There are certain rules that the stakeholders of the Hacettepe Journal of Sports Sciences —namely editors, reviewers, and authors—must observe. Regarding the duties and responsibilities of these stakeholders, the Hacettepe Journal of Sports Sciences adopts the ethical principles published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Ethical Principles to be Observed by Editors (COPE, 2011)
1. Editors must be accountable for everything published in their journals.
2. Editors should strive to meet the needs of readers and authors.
3. Editors should strive to continuously improve their journals.
4. Editors must have processes in place to ensure the quality of the articles they publish.
5. Editors should champion freedom of expression.
6. Journal management must preserve the integrity of the academic record.
7. Editors must ensure that the sources and methods employed do not compromise intellectual norms or ethical standards.
8. Editors should not hesitate to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when necessary.

Ethical Principles for Reviewers (COPE, 2017)
The peer review process relies on the voluntary participation and reliable assessments of the academic community; therefore, it requires all parties to act ethically and responsibly. Reviewers must behave ethically and fairly throughout the article evaluation process, and the review process should be conducted as transparently as possible.

1. Reviewers must adhere to the journal's guidelines and the requirements of the article evaluation process.
2. Potential reviewers must provide journals with verifiable information regarding their areas of expertise. They must also share accurate and up-to-date contact information with the journal.
3. Reviewers should only accept requests to evaluate manuscripts for which they possess the necessary expertise and can remain impartial.
4. Reviewers must personally evaluate the manuscripts they have agreed to review; delegating the evaluation to others constitutes misconduct. No other individual should be involved in the evaluation process without the journal's knowledge and permission. If such involvement occurs, their participation must be noted in the journal's records.
5. Reviewers are obliged to disclose any potential conflicts of interest regarding the manuscripts they are evaluating.
6. Reviewers should not accept manuscripts submitted by authors with whom they have an advisory relationship.
7. Reviewers should not accept manuscripts that are substantially similar to work they are currently preparing or having evaluated for another journal.
8. Reviewers should accept manuscripts only if they can complete the evaluation within the required timeframe; if they need additional time for a manuscript they have accepted, they must notify the journal well in advance. 
9. Reviewers should request any materials they require for the article evaluation process from the journal.
10. Reviewers should support the objective conduct of the evaluation process by adhering to the principles of blind review.
11. Reviewers must inform the journal and seek advice regarding any potential biases they may harbor concerning the authors' personal characteristics in relation to the work under review; they should not proceed with the review while awaiting a response.
12. Reviewers must inform the journal if they suspect the identity of the article's authors.
13. Reviewers are obliged to inform the journal if they encounter any irregularities regarding research and publication ethics.

Ethical Principles for Authors (ICMJE, n.d.)
1. Authors involved in the study agree to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of any part of the work.
2. It is the collective responsibility of the authors to ensure that individuals listed as authors meet the authorship criteria.
3. The corresponding author is the sole individual who assumes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during manuscript submission, peer review, and the publication process.
4. The corresponding author is responsible for providing the administrative documents required by the journal (e.g., ethics committee approval, author contributions, copyright transfer/consent form).
5. The corresponding author must remain accessible to respond promptly to editorial inquiries throughout the process and after the article is published.
6. It is the authors' responsibility to ensure that the work submitted to the journal is original.
7. Authors must ensure that the work has not been submitted to multiple journals simultaneously and must accept responsibility in this regard.
8. Authors must provide complete and accurate citations for the sources utilized during the preparation of the article.

1. COPE. (2011, Mart 7). Code of conduct and best practice guidelines for journal editors. publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_ediotrs_Mar11.pdf
2. COPE. (2017, Eylül). Ethical guidelines for peer reviewers. publicationethics.org/sites/default/files/ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers-cope.pdf
3. ICMJE. (n.d.). Defining the role of authors and contributors. https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html