Ethical Principles and Publication Policy
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
The ethical principles and publication policy of our journal have been prepared in accordance with the guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
Actions Contrary to Scientific Research and Publication Ethics
• Plagiarism: Presenting the original ideas, methods, data or works of others as one's own, in whole or in part, without proper scientific attribution.
• Fabrication: Using data that does not actually exist or has been falsified in scientific research.
• Distortion: Altering research records or obtained data, presenting equipment or materials not used in the research as if they had been used, altering or shaping research results in line with the interests of the individuals and organisations providing support,
• Duplicate publication: Presenting duplicate publications as separate publications for academic appointments and promotions,
• Salami slicing: Dividing the results of a research study into parts in an inappropriate manner that compromises the integrity of the research and publishing them as multiple publications, presenting these publications as separate publications for academic appointments and promotions,
• Unfair authorship: Including individuals who have not made an active contribution among the authors or excluding those who have, changing the author order in an unjustified and inappropriate manner, removing the names of those who have made an active contribution from subsequent editions, or including one's name among the authors by using one's influence despite not having made an active contribution,

Other types of ethical violations include:
a) Failing to acknowledge the individuals, institutions, or organisations that provided support for research resulting in publications,
b) Using theses or studies that have not yet been submitted or defended as sources without the owner's permission,
c) Sharing information contained in a work assigned for review with others prior to publication without the express permission of the author,
ç) Using resources, premises, facilities, and equipment provided or allocated for scientific research for purposes other than those intended,
d) Making unfounded, inappropriate, and deliberate allegations of ethical violations,
e) Publishing data obtained without the explicit consent of participants in surveys and attitude studies conducted as part of scientific work, or without the additional permission of the institution if the research is to be conducted at an institution,
f) Failure to comply with the obligation to inform and warn those concerned about possible harmful practices related to scientific research conducted by researchers and officials,
g) In scientific studies, failing to use data and information obtained from other persons and institutions to the extent and in the manner permitted, failing to respect the confidentiality of this information and failing to ensure its protection,
h) Making false or misleading statements regarding scientific research and publications in academic appointments and promotions,

Ethics Committee Approval
For all research conducted in all scientific fields requiring ethics committee approval, an ethics committee decision must have been obtained, and information regarding the decision must be stated in the article text. Our journal does not consider works without an ethics committee decision. In studies requiring ethics committee approval, information regarding the approval (committee name, date, and number) must be included in the article text. In accordance with the decisions taken by Ulakbim TR Index, Ethics Committee Approval is required for studies to be published from 2020 onwards.
Studies Requiring Ethics Committee Approval
In our journal, studies requiring ethics committee approval include the following:
• All research conducted using qualitative or quantitative approaches involving data collection from participants through methods such as surveys, interviews, focus group studies, observation, and discussion techniques,
• Retrospective studies within the framework of the Personal Data Protection Law.
For such studies to be considered for evaluation, the relevant ethics committee approvals must have been obtained and these approvals must be clearly stated in the article text.

Plagiarism Check
Studies submitted to our journal for publication are screened for plagiarism using the İntihal.net programme. The acceptable similarity rate for studies submitted to our journal is a maximum of 15%. Studies exceeding this rate are returned to the authors during the preliminary review stage. Our journal acts in accordance with COPE principles in the event that plagiarism is detected in a submitted or published article.

Relationships with the Journal Owner and Publisher
The relationship between the editor and the publisher is based on the principle of editorial independence. Pursuant to the written agreement between the editor and the publisher, all decisions made by the editor are independent of the publisher and journal owner.

Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern
Editors may consider publishing a correction if minor errors are identified in a published article that do not affect the findings, interpretations, or conclusions. Editors should consider retracting an article when major errors/violations invalidate the findings and conclusions. COPE guidelines are taken into account regarding corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

Protection of Intellectual Property Rights
Our journal is responsible for protecting the intellectual property rights of all published articles and defending the rights of the journal and author(s) in the event of possible infringements.

Protection of Participants' Personal Data
All personal data submitted to our journal is protected in accordance with legal regulations and ethical rules.

Complaints
If an unethical situation is detected in Review of the Faculty of Divinity University of Suleyman Demirel, it should be reported to ilahiyatdergisi@sdu.edu.tr. Complaints are evaluated in accordance with COPE flowcharts.

STAKEHOLDERS' RESPONSIBILITIES

Editorial Responsibilities
• The Editorial Board has full responsibility and authority to accept or reject an article.
• The Editorial Board has no conflict of interest regarding the articles it accepts or rejects.
• During the publication process, studies are selected and evaluated according to scientific and academic criteria such as contribution to the field and originality.
• Supports the publication of corrections or retractions when errors or omissions are identified in published research.
• Ensures that all published research reports and reviews are examined by suitably qualified referees.
• Adopts processes that encourage the accurate, complete, and clear preparation of published articles.
• Uses appropriate guidelines and checklists.
• The decision to accept or reject a manuscript submitted to the editor for publication is based on the importance, originality and clarity of the manuscript, the validity of the work and its suitability for the journal's subject area.
• Communicates referee comments to the author as they are, unless they contain offensive or abusive language.
• Ensures that the referee database represents the academic community relevant to the journal's subject area and adds new referees as needed.
• Consults with editorial board members on matters related to the management of the journal, informs them of changes in journal policies, and consults with them regularly, twice a year (before each issue), to plan for the future.
• The editor supports the publication of corrections or retractions when errors are found.
• As the journal employs double-blind peer review, the names of reviewers are kept confidential and are not published.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
• Reviewers' assessments of submissions must be impartial.
• Reviewers should be knowledgeable about the subject matter of the submissions sent to them for review; if they do not possess sufficient knowledge on the subject, they should decline the review request.
• There should be no conflict of interest between reviewers and authors.
• The evaluation should be conducted solely within the scope of the study topic and in a highly objective manner. Therefore, national, religious, political, or any other concerns should not be allowed to influence the evaluation.
• Referees should guide authors and avoid using offensive language regarding the study or the author.
• Referees should not have a conflict of interest with the research, authors, and/or research funders.
• Reviewers should indicate any relevant published works that have not been cited.
• Reviewers are given 14 days to evaluate an article. If additional time is requested by a reviewer, it may be granted if the journal's publication process allows.
• The final decision on articles that have completed the review process rests with the Editorial Board.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
• Authorship
All authors listed as research contributors must have made a significant contribution to the research. Other contributors should be listed as co-authors. Those who contributed to the research should be mentioned as “contributors”. In collaborative work, the corresponding author should submit the work to the journal with the consent of the other authors. Those who have not contributed directly to the research should not be listed as authors.
• Originality and Authenticity
Works submitted to the journal should not have been published elsewhere or submitted for publication. The author should explain the research methods used and present the findings clearly and concisely.
• Multiple, Unnecessary or Simultaneous Publication
The work submitted by the author for publication must be original and must not have been published elsewhere in any language. If the research findings have been published previously, the article should be returned to the author.
• Originality and Authenticity
The work submitted to the journal must be entirely original. The author should not present the original ideas, methods, data or works of others as their own, either in part or in whole, without proper scientific citation. The author should present an objective discussion of the significance of their work based on accurate data. If any evidence of plagiarism is found in the work, it will be rejected.
• Multiple, Unnecessary or Simultaneous Publication
The author should not attempt to publish the same research in more than one journal or republish a previously published article, and should adhere to scientific research and publication ethics.
• Sources
It is mandatory to cite/refer to all sources used in the work.
• Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
All authors must clearly declare any potential financial or other conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of the work. If financial support has been received for the work, the sources must be indicated.
• Corrections to Published Works
It is the author's responsibility to notify the editor if significant omissions or errors are found in a published work. The author must cooperate with our journal's editorial team to take the necessary steps to rectify the situation.
• Retraction of Articles
The author may only withdraw their work under review by our journal during the pre-review stage. Works cannot be withdrawn during other stages of the publication process.
• Originality and Plagiarism
Authors should aim to conduct and report original research. They should cite the works they have used appropriately. Improper transfer from other publications, including the author's own work, is a serious ethical issue and a crime. If plagiarism is detected in works submitted to our journal, they are immediately removed from the publication process. If detected after publication in our journal, the author and their work will be reported to the relevant authorities.

***(The ethical principles and publication policy of our journal were developed and revised with reference to the Hittite Theology Journal.)