The Journal of Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

The aim of The Journal of Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University is to publish scientific research articles of scholars and researchers working in the field of natural sciences at national and international levels, providing new perspectives for future research.

Since 2010, it has been an "International Peer-Reviewed" academic journal regularly published twice a year (June and December) in the fields of engineering and architecture sciences, basic sciences, as well as agriculture and forestry sciences, indexed by international field indexes.

It is an open-access journal that accepts and publishes research articles presenting qualified, original, and innovative information in Turkish or English.

Ethics of Publication

• The MAKUFEBED Editorial Board ensures the determination and implementation of journal policies such as publication, blind refereeing, evaluation process, and ethical principles.
• The MAKUFEBED Editorial Board protects the copyright of authors of published articles.
• The MAKUFEBED Editorial Board is responsible for taking measures regarding intellectual property rights, scientific unethical behaviors, plagiarism, and “citation cartels” during the
• article and journal publication process.
• The MAKUFEBED Editorial Board prepares and updates, if necessary, a "Author Guide" containing the information required by authors and a "Referee Guide" containing the
• information referees need during the evaluation stage.
• The MAKUFEBED Editorial Board establishes motivating policies for referees and authors.
• The MAKUFEBED Editorial Board keeps records of each article, correspondence related to the journal, either electronically or in print.

• Editors endeavour to meet the information needs of referees, author(s), researchers, practitioners and readers, to provide feedback when necessary, and to act in accordance
• with the principles of openness in matters requiring correction and clarification during the publication process.
• Editors take care to ensure that articles to be published are original, scientific, and contribute to readers, researchers, and practitioners.
• Editors consider the original value, contribution to the field, validity and reliability of the research method, and clarity of expression when making positive or negative decisions
• about articles.
• The editors take the submitted manuscripts to the preliminary evaluation stage as long as there are no serious problems, take into consideration the positive referee recommendations, and do not change the decisions made by the previous editor(s) unless there is a serious problem.
• Editors implement journal policies such as blind refereeing and evaluation process policies, keep referees' identities confidential, and ensure that each article is evaluated objectively and within the specified time.
• Editors send articles to field editors and referees based on their areas of expertise, support impartial and independent evaluations.
• Editors consider conflicts of interest-cooperation between editors, referees, and authors to ensure the unbiased evaluation of the article.
• Editors seek to have a wide range of referees in the referee pool and continuously update it.
• Editors prevent evaluations that do not comply with academic standards and scientific evaluations that are not ethical.
• Editors ensure that journal publication processes are operated in accordance with publication policies and guidelines, inform those involved in the process about developments in publication policies, and prepare training programs when necessary.
• Editors communicate effectively with those involved in the publication process and hold meetings at regular intervals.
• Editors ensure the protection of personal data in evaluated articles; they protect the individual data of authors, referees, and readers.
• Editors pay attention to the protection of human and animal rights in the articles, they care about documenting the explicit consent of the participants of the article, they reject
• the article when there is no ethics committee approval for the participants of the article and permission in experimental research.
• Editors take preventive measures against misuse of duty. When complaints of abuse of duty are received, they conduct an objective investigation and share the findings on the subject.
• Editors ensure the correction of errors, inconsistencies, or misleading information in articles.
• Editors protect the intellectual property rights of published articles and, in the event of a violation, defend the rights of the journal and the author(s). They also take necessary measures to ensure that the content of published articles does not violate the intellectual property rights of other publications; they perform originality-similarity checks.
• Editors consider consistent criticisms of published articles and grant the authors of criticized articles the right to reply.
• The editors also take into account studies with negative results.
• Responsibilities of Referees Regarding Ethics
• Editors investigate complaints received about the journal and the article publishing process, and provide necessary explanations.

• Reviewers should only accept to evaluate articles that are within their area of expertise.
• They should conduct the evaluation impartially and confidentially. Following this principle, they should destroy the articles they have reviewed after the evaluation process, but may refer to them once the articles are published. Nationality, gender, religious belief, political ideology, and commercial interests should not compromise the impartiality of the evaluation. If reviewers become aware of any conflict of interest, they should refuse to evaluate the article and inform the editors.
• Reviewers should conduct their evaluations in accordance with academic etiquette, using a constructive tone and avoiding personal comments that include insults or hostility.
• Reviewers must complete their evaluations of the accepted articles within the specified time frame.

• The publication processes implemented in MAKUFEBED are fundamental to the unbiased and reputable development and dissemination of knowledge. In this regard, the processes directly reflect the quality of the work of authors and the institutions supporting them. Peer-reviewed studies are those that concretize and support the scientific method. At this point, it is important for all stakeholders in the process (authors, readers and researchers, publishers, referees, and editors) to adhere to ethical standards.
• Within the scope of publication ethics in MAKUFEBED, it is expected that all stakeholders carry the following ethical responsibilities
• Authors are expected to ensure the originality of the works they submit. In cases where authors benefit from or use other works, they must reference and/or quote them
• accurately and completely.
• Individuals who have not contributed intellectually to the creation of the work should not be listed as authors
• Any potential conflicts of interest and relationships that could constitute a conflict of interest must be disclosed for all works submitted for publication
• Authors may be requested to provide raw data related to their articles during the evaluation process, and in such cases, authors should be prepared to submit the requested data and information to the editorial and scientific board.
• Authors should have documentation demonstrating that they have the rights to use the data and have obtained necessary permissions for research/analyses or consent from subjects involved in experiments. In case authors detect any errors or inaccuracies in their published, preprint, or under-review work, they are obligated to collaborate with the editor or publisher to inform, correct, or retract the work.
• Authors cannot submit their work to multiple journals simultaneously. Each submission must be initiated after the completion of the previous submission process. A work that has been published in another journal cannot be submitted to MAKUFEBED.  
• Authors cannot propose changes to the authorship (such as adding, changing the order, or removing authors) of a manuscript once the evaluation process has begun.

• Editors are responsible for all stages of the manuscripts submitted to MAKUFEBED. In this context, editors are the decision-makers regardless of economic or political gains.
• MAKUFEBED preserves the ownership and copyright of every published article and undertakes the obligation to keep records of every published copy.
• Editors have the responsibility to take measures against any form of scientific misconduct, citation manipulation, and plagiarism related to themselves.

The Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Graduate School of Natural Sciences is an open-access journal with no article processing charges for publication.