Sinop University Social Sciences Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, scientific integrity, transparency, and editorial independence throughout the publication process.
The journal follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE Core Practices), the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye (YÖK) Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics, the ICMJE Recommendations, and other internationally recognized ethical publishing standards.
Peer-reviewed publishing is an essential component of scholarly communication and contributes to the advancement of reliable scientific knowledge. Accordingly, all participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, readers, and the publisher—are expected to comply with the ethical principles described below.
1. Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are expected to:
- submit only original and unpublished manuscripts;
- ensure that the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal;
- present accurate, reliable, and verifiable research data;
- acknowledge all sources appropriately;
- list as authors only individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions;
- disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest;
- obtain ethics committee approval and informed consent where applicable;
- cooperate with editors during the peer-review and publication processes;
- promptly notify the editorial office if a significant error is discovered after publication.
The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, salami publication, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, or any other form of research misconduct.
2. Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers are expected to:
- evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and confidentially;
- provide constructive comments supported by scholarly arguments;
- declare any potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review invitation;
- decline review invitations when unable to provide an objective assessment;
- identify relevant published studies that have not been cited by the authors where appropriate;
- refrain from using unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal benefit.
3. Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for:
- making editorial decisions solely on scholarly merit;
- ensuring a fair, objective, and confidential peer-review process;
- selecting qualified reviewers;
- avoiding conflicts of interest;
- protecting the confidentiality of authors and reviewers;
- investigating suspected ethical misconduct in accordance with COPE guidance;
- issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary;
- safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record.
4. Research Misconduct
The journal considers the following practices to constitute research misconduct:
- plagiarism;
- fabrication;
- falsification;
- duplicate publication;
- redundant publication;
- salami publication;
- inappropriate authorship;
- citation manipulation;
- undisclosed conflicts of interest;
- unethical research involving humans or animals;
- misuse of confidential information obtained during peer review.
Suspected cases are investigated according to COPE guidelines and applicable institutional regulations.
5. Complaints and Appeals
Readers, authors, reviewers, or any third party may submit complaints concerning publication ethics, editorial processes, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other editorial matters.
Complaints should be sent to the editorial office by email. Every complaint is handled confidentially, impartially, and in accordance with COPE recommendations. When necessary, authors, reviewers, and institutions may be contacted during the investigation.
6. Plagiarism Screening
All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened using plagiarism detection software before being sent for peer review.
Manuscripts that contain unacceptable levels of similarity or evidence of plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other forms of publication misconduct are rejected or returned to the authors for clarification.
7. Corrections and Retractions
If significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal may publish:
- Errata
- Corrigenda
- Expressions of Concern
- Retractions
Editorial decisions regarding post-publication updates are made in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines.
