Current Issue

Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 6/30/24

Year: 2024

PURPOSE
Media and Culture is an international, open access, electronic and peer-reviewed journal that started its publication life in 2021. Published twice a year, in June and December, Media and Culture aims to provide qualified scientific contributions to the field of cultural studies and communication with theoretical, descriptive, conceptual and original research. Media and Culture journal, which aims to contribute to the fields of cultural studies and communication at national and international level with its interdisciplinary feature, provides an academic platform where scholars working in these fields can share their work and research. While realizing these goals, the journal acts in accordance with the principles of honesty, transparency, accountability and scientific ethics.




SCOPE
Media and Culture Journal, which started its publication life in 2021, includes original, qualified theoretical and/or applied articles in Turkish and English in the fields of cultural studies and communication. The main topics of the Journal of Media and Culture, which are directly related to communication and cultural studies, are listed below.
• Language and culture
• Literary criticism
• Audience studies
• Social production of everyday life
• The problem of ideology, domination, and hegemony
• Race studies
• Gender and representation
• Orientalism and occidentalism
• Feminist theory and women's studies
• Film studies
• Youth subcultures
• Postcolonial theory
• Critical Theory
• Media theories
• Popular culture
• Political Culture
• Strategic Culture
• Poststructuralism
• Subaltern studies
• Globalization and culture
• International communication and globalization
• Digital culture
• Intercultural communication
• New media studies
• Politics and class
• Migration studies
• Identity





General Rules

1. The languages ​​to be used in the articles and articles published in the journal are Turkish and English

2. If there is an institution that supports the study, (*) should be placed on the last word of the article title, and the supporting institution information should be stated as a footnote on the same page.

3. Submitted articles should be in the range of at least 6,000 and maximum 13,000 words, including references and appendices.

4. Articles should be arranged according to the APA 7 reference system. Make sure that the references used in the texts are compatible with the bibliography information.

5. Qualitative and quantitative studies that require data collection from participants using surveys, interviews, focus group studies, observation, interview techniques, and research on humans require an ethics committee approval. In the applications of studies requiring an ethics committee approval, the author/authors are required to submit the wet-signed ethics committee approval while uploading their articles to the system. Information about the ethics committee should be included in the method section of the article and the Article Information Form in the last section of the text, including the name, date, and number of the authorizing committee, and the statement that the article has been prepared in accordance with the decision of the ethics committee.

6. It is necessary to obtain permission from the owners in using scales, questionnaires and photographs belonging to others and to include this information in the studies. It is required to pay attention to the compliance with copyright regulations in the use of intellectual and artistic works and to make the necessary references in the texts.


SPECIAL RULES
THE WORKS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE JOURNAL SHOULD BE ORGANIZED ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE FORMAT.

Click here for the single-author article writing template written in English.
Click here for the article writing template with 2 or more authors written in English.
Click for the book review template.

Typeface:  Cambria font should be used. Turkish “Özet” English “Abstract” sections should be 9 pt., main text and  bibliography should be 11 pt. text should be justified in both directions. The text should be written using single line spacing and paragraphs should start with 1 cm page indent.

Type of Bibliography: The bibliography should be written in Cambria using 11 point font. The hanging indent in the bibliography is 1.5 cm. The line spacing should be 1 cm, and the transition interval between references should be arranged as 0 pt and then 6 pt.

Titles: The article should be organized in a way that consists of main headings and subheadings.

• Article Title: At the beginning of the first page, centered, first letters in capital, 12 pt, single line spacing, 30 pt before and 12 pt after, Turkish articles should be written under the Turkish title in English.

• Sub-Headings: The headings created according to the content of the article should be prepared in 11 pt, bold and in Arabic numerals (1.- 1.1.1.-1.1.1.1...etc.). The main and subheadings in the text of the article should be written in the form of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, with the first letter characters capitalized. The subheadings to be listed under the main headings in the text should be prepared according to the sequence number of the main heading they belong to, as 1.1., 1.2... at the second level; 1.1.1., 1.1.2... at the third level, with the first letter of the first word in the title capitalized and the letters of the other words lowercase.

Abstract, Keywords / Keywords: It is mandatory to include keywords in the article in accordance with the Turkish “Abstract”, English “Abstract” and the text content.

• Regardless of whether the language of the article is Turkish or English, it should have a Turkish “Abstract” section between 150-250 and an “Absract” section and the English abstract should be in full conformity with the Turkish abstract.

in English between 150-250 words. Abstract and abstract should be arranged in 9 font size and one paragraph. 3 or 5  keywords suitable for the article by creating the title “Keywords” just below the “Keywords” and “Abstract” just below the Abstract; 9 font size, the first letters of the keywords should be capitalized and the other letters should be lowercase.

Extended Abstract in Turkish: We will require an extended English abstract of at least 750 and a maximum of 1000 words for all articles accepted for publication immediately after the abstract in our journal by 2023. Depending on the type of article, an extended abstract may include different subheadings. 

Tables, Figures, Graphics and Pictures: If the tables, figures, graphics and pictures used in the text are not originally created by the author (s), they can be used in the text by indicating the source.

• Tables, Graphics, Pictures and Figures: Tables, graphs and figures used in the text should be listed as Table 1, Table 2/ Graph 1, Graph 2/ Picture 1, Picture 2/ Figure 1, Figure 2 ... etc., and titles should be written above the tables and graphs. Titles should be left justified and the first words used in the title should be capitalized and italicized. The source of the tables and graphics should be indicated by opening the "Source" heading just below the unoriginal tables, graphics and pictures justified to the left.

REFERENCES and CİTATİONS: Citations an references made in the article should be arranged in accordance with APA 7 rules. Click here for the APA citation rules.

Book Reviews: The following points should be considered when writing book reviews.
1- Book reviews should be between 2000-2500 words.
2- The book should be evaluated from a multi-faceted critical-critical perspective (by addressing the strengths and weaknesses of the book).
3- In the evaluation, the theses put forward by the author should be put forward and if the evaluator disagrees with the author's thesis, the reasons should be explained justifiably.
4- In the evaluations, the position-effect of the work in the field and its contribution to the field should be revealed.
5- Has there been a previous evaluation of the book? If so, these evaluations should be mentioned. If an evaluation has been made before, the original value of the work should be revealed.
6- The author should be introduced and his/her importance in the field should be emphasized.
7- The main discussion topics of the book and the dimensions of these discussions should be revealed.
8- The evaluation should be organized in such a way that the flow of the text is from general to specific.



The publication policy of the Media and Culture is based on the improvement and dissemination of information in an impartial and respectful manner. The processes applied in line with this policy directly affect the quality of the studies submitted by authors and affiliated institutions. Peer-reviewed studies support and materialize the scientific method. Therefore, all the parties taking part in the process (authors, readers, researchers, publishers, reviewers, editors) should comply with the ethical principles.

Media and Culture expects all its parties to take on the following ethical responsibilities as part of the publication ethics. The ethical duties and responsibilities listed below are based on the guidelines and policies published as open access by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).  COPE workflow diagrams.

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal is essential for the development of a coherent and respected knowledge network. Peer-reviewed articles support and develop scientific methods. Therefore, it is important for all relevant parties involved in the publishing process, including authors, journal editors, reviewers, and publishing agencies, to agree on the expected ethical behaviors and standards.

1. Ethical Principles
1. Authorship of the Paper:
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included in the paper and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

2. Conflicts of Interest:

Authors: All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.
Reviewers: Referees should inform the journal editor about the evaluation process if they suspect any conflict of interest in the article they are evaluating, and refuse article evaluation if necessary. In order to prevent conflict of interest, people in the institutions where the article authors are working cannot referee the article.
Editors: Editors should not have personal or financial conflicts of interest with articles.

3. Data Access and Retention:
Authors are asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data, if practicable, and should in any event be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

4. Data Fabrication and Falsification:
Fabrication and/or falsified experimental results, including the manipulation of images.

5. Duplicate / Multiple Submission(s):
Manuscripts that are either found to have been submitted elsewhere or published elsewhere. If authors have used their own work, either previously submitted or published, as the basis for a submitted manuscript, they are required to cite the previous work. They also need to indicate how novel contributions are offered in their submitted manuscript, over and above those of the previous work.

6. Intellectual Property
• Authors certify that their submitted manuscript (and any supporting items) are their own intellectual property and the copyright has not been transferred to others.
• Authors certify that the manuscript contains no plagiarism, no fabrication, no falsification, no manipulated citations and that the manuscript conforms to JSS authorship policies.
• All manuscripts, revisions, drafts, and galleys remain the intellectual property of the author(s). Except as stated in the agreed license, the author(s) retain the copyright to their work.
• Authors, reviewers, and editors agree to keep all communications, comments, or reports from reviewers or editors confidential.
• Reviewers and editors agree to keep all manuscripts, revisions, and drafts confidential, with the exception of the final published galley(s).

7. Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern
• Editors may make corrections if they detect minor errors in the published article that do not affect the findings, interpretations, or results.
• Editors may retract the article in case of major errors/violations that invalidate the findings and results.
• Editors may issue a statement of concern if there is a possibility of abusive research or publication by the authors, if there is evidence that the findings are unreliable and the authors' institutions have not investigated the incident, or if the potential investigation seems unfair or inconclusive. COPE and ICJME guidelines are taken into account with regard to the correction, retraction, and expression of concern.

8. Publication of Studies Based on Surveys and Interviews
Aiming to establish ethical assurance in scientific periodicals, Media and Culture journal adopts the principles of the "Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" and the "Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers" published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). In this scope, the following aspects should be adhered in the studies submitted to the journal:
• Ethics committee approval should be obtained for research conducted in all the disciplines that require ethics committee approval, and this approval should be stated and documented in the article.
• In studies that require ethics committee approval, information about the approval (committee name, date and issue number) may be included in the method section of the study. However, in case reports, information about the informed consent and the signed consent form should be included in the Article Information Form at the end of the article.

The studies that require ethics committee approval are as follows:
• All kinds of research conducted with qualitative or quantitative approaches that require data collection from participants through surveys, interviews, focus group works, observations, experiments and other interview techniques.
• Use of humans and animals (including material/data) for experimental or other scientific purposes,
• Clinical studies conducted on humans,
• Studies conducted on animals,
• Retrospective studies in accordance with the law on the protection of personal data,
Also;
• A statement confirming that an "informed consent form" has been received in case reports,
• Obtaining permission from the owners for the use of scales, surveys or photographs belonging to others,
• A statement confirming that copyright regulations are met for the intellectual and artistic works used.

9. Policy of Publishing Additional or Special Issues

A special issue can be published in our journal once a year upon the request of the Editorial Board. The publication processes of the articles sent to be included in the special issue are the same as the standard processes.
1. Additional or Special issue: An issue published in addition to the regular issues of a periodically published journal. It may consist of conference papers or a series of articles focusing on a specific topic.
2. Page numbering in the additional or special issue is different from the regular issues.
3. The print run of the additional or special issue cannot be more than one third of the regular issue. The special issues containing conference paper abstracts are not included in this scope.
4. Ratios of case reports, compilations and research articles (excluding conference paper abstracts) published in the additional or special issue will be included in the ratios of articles published in other issues.
5. The issues published as a tribute are not accepted as an additional or special issue. Their page numbering and organization are the same as the regular issues.


Actions that violate scientific research and publication ethics are as follows:
(Turkish Council of Higher Education [YÖK] Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive, Article 4)
https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Kurumsal/mevzuat/bilimsel-arastirma-ve-etik-yonetmeligi.aspx
Plagiarism: Showing others' original ideas, methods, data or works as their own work, partially or completely, without reference to scientific rules,
Forgery: Using data that does not actually exist or has been falsified in scientific research,
Distortion: Falsifying the research records or data obtained, displaying the equipment or materials not used in the research as if used, distorting or shaping the results of the research in the interests of the people and organizations that provide support,
Republishing: Presenting repetitive publications as separate publications in academic appointments and promotions,
Slicing: Dividing the results of a research into pieces in an improper way or in a way that disrupts the integrity of the research and publishing each one separately to increase total publication count for academic appointments and promotions,
Unfair Authorship: Including non-contributors in the author list or not including those who have contributed, changing the author's order in an unjustified and inappropriate manner, removing the names of contributors from the work in subsequent editions, using influence to include names among the authors despite not being contributors,

Other ethical violations include:
a) Not specifying the supporting individuals, institutions or organizations and their contributions in the publications made as a result of research conducted with support.
b) Using theses or studies that have not yet been submitted or have not been accepted as a source without the permission of the owner,
c) Not complying with ethical rules in research on humans and animals, not respecting patients' rights in publications,
ç) Violating the provisions of the relevant legislation in biomedical research and other clinical research related to humans,
d) Sharing the information in a work that has been assigned for review with others before it is published without the explicit consent of the author,
e) Misusing resources, spaces, facilities and equipment provided or allocated for scientific research,
f) Deliberately making a false and ungrounded allegation about ethical violation,
g) Publishing the data obtained from surveys conducted as part of a scientific study without the explicit consent of the participants, or without the permission of the relevant institution if the study is conducted in an institution,
h) Harming animal health and ecological balance in research and experiments,
ı) Failing to obtain written permissions from authorities that are required for starting research activities or experiments,
i) Conducting research activities or experiments in violation of the related legislation or the provisions on research and experiments in the international conventions to which Turkey is a party,
j) Disregarding the obligation to inform and warn the relevant authorities about possible harmful practices related to the scientific research.
k) Not using the data and information obtained from other individuals or institutions in scientific studies to the extent and as permitted, not respecting the confidentiality of this information and not ensuring its protection,
l)
Making false or misleading statements regarding scientific research and publications in academic appointments and promotions.

Ethical Guidelines for Authors
• Studies must be original and based on research.
• It must be ensured that all the persons mentioned as authors/co-authors have contributed to the article. It is against scientific ethics to show persons who have not made any academic contribution as additional authors or to rank the authors by non-scientific criteria such as title, age and gender, regardless of the order of contribution.
• In the articles with multiple authors, it should be clearly stated to what extent the authors have contributed to which stage of the article.
• The article should not be sent to different journals at the same time and should not have been sent to another journal before. If it is found to have been sent to another journal, the publication process will be cancelled.
• It is assumed that the authors who submit articles to the journal have read and accepted the publication and writing principles of the journal, and the authors are deemed to have committed to these principles.
• The citations and bibliography should be complete.
• Plagiarism and fake data should be avoided.
• The similarity rate obtained as a result of the similarity checks should not exceed 20% in order to initiate the peer review process.
• An article may be included in a maximum of 2 PRE-REVIEW processes. The article will be rejected if the feedback conveyed to the author is not revised.

•Authors should not resubmit the same studies previously rejected in our journal. In such a case, the studies will be rejected.

• The corresponding author must inform the journal editor in case of any conflict of interest.
In this scope, WAME can be referred:
https://www.wame.org/conflict-of-interest-in-peer-reviewed-medical-journals 

Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers
• Peer reviewers should be aware that they play a critical role in the academic quality of the article to be published in the journal, and they should engage in the peer review process with the responsibility of improving academic quality.
• Peer reviewers should only accept to review articles for which they have the expertise to make an appropriate assessment. They should also respect the confidentiality of the blind peer review process and keep the details of the article confidential at all costs.
• After the review process, any information about the reviewed article should not be shared with others under any circumstances.
• Peer reviewers should only evaluate the accuracy of the content of the articles and their compliance with academic criteria. Any difference of opinions between the article's argument and the peer reviewer should not affect the review process.
• Peer review reports should be objective and measurable. Libelous, derogatory or accusatory expressions should definitely be avoided.
• Peer reviewers should avoid superficial or inaccurate statements in their peer review reports. In reviews with negative results, a complete justification should be presented on the aspects that led to the negative result.
• Peer reviewers should review the articles within the time period allotted to them. If they are not going to review the article, they should notify the journal within a reasonable time.

Ethical Guidelines for Editors
• Editors should accept articles that will contribute to the relevant areas specified in the journal policy.
• Editors should not have any conflict of interest with accepted or rejected articles.
• Editors have full responsibility and authority to accept or reject an article.
• It is editors' responsibility to keep the names of peer reviewers and authors mutually confidential.
• Only the articles that will contribute to the relevant field should be accepted.
• If an error is detected, editors should support the correction or retraction of the error.
• It is the duty of editors to complete the pre-review, peer review, editing and publishing processes of the articles submitted to the journal in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Editors should not assign people who do not contribute to the journal as editorial board members or associate editors.

2. Publication Policy
Language
Media and Culture publishes articles written in Turkish and English. Turkish language articles should also include English abstracts. Turkish abstracts are not required in English language articles. If the article is written in a language other than English, an extended English summary should be added after the bibliography. The extended summary should be in line with the rules of writing applied in the article and should be between 750 and 1000 words.

Change of Authorship
Media and Culture accepts article authors according to the statement on the Title Page of the article. Therefore, it is the responsibility of authors to submit the final version of the full author list. Requests for any change of authorship after the submission of the article (e.g removal/addition of authors, change of order, etc.) are subject to editorial approval. The Editorial Board will investigate such cases and act according to the COPE flowcharts.

Requests for a change of authorship should be conveyed to the Editor with an official letter stating the reasons for the change. The letter should be signed by all the authors and include their confirmation of the change of authorship. If the request is approved by the Editorial Board, the authors are required to submit a new Copyright Agreement Form according to the final author list.

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in the articles published in the journal are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Media and Culture and its Editor-In-Chief, Editors, Editorial Board or Publisher. The Editor-in-Chief, Editors, Editorial Board and Publisher assume no responsibility or liability for such cases. The sole responsibility for the published content lies with the authors.

Complaints and Appeals
Media and Culture handles complaints and appeals by following the below procedure. Complaints including but not limited to the long delays in handling studies and publication ethics initially are handled by the Editor-in-Chief of Communication . The Editor-in-Chief examines complaints and appeals together with Area Editors and Editorial Board if applicable. If anything occurs about complaints and appeals please contact medyavekultur@sakarya.edu.tr

Complaints about the Content of a Paper
The Editor -in-Chief examines the complaints of the author(s), and the reports of reviewers and make a decision about:
- The confirmation of the rejection of the paper,
- The appeal of the author should be considered,
- A fresh opinion from an independent reviewer is needed.
The final decision of the Editor-in-Chief is notified to the author(s). The explanation of the consequences of the appeal is shared with the author(s) if necessary. This is the final decision of Media and Culture .

Complaints about Processes
The complaints about processes are handled by the Editor-in-Chief. Long delays in handling studies are examined by editors of Media and Culture and any necessary issues are shared with the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the complaints, and when necessary, information is shared with the authors.

Complaints about Ethics
The Editor-in-Chief considers complaints about publication ethics of the author’s or reviewer’s conduct. The Editor-in-Chief follows the publication ethics which are published on the  Media and Culture website. The editorial board of Media anad Culture examines the concern of complainants or reviewers. The details and progress of the examination are shared with the complainant(s) clearly. The Editor-in-Chief or Assistant Editors provide feedback to the complainant(s) on the manner of action and the final decision.

Privacy Statement
The private information that is held in the administration system of Media and Culture will not be shared with any third party and will only be used in accordance with the scientific purposes of this journal and Media and Culture. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the article has been seen and approved by all the other authors.

                                                                                               

The average time during which the preliminary assessment of manuscripts is conducted: 3-7
The average time during which the reviews of manuscripts are conducted: 60
The average time in which the article is published: 90

• Media and Culture does not request any fees for article submission, reviewing and editing processes, page-layout and publication (page or color fees).
• Media and Culture does not pay any fees to authors, reviewers, editors and editorial board members.
• All papers on Media and Culture are free to read and download.
• Media and Culture sign on to the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), which promotes free access to research literature, and has adopted the Open Access Principles that clarified in this initiative.
• All papers on Media and Culture are archived with LOCKSS (Lots Of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system through TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM DergiPark.
• Media and Culture does not accept announcements, advertisements, sponsorships, etc. due to its publication policy.
• Media and Culture is an open-access journal which does not request any subscription fees.
• We do not offer a reprint service for those requiring professional quality reproductions of papers
* All expenses of the Media and Culture journal are covered by Sakarya University.