstract, bibliography, and figures, must not exceed 40 pages. Page numbers must be placed at the bottom centre of the page. For studies exceeding this limit, the discretion of the editors shall apply.
- Articles are evaluated in accordance with the double-blind peer-review principle by reviewers selected in line with the recommendations of the editors. If necessary, articles may be sent to a third reviewer. For manuscripts evaluated independently of the author’s identity, the corrections and comments deemed necessary by the reviewers are communicated to the author. The author is deemed to have undertaken to make the changes, corrections, and additions requested by the reviewers.
- The scientific responsibility for published articles belongs to the author(s). These studies do not directly or indirectly represent the views of Lycus.
- Click here for the article template.📝 Lycus Article Writing Template.docx
- Click here for the book review template.📝 LYCUS_Kitap_Incelemesi_Sablonu (1).docx
Formatting and Style Principles
- The bibliography must be placed at the end of the article.
- Abbreviations should be avoided as much as possible. Only the following abbreviations are permitted: Dr, ed., eds, fig., figs, pl., pls, tr. (trans.).
- Dates
“AD” and “BC” must precede the date and must not be followed by a full stop.
Example: AD 425; BC 330–300.
Cultural periods must be capitalized, for example Late Bronze Age, Archaic Period.
Date ranges: 480–…. - Numbers
Numbers from one to ten must be written out in words; however, numerals must be used when they precede a unit of measurement, e.g. 2mm.
Ordinal numbers from first to tenth must be written out in words, e.g. the first century BC.
Numbers above ten must be written as numerals, e.g. the 11th century AD; however, numbers at the beginning of a sentence must be written out in words.
Number ranges: 48–49, 148–49, 1148–49. - Measurements
The metric system must be used.
Unit abbreviations must be as follows:
m metre, cm centimetre, mm millimetre, km kilometre, ha hectare, l litre.
No full stop should be placed after abbreviations, and there should be no space between the number and the unit, e.g. 10m, 20.5cm. - Cardinal Directions
Initial letters must not be capitalized; abbreviations and hyphenated forms must not be used, e.g. southwest; not Southwest, SW, or south-west. - Parentheses
Where necessary, square brackets must be used within round parentheses. - Italics
Italics should be used minimally.
They may be used for emphasis in individual words or phrases.
Uncommon foreign terms must be italicized, e.g. Hofhaus, bothros; however, commonly used terms should not be italicized, e.g. polis, spolia. - Quotations
Short quotations must be enclosed in single quotation marks ‘ ’, and quotations within quotations must be enclosed in double quotation marks “ ”.
Quotations exceeding four lines must be set as a separate paragraph. - Footnotes
In-text citations must be used instead of footnotes for scholarly references. Explanatory footnotes may be used only when necessary. - References
In-text citations:
Single author: (Şimşek 2013: 201–05, fig. 3, pls 16–18)
Two authors: (Söğüt, Sezgin 2008: 113–24)
Three or more authors: (Duman et al. 2016: 13–15)
Multiple references, in chronological order: (Şimşek 2013: 201–05; Duman et al. 2016: 13–15; Söğüt, Sezgin 2008: 113–24)
Personal communication: (Francesco D’Andria, personal communication June 2020)
The names of ancient and historical authors must not be abbreviated.
Arabic numerals must be used for book/chapter/line references. The title of the work must be italicized.
Example of an in-text citation for ancient and historical authors: (Herodotus Histories 7.195)
If necessary, the edition used must be specified in the bibliography.
Accepted abbreviations may be used for standard corpora; full bibliographic details must be provided in the bibliography.
In-text examples: CIL 8.12296; SEG 28.1218; IG II² 2326, IG XII.3 333; LGPN 13.535. - Bibliography
The bibliography must include only the works cited in the text.
It must be arranged alphabetically according to the authors’ surnames. Turkish letters must be alphabetized together with their corresponding Latin letters: C/Ç, I/İ, O/Ö, S/Ş, U/Ü. Ancient sources cited in the text must not be included in the bibliography.
Traditional capitalization rules must be followed for book titles; for other languages, the conventions of the relevant language must be applied.
Article titles must be capitalized only for proper nouns.
All author names must be given in full; et al. must not be used.
Journal names must not be abbreviated; volume numbers must be written in Arabic numerals.
Place of publication and publisher must be indicated.
For cities in the United States, two-letter state abbreviations should be used only where there is a risk of ambiguity, e.g. Cambridge MA.
Place names must be written in the form widely used in international scholarship, e.g. Munich, not München. - Figures and Tables
Each figure/table must be submitted as a separate file and clearly identified with the author’s surname.
Figures must follow a single continuous numbering sequence; they must not be divided into figures and plates.
Tables must also follow a separate continuous numbering sequence.
A caption must be provided for each figure/table, along with copyright permission information where necessary.
Maps and plans must include a north arrow and scale. Object photographs must include a scale.
The terminology and spelling used on figures must be consistent with the text. - Photographs
Photographs must be at least 300 dpi, in RGB mode, and in jpeg or tiff format. - Drawings
Drawings must be prepared in vector format (PDF/EPS/SVG) or as raster images with a resolution of at least 600 dpi (TIFF/PNG/JPEG). They must include a scale and north arrow; be suitable for single-column width (8.1 cm) or full-page width (16.7 cm); have a plain white background; and be terminologically consistent with the text. - Tables
Tables must be submitted in Word or Excel format.
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND PUBLICATION POLICY
Publication Policy
Pamukkale University Lycus is an open-access, peer-reviewed academic journal published electronically twice a year. It features original and scholarly studies in the field of archaeology. The entire responsibility for the scientific content and statements of the articles published in the journal rests with the authors.
Lycus can be accessed freely and online via https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/lycus. All articles published in the journal are licensed under the CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License).
The ethical duties and responsibilities adopted by Lycus have been prepared in accordance with the publication policies of nationally and internationally indexed journals and the guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) under the principles of open access.
Furthermore, Lycus adheres to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, jointly published by COPE, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). The ethical standards summarized below serve as a guide for editors, reviewers, and authors contributing to Lycus.
Lycus operates under a double-blind peer review process. Suitable submissions are sent to two or three referees who are experts in the relevant field. The identities of the referees are kept confidential, and all referee reports are archived. If one of the referee reports is positive and the other critical, the manuscript may be sent to a third referee for further evaluation, or the Editorial Board may make a decision based on the content and quality of the three reports. Authors are expected to revise their manuscripts according to the comments and suggestions of the referees and the Editorial Board. Should they have any objections, they may submit a justified appeal in an appropriate manner.
Ethical Principles
All authors are expected to read and understand our publication policy before submitting a manuscript to Lycus. This reflects our commitment to preventing ethical misconduct, which we recognize as an increasingly significant issue in academic and professional publishing.
It is important to note that most cases of plagiarism, duplicate publication, copyright infringement, or similar issues arise not from fraudulent intent but from a lack of awareness. Our policy is therefore focused on prevention rather than punishment. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the editorial office.
Submission of a manuscript to Lycus implies that all authors have read and approved the content of the paper and that the manuscript complies with the journal’s ethical and publication policies.
Ethical Approval
Human participants, human materials, or human data must be used in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study must be approved by an appropriate ethics committee. All articles reporting such research should include a statement after the manuscript indicating the name of the ethics committee and, if available, the reference number. If a study has been exempted from the requirement for ethical approval, this should be stated in the manuscript (including the name of the ethics committee that granted the exemption). Upon request, additional materials and documents must be made available to the Editor. The Editor may reject a manuscript if it is believed that the research was conducted outside an appropriate ethical context. In exceptional cases, the Editor may contact the ethics committee for further information.
ETHICAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EDITORS
General Duties and Responsibilities
Editors are responsible for:
- Ensuring the development of the journal at national and international levels,
- Managing processes to improve the quality of published works,
- Overseeing the implementation of ethical principles among all stakeholders of the journal,
- Updating publication and ethical policies to contribute to the journal’s progress,
- Organizing and maintaining the journal’s website in an accurate and up-to-date manner.
Relations with Readers
Editors shall:
- Take into consideration readers’ feedback regarding publication, scope, and ethics,
- Develop the content of Lycus by considering readers’ interests and needs,
- Respond to readers’ inquiries within the framework of ethical principles.
Relations with Authors
Editors are responsible for:
- Submitting manuscripts received to the Editorial Board, which decides whether they should be sent to reviewers,
- Informing authors about publication and ethical policies,
- Preventing potential conflicts between authors and reviewers,
- Ensuring an impartial evaluation by properly implementing the double-blind peer review process,
- Considering authors’ justified requests not to have their manuscripts sent to specific reviewers due to conflicts of interest,
- Accepting authors’ requests to withdraw their manuscripts during the review process,
- Evaluating authors’ objections to reviewer and editorial decisions and initiating a new review process if deemed appropriate.
Relations with Reviewers
Editors are responsible for:
- Assigning reviewers appropriate to the subject of the manuscript,
- Providing reviewers with the information and guidance they may need during the evaluation process,
- Monitoring possible conflicts of interest between authors and reviewers,
- Keeping reviewer identities confidential,
- Encouraging reviewers to act impartially,
- Answering reviewers’ questions regarding publication and ethical policies,
- Updating and improving the reviewer database,
- Reminding reviewers about deadlines for evaluations,
- Encouraging reviewers to provide constructive, polite, and appropriate feedback.
Relations with the Editorial Board
Editors shall:
- Hold meetings with the Editorial Board at regular intervals,
- Provide the Board with necessary information and guidance on publication and ethical policies,
- Improve the journal by considering feedback from the Board,
- Ensure that Board members act impartially,
- Encourage Board members to evaluate works according to scientific standards.
ETHICAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AUTHORS
Authors must:
- Ensure that the submitted work has not been previously published and is not under consideration elsewhere,
- Accurately and completely cite all references,
- Include as authors only those who have made a direct contribution to the study,
- Clearly indicate quotations in quotation marks and cite them appropriately,
- Obtain ethical committee approval for studies involving human or animal subjects, surveys, interviews, or observations,
- Identify reviewers they do not wish to evaluate their manuscripts due to potential conflicts of interest or ethical concerns,
- Withdraw their manuscripts during the review process if necessary,
- Have the right to appeal reviewer reports or editorial decisions,
- Immediately notify the Editorial Board if an error is identified in their publication,
- Explicitly disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
ETHICAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF REVIEWERS
Manuscripts submitted to Lycus are anonymously sent to at least two reviewers who are experts in the relevant field. In cases where the reviewers’ opinions are equally positive and negative, the editor or a third reviewer’s opinion is sought.
Lycus employs a double-blind peer review system, in which both the reviewers and authors remain anonymous. Within this framework, reviewers are expected to adhere to the following ethical responsibilities:
- Read and understand the publication principles of Lycus,
- Accept only manuscripts within their field of expertise; refrain from reviewing manuscripts merely to gain familiarity with the topic,
- Decline to review if they cannot remain objective,
- Complete the evaluation within the specified timeframe,
- Conduct evaluations objectively and confidentially,
- Refuse to review and notify the editor in case of a conflict of interest,
- Inform the editor if they discover that the manuscript has been submitted to another journal simultaneously,
- Provide evaluations in a constructive and respectful manner, avoiding hostility, insults, or defamatory remarks,
- Focus their comments solely on the content of the manuscript and remain sensitive to ensuring that factors such as belief, sect, race, gender, or political opinion do not influence the evaluation process.
OPEN ACCESS STATEMENT
Lycus is a non-profit publication that adopts an open access policy. All published content is freely available to the public without charge. Users may read, download, copy, print, and link to the full texts of articles without prior permission from Lycus, provided that proper citation is given. No fees are charged at any stage of the publishing process, including article submission, evaluation, or publication. In addition, Lycus does not accept sponsorships or advertisements. All articles published in Lycus are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Authors who submit their manuscripts for publication agree to transfer the publication rights to Lycus, published under the Pamukkale University Institute of Archaeology. The journal and its articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en. Authors are free to make the PDF files of their own articles publicly available as they see fit. Accordingly, the journal permits self-archiving of the published version without any restrictions. Authors may reuse the entire or partial content (including text and figures) of their work, including modifications and adaptations, in other publications, provided that appropriate citation to the original publication in Lycus is included. No copyright fees are paid to authors for published works. All possible scientific, ethical, and legal responsibilities arising from the published articles rest solely with the author(s). The journal assumes no liability in this regard. All content of Lycus is openly accessible, in line with its open access policy. Authors who agree to these terms must sign and submit the Copyright Transfer Form to the editors. Manuscripts without this signed form will not be published.
SIMILARITY POLICY
All submissions to Lycus are subjected to a plagiarism screening process using Turnitin software before being included in the publication workflow. The detected similarities are examined, and a plagiarism report is generated. The maximum allowable similarity rate is 20%. Articles with a similarity rate below this threshold are accepted for publication. Manuscripts exceeding this rate are carefully reviewed by the Editors and may be rejected depending on the circumstances.
DOI NUMBER
The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) system enables the identification and access of electronically published works. Each accepted article in Lycus is assigned a DOI number to ensure the authenticity and secure registration of its electronic publication record.
PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
Submissions to Lycus are protected under the Law on the Protection of Personal Data. No information, process, or correspondence pertaining to the author or reviewers shall be shared with third parties or institutions except through the legal channels specified in the Law..
LANGUAGE OF PUBLICATION
Lycus accepts scientific articles written in Turkish and English. Submitted manuscripts are expected to be ready for publication in terms of language accuracy and academic style. During the evaluation process, authors may be asked to make linguistic or stylistic revisions if deemed necessary.
PUBLICATION FREQUENCY
Lycus is published twice a year, in June and December, in electronic format. Special issues may be published upon the decision of the Editorial Board when necessary.
Other Indexes
Editor-in-Chief
Co-Editor
Editorial Committee
Proofreading, Copyediting and Layout