Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

Publication Ethics Principles
Publication ethics can be defined as a self-regulation mechanism on behalf of authors, reviewers, and publishers, insisting on honesty to establish higher editorial processing standards. Ethical standards for publications exist to ensure high-quality scientific publications, public trust in scientific findings, and the credibility of individuals' ideas.
• Honest researchers do not engage in plagiarism.
• They do not incorrectly attribute sources.
• They do not hide objections they cannot refute.
• They do not distort opposing viewpoints.
• They do not destroy or conceal data.

Peer-reviewed studies are research that supports and implements the scientific method. In this regard, adherence to ethical principles by all parties involved in the publication process (authors, readers, researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) is of great importance. Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences adheres to national and international standards regarding research and publication ethics. It complies with the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive. Necmettin Erbakan UniversityJournal of the Faculty of Political Sciences has also adopted the International Ethical Publishing Principles published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). It also commits to the decisions of the Turkish Editors Workshop.
Press Law (National Legislation)
Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)
Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive (National Legislation)
Transparency and Best Practices in Academic Publishing (International Criteria)
Turkish Editors Workshop Decisions (National Criteria)

Duplicate Publication
Duplicate publication is the publication of the same article or substantially similar articles in multiple journals. The editor will reject such articles without review. Subsequently, the editor may impose an embargo on the author attempting duplicate publication, publicly disclose this situation in the journal where the article was previously published (perhaps as a simultaneous announcement with the editor of the previous journal that published the article), or apply these measures together.

Simultaneous Submission to Multiple Journals
Authors cannot submit the same article to multiple journals simultaneously. The editor reserves the right to consult with the editor(s) of the other journal(s) if they learn about a possible simultaneous submission. Additionally, the editor may return the article without review, reject it without considering the reviews, or make this decision after discussing it with the relevant other editor(s) and may decide not to accept article submissions from the authors for a certain period. Moreover, they may also inform the authors' employers or implement all of these measures simultaneously.

Preventing Plagiarism
Presenting the ideas, methods, data, applications, writings, figures, or works of others as one's own, either partially or entirely, without giving proper scientific attribution in accordance with established rules is considered plagiarism. Journal of Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Political Sciences scans all submitted articles to prevent plagiarism. The presence of plagiarism in the submitted works is checked using Turnitin & iThenticate software, and a similarity rate of less than 15% without reference and/or less than 30% with references is expected. The primary measure of similarity rate is whether the author adheres to citation and referencing rules. Even if the similarity rate is below 1%, if proper citation and referencing are not done, plagiarism may still be considered. Therefore, authors should be familiar with citation and referencing rules and apply them carefully.

Fraud
Generating data not based on research, manipulating or altering a presented or published work to be based on fabricated data, reporting or publishing these, making it appear as though research that was never conducted has been completed, falsifying research records and obtained data, using methods, devices, and materials not used in the research, failing to consider data that is inconsistent with the research hypothesis, manipulating data and/or results to fit relevant theories or assumptions, and distorting or shaping research results to align with the interests of the supported individuals and organizations are all considered unethical behaviors. All articles that do not comply with accepted ethical standards are removed from publication. This includes articles that are found to contain possible irregularities and improprieties after publication.

Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences requires that all research involving personal or sensitive data or materials related to non-public individuals undergo official ethical review.

Handling Research Misconduct Allegations
Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences complies with COPE's Ethical Tool Set for Successful Editorial Boards. The journal's editors will take measures to prevent the publication of articles where plagiarism, citation manipulation, data manipulation, data fabrication, and other research misconduct have occurred. In no case will the editors of Journal of Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Political Sciences knowingly allow such misconduct to occur. If the journal's editors become aware of any allegations of research misconduct related to a published article, they will follow COPE's guidelines in addressing the allegations.

Ethical Violation Reports
Readers who notice a significant error or mistake in an article published in Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences or have any complaints about editorial content (plagiarism, duplicate publications, etc.) can report them by sending an email to neusbfj@gmail.com. We welcome such reports as they provide an opportunity for improvement, and we will respond promptly and constructively.

Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern
Editors may consider publishing a correction if minor errors that do not affect the findings, interpretations, or conclusions are identified in a published article. When major errors or violations that render the findings and results invalid are found, editors should consider retracting the article. If there is a possibility of research or publication misconduct by the authors, and there is evidence that the findings are not reliable or that the authors' institutions have not investigated the matter, editors should consider an expression of concern. Guidelines from COPE and ICJME are taken into account regarding correction, retraction, or expression of concern.

Publication of Survey and Interview-Based Studies
Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences adopts the principles of "Behavioral Rules and Best Practices Guidelines for Journal Editors" and "Behavioral Rules for Journal Publishers" of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to establish ethical assurance in scientific periodical publishing. In this context, the following should be observed in the studies submitted to the journal:
For research in all fields requiring ethical board approval, it should have been obtained, this approval should be stated in the article and documented.
In research requiring ethical board approval, information regarding the approval (committee name, date, and number) should be provided in the methodology section, as well as confirmation in the first/last pages of the article for case reports, stating that informed voluntary consent was obtained.

Special Issue Publication Policy
Upon the request of the Publication Board, one special issue may be published in the journal each year. Articles submitted for inclusion in a special issue undergo initial editorial review. They are then reviewed for compliance with the journal's writing rules and subjected to similarity checks to prevent plagiarism. After these stages, they are subjected to a peer review process using a double-blind model, where both the author and the reviewers are anonymous.
Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences takes the editorial confidentiality obligation seriously, treating all submitted articles as confidential documents. This means that information about a manuscript will not be disclosed to anyone without the author's permission. During the manuscript review process, only the following individuals have access to the manuscript: Editors, Reviewers, and Members of the Editorial Board. The only circumstance under which details about a manuscript can be communicated to a third party without the author's permission is if the editor suspects a serious case of research misconduct.

Scientific Misconduct Allegations and Suspicions:
Scientific misconduct can be defined in various ways. While following the guidance provided by major publication ethics bodies, Journal of Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Political Sciences addresses these issues on a case-by-case basis. Editors are obliged to take action if they suspect scientific misconduct or if an allegation of misconduct is made. This duty applies to both published and unpublished manuscripts. Editors should not simply reject manuscripts that are subject to allegations of misconduct. They should investigate the allegations ethically. When necessary, editors should follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) flowcharts. Editors should first request a response from the individuals under suspicion of misconduct. If they are not satisfied with the response, they should ask the relevant employer or institution to investigate. Editors should make every reasonable effort to ensure that an appropriate investigation of alleged misconduct is conducted; if not, they should persistently seek a resolution to the problem. This is a laborious but crucial task.
Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences adheres to COPE's Ethical Toolkit for Successful Journal Publishing. The Journal editors will take precautions to prevent the publication of articles where plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, and other forms of research misconduct have occurred. In no case will the Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences or its editors knowingly permit such misconduct to take place. The editors of  Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences are committed to following COPE guidelines if they become aware of any allegations of research misconduct regarding an article published in their journal.
Reviewers should report to the Editor any suspicions they have regarding research or publication misconduct. The Editor is responsible for taking the necessary actions in line with COPE recommendations.

The Journal of Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Political Sciences commits to applying COPE flowcharts when encountering allegations of misconduct in the following or similar areas:
• What to do if you suspect redundant (duplicate) publication
• What to do if you suspect plagiarism
• What to do if you suspect fabricated data
• What to do if you suspect fake authorship/institution
• What to do if you suspect a change in authorship is planned
• What to do if you suspect undeclared conflict of interest
• What to do if you suspect ghost/gift authorship
• What to do if you suspect ethical problems with a paper
• What to do if you suspect misconduct reported via email or other means
• What to do if you suspect ethical misconduct reported on social media

Complaints Procedure:
This procedure applies to complaints regarding content, procedures, or policies for which Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences or its editorial staff is responsible. Complaints can provide an opportunity and incentive for improvement, and we aim to respond quickly, courteously, and constructively.
Complaints should be related to content, procedures, or policies that are the responsibility of Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences or its editorial staff. Complaints should be sent by email to neusbfj@gmail.com and will be treated as confidential. The Editor will respond promptly to complaints. If the complainant is not satisfied with the initial response, the complainant may request that the complaint be escalated to a more senior member of the editorial team.
Where the complainant remains dissatisfied, complaints may be referred to the Senior Editor. A full response will be provided where possible within two weeks.
COPE publishes an application code for editors of scientific journals. This will facilitate the resolution of disputes between journals and publishers. However, it can only be approached after the Journal's own complaints procedure has been exhausted.

Appeals Process:
We welcome serious appeals regarding evaluations made by editors and reviewers. If you believe we have rejected your paper because we misunderstood the scientific content, please contact our editorial team via neusbfj@gmail.com. At this stage, please do not attempt to submit a revised version of your manuscript. If, after reading your appeal, we agree that your appeal is justified, we may invite you to submit a revised version of your manuscript for further review. In this way, your paper will be resubmitted to the external peer-review process. Please provide as much detail as possible in your appeal letter. Finally, please be aware that we can consider only one appeal for each paper; therefore, write the appeal letter carefully and with full details—you have one chance, so use it wisely. We do not generally engage in lengthy reconsiderations of rejected papers, as we have found that such discussions are often unsatisfactory for both authors and editors.

Conflicts of Interest:
A conflict of interest arises when a primary interest could be unduly influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain or personal rivalry). We believe that we need to know about authors' competing interests to be able to make the best decision about how to handle their paper. It is also important for readers to be aware of authors' competing interests, if any, when they read a paper.
A conflict of interest can take many forms, and examples include consultancies, employment, grants, and honoraria. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed, and the role of the sponsor(s) in the research should be briefly described. If there is no funding, this should be stated. Any potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed as early as possible.
Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences has a process for handling submissions from editors, employees, or board members. Such submissions will be subject to the same peer-review process. The editors, employees, and board members involved in the processing of these submissions are not involved in the decision-making process of their own work. These submissions undergo double-blind peer review.
The editor should not be involved in decisions about papers that they have written themselves. The submission should be assigned to another editor and undergo the full peer-review process. Editors must follow the ICMJE guidelines on conflicts of interest in editorial decision-making.

Research Ethics Principles
Necmettin Erbakan University Journal of the Faculty of Political Sciences upholds the highest standards of research ethics and embraces the international research ethics principles described below. Compliance with ethical rules in articles is the responsibility of the authors.
The design, review, and conduct of research should adhere to principles of integrity, quality, and transparency.
The research team and participants should be fully informed about the purpose of the research, methods used, potential uses of the research, the requirements of participation, and any associated risks.
The confidentiality of information provided by research participants and the privacy of respondents should be ensured. Research should be designed to safeguard the autonomy and dignity of research participants.
Research participants should volunteer to take part in the study and should not be under any form of coercion.
Measures should be taken to prevent harm to participants, and research should be planned to minimize any risks to participants.
Independence in research should be clearly and transparently articulated, and any conflicts of interest should be disclosed.
In experimental studies involving human subjects, written informed consent should be obtained from participants who decide to take part in the research. For children, wards, or those with certified mental illnesses, the approval of a legal guardian is required.
If the study is conducted in any institution or organization, approval must be obtained to conduct the study in that institution or organization.
For studies involving human subjects, the "method" section should indicate that informed consent was obtained from the participants, and ethical approval from the institution where the study was conducted should be noted.

Journal of Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Political Sciences is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY NC).