Special issues published by Lokman Hekim Journal are subject to the same standards as those governing the journal's general publication policy, publication ethics principles, and peer-review procedures.
The following principles apply to the preparation and publication of special issues:
1.Responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief: The Editor-in-Chief retains ultimate responsibility for the scientific quality, editorial processes, and compliance with publication ethics of all content published in the journal, including special issues. The subject matter and content of special issues must be consistent with the journal's aims and scope.
2.Editorial Assessment and Peer-Review Process: All manuscripts submitted to special issues are subject to the journal's standard editorial assessment and peer-review procedures. Articles published as part of a special issue must be clearly identified and labelled as such to ensure that readers can readily distinguish them from regular journal content.
3.Selection and Qualifications of Special Issue Editors: The academic expertise, scholarly publication record, and subject-specific qualifications of editors appointed to oversee special issues are evaluated and approved by the publisher and the journal's editorial management.
Special Issue Editors operate under the supervision and oversight of the Editor-in-Chief or members of the Editorial Board designated by the Editor-in-Chief. Final publication decisions remain within the authority and responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief.
1.Conflict of Interest and Independent Peer Review: If Special Issue Editors submit manuscripts to the special issue they oversee, the editorial handling and peer-review processes for those manuscripts must be conducted independently of the Special Issue Editors. Such manuscripts are evaluated by independent editors and external reviewers who have no conflicts of interest. The number of articles authored or co-authored by Special Issue Editors must not exceed 25% of the total number of articles published in the respective special issue.
2. Publication Ethics and Transparency: The principles of research and publication ethics, prevention of conflicts of interest, independence of the peer-review process, and editorial transparency must be strictly observed throughout the preparation and publication of special issues. In cases where research or publication misconduct is suspected, the journal's publication ethics policies and relevant international publishing standards and guidelines shall apply.
