The Abant Journal of Health Sciences and Technologies adheres to the principle that all published articles must meet the highest ethical and scientific standards relevant to their subject area and must be free from any commercial concerns. In this context, the journal’s editorial and publication processes are structured in accordance with the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the Council of Science Editors (CSE), and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). In addition, the journal follows the principles of the European Association of Science Editors (EASE), the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), and the “Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing” of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
Manuscripts identified as containing plagiarism and/or self-plagiarism are not considered for evaluation. During submission, manuscripts must be screened using the plagiarism detection software provided by the DergiPark system. Manuscripts with a similarity rate exceeding 20%, or those not complying with the journal’s publication principles and scientific standards, are returned to the authors before the review process begins. However, for editors, the 20% similarity threshold is not an absolute criterion; they reserve the right to reject or request revisions if concerns arise.
The scientific and legal responsibility of published manuscripts belongs entirely to the author(s). The opinions and recommendations expressed in the articles are solely those of the authors, and the editorial board cannot be held responsible. Manuscripts must not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal. For each manuscript, authors must complete and submit the Copyright Transfer Form along with the submission. All authors listed must have made a direct scientific and academic contribution to the work. No changes in authorship (addition, removal, or reordering) are permitted after submission.
Faculty members of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University are natural members of the advisory board. Manuscripts may also be sent to reviewers outside the university. Submitted manuscripts are evaluated through a double-blind peer review process without disclosing author identities. Manuscripts are reviewed particularly in terms of scientific validity, content quality, structure, and language.
Editors have the authority to request revisions, shorten, reformat, or reject manuscripts that do not comply with publication requirements. Submitted manuscripts are not returned to authors, whether accepted or rejected. All publication and copyright rights of accepted manuscripts belong to the Abant Journal of Health Sciences and Technologies.
The journal follows an open access policy, and no fees are charged at any stage of submission, evaluation, or publication. This includes submission fees, editorial processing charges, article processing charges (APCs), page charges, and colour charges. No fees are charged under any name for submitted, reviewed, or published manuscripts. There is also no fee for article withdrawal.
The Abant Journal of Health Sciences and Technologies is the official publication of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University. After publication, all rights of the articles belong to the journal. Articles published in the journal may not be copied, reproduced, or distributed in whole or in part without proper citation.
ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The publication processes of the journal aim to ensure the impartial and respected development and dissemination of scientific knowledge. All stakeholders involved in the process (editors, reviewers, authors, researchers, and readers) are expected to comply with ethical standards.
Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for all processes related to the publication and post-publication stages of manuscripts submitted to the journal. Editors act impartially and in the public interest when making decisions regarding the journal and published articles. They ensure independent editorial decision-making and are committed to the protection of human and animal rights in published studies.
Editors ensure that manuscripts are evaluated by experts in the relevant field and carefully consider potential conflicts of interest between reviewers and authors. Editors must not have any personal or financial conflicts of interest with the manuscripts they handle. If an editor is listed as an author in a submitted manuscript, they are excluded from its evaluation process.
The editorial board maintains confidentiality throughout the double-blind peer review process and does not disclose information about authors or reviewers to either party. Authors may request information regarding the status of their manuscripts without compromising the blind review process.
Submission and acceptance dates are published in the articles. Editors strive to improve the journal and enhance publication quality.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
The journal operates under a double-blind peer review system. Reviewers do not communicate directly with authors; instead, their evaluation forms and comments are conveyed through editors via the journal management system.
Reviewers are assigned manuscripts within their area of expertise. If a reviewer considers themselves unqualified, unable to complete the review in time, or identifies a conflict of interest, they must inform the editor and withdraw from the process.
Reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality and evaluate manuscripts objectively and impartially. They must not allow factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, political views, or commercial interests to influence their evaluation. Reviews should be constructive, professional, and free from personal criticism. Reviewers must submit their evaluations within the allocated time.
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are responsible for the scientific content and ethical compliance of their manuscripts. For all studies involving human or animal subjects, ethics committee approval is required, and informed consent and institutional approval must be clearly stated.
All studies involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. Authors must indicate in the Materials and Methods section that ethical approval was obtained (including approval number and date), institutional permission was granted, and informed consent was obtained.
For studies involving animals, authors must declare compliance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and confirm ethical committee approval.
In case reports, patient identity must be protected, informed consent must be obtained, and patient confidentiality must be ensured.
Manuscripts must be original, and similarity reports must be documented. Authors must properly cite all sources used. If previously published tables, figures, or text are included, written permission from copyright holders must be obtained and stated in the manuscript.
Authors must be prepared to provide raw data and additional information upon request by the editor.
All listed authors must meet the authorship criteria defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Individuals who do not meet authorship criteria but contributed to the work should be acknowledged in the acknowledgements section. Suspicion of “gift authorship” will result in rejection without further review.
Changes in authorship (addition, removal, or reordering) are not permitted after submission. Authors must have ORCID identifiers.
All potential conflicts of interest must be declared. If there is any direct or indirect financial support or commercial relationship, authors must clearly disclose it on the title page.
Manuscripts must not be submitted to more than one journal simultaneously. Previously published work must not be submitted to this journal.
POLICY ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND AUTOMATED TOOLS
The Abant Journal of Health Sciences and Technologies adopts the following policy regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated tools in scholarly publishing, in line with ethical, transparent, and accountable publishing principles. This policy covers generative AI systems (including large language models and chatbots).
Responsibilities of the Journal and Publisher
Automated tools used by the journal or publisher (e.g., similarity detection, image manipulation detection, reviewer suggestion systems) are transparently disclosed and appropriately tested before use. Such tools are strictly supportive in nature, and their outputs are always verified by editors or authorized staff. Final decisions regarding text similarity, image manipulation, data integrity issues, or undeclared AI use are made by human judgment.
Responsibilities of Editors
Editors may not use generative AI tools to make editorial decisions. Final decisions must be based on human evaluation. Editors are responsible for ensuring ethical and confidential use of AI-assisted tools. All outputs of automated systems used in editorial processes must be verified under human oversight (human-in-the-loop principle).
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers must not use generative AI tools to prepare peer review reports, due to risks such as confidentiality breaches, superficial evaluation, bias, inaccurate information, and fabricated references. Reviewers must not upload or share any manuscript content with AI tools without author permission. Limited use of AI for language editing or clarity improvement may be acceptable only if disclosed to the editor.
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors must disclose any use of generative AI or automated tools during manuscript preparation in a transparent manner. (Basic uses such as grammar checking, spelling correction, and formatting are excluded from this requirement.) Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, reliability, and scientific validity of any AI-generated content used in their work. Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors. Generative AI tools cannot be cited as sources.
This policy is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure the integrity of scientific publishing and the maintenance of ethical standards.