1. Research and Publication Ethics

Sinop University Social Sciences Journal conducts its editorial and publication processes in accordance with the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye (YÖK) Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and Guidelines, the ICMJE Recommendations, and the TR Dizin Ethical Principles.

All submitted manuscripts must comply with the following ethical principles:

• Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another journal.
• Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, salami publication, inappropriate authorship, and citation manipulation are strictly prohibited.
• All sources must be accurately and appropriately cited.
• Where ethics committee approval is required, authors must obtain the necessary approval and report the name of the ethics committee, approval date, and approval number in the manuscript.
• Studies involving human participants must comply with applicable regulations regarding informed consent and the protection of personal data.
• Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and all sources of financial support.

2. Retraction Policy

Sinop University Social Sciences Journal follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines when handling published articles affected by serious ethical violations or significant errors that compromise the reliability of the scholarly record.

A retraction may be issued in cases including, but not limited to:

• plagiarism or copyright infringement;
• data fabrication or data falsification;
• duplicate publication;
• major methodological errors that invalidate the findings;
• ethical or legal violations that seriously undermine the integrity of the publication.

During the retraction process:

• the Editor investigates the case and requests explanations from the relevant parties where appropriate;
• the Editor and Publisher manage the process transparently and in accordance with COPE recommendations;
• the retracted article remains available in the journal archive but is clearly marked "RETRACTED";
• a formal Retraction Notice explaining the reasons for the retraction is published.

3. Post-Publication Corrections

Errors identified after publication are addressed through the following editorial actions, depending on their nature:

• Erratum: Issued to correct minor editorial, typographical, or production errors.
• Corrigendum: Issued to correct significant errors reported by the author that do not invalidate the scientific integrity of the article.
• Expression of Concern: Published when there are serious concerns regarding the reliability of a publication while an investigation is ongoing.
• Retraction: Issued in cases of serious ethical misconduct or when the reliability of the published work has been fundamentally compromised.

All corrections and editorial notices are permanently linked to the original published article.

4. Conflict of Interest Policy for Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring that editorial decisions are made fairly, objectively, and transparently.

Editors must withdraw from the editorial process if they:

• are affiliated with the same institution as the author(s);
• have a close academic collaboration or publication history with the author(s);
• have served as a supervisor, advisor, or maintained another close academic relationship with the author(s);
• have a personal, professional, or financial conflict of interest;
• have any other circumstance that could compromise their impartiality.

In such cases, editorial responsibility is transferred to another qualified editor.

Editors are expected to:

• disclose all conflicts of interest;
• make decisions solely on the basis of scientific merit;
• preserve the confidentiality and integrity of the peer review process;
• investigate allegations of publication misconduct in accordance with the COPE Core Practices and Guidelines.