I. General Publication Principles

The Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice adheres to the highest academic and ethical standards in all stages of the publication process. The journal follows the publishing principles set 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).

Scientific research and publication misconducts include:

Plagiarism: Presenting others’ original ideas, methods, data, or works as one’s own, in whole or in part, without proper citation.
Fabrication: Using data that does not actually exist or has been falsified in scientific research.
Falsification: Distorting research records or data; presenting materials or equipment not used in the research as if they were used; manipulating results in line with the interests of supporting individuals or institutions.
Duplicate Publication: Republishing the same work multiple times and presenting it as separate academic contributions.
Salami Slicing: Inappropriately dividing research results into multiple publications in a way that disrupts the integrity of the study.

Unjustified Authorship: Including individuals who did not contribute significantly as authors or excluding those who did; changing the author order without justification.

II. Authors’ Ethical Responsibilities

Submitted articles must be original works in the field of law and must not have been previously published.
Authors must properly cite all sources and avoid plagiarism.
Authors must not submit the same article to more than one journal.
The Copyright Transfer Form, Ethics Statement, and Conflict of Interest Form must be completed and submitted.
For studies requiring ethical committee approval, the approval document must be submitted along with the manuscript. The name of the committee, date, and number of the decision must be clearly stated on the first and last pages and in the methodology section.
Informed consent from participants must be obtained and stated in the article.
Authors must be prepared to present data and documentation upon request.
Authors are responsible for correcting or withdrawing the article if any error is identified.

III. Ethics Committee Approval Policy

In accordance with Ulakbim TR Index and related legislation, ethics committee approval is mandatory for the following studies:
1) Studies involving data collection through surveys, interviews, experiments, focus groups, etc.
2) Scientific research involving human or animal subjects.
3) Clinical and retrospective studies (subject to personal data protection laws).
If a study does not require ethical approval, this must be explicitly stated.

IV. Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest.
Reviewers must decline to evaluate a manuscript if a conflict of interest exists and must inform the editor.
Editors must avoid conflicts of interest and remain impartial during the decision-making process.

V. Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring a transparent and impartial publication process. In this context, they must:
1) Ensure the implementation and development of publication policies.
2) Investigate allegations of ethical violations and initiate corrections or retractions if necessary.
3) Ensure the protection of personal data, animal/human rights, and intellectual property rights.
4) Make objective decisions on the acceptance of more than one article per author per year.
5) Oversee the integrity of the evaluation process.

VI. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

The journal implements a double-blind peer review process. Reviewers must:
1) Evaluate only manuscripts related to their field of expertise.
2) Maintain impartiality and confidentiality.
3) Not share unpublished content with third parties.
4) Avoid offensive, defamatory, or unscientific language.
5) Complete evaluations within the given time frame.
6) Inform the editor in case of suspected ethical violations or plagiarism.

VII. Publisher’s Ethical Responsibilities

The journal is published by Selçuk University. The publisher is responsible for copyright, archiving, and open access.
The Editorial Board operates independently from the publisher.
All content is made available free of charge in electronic format.

VIII. Article Evaluation and Publication Process

A. Submission

All submissions must be made via the DergiPark system.
The Copyright Transfer Form must be uploaded during the initial submission.
Manuscripts must not have been previously published.

B. Preliminary Review

All submissions are checked for similarity using Turnitin (works exceeding 20% similarity are directly rejected).

Editors may request revisions. Failure to submit corrections within 15 days may result in rejection without notice.

C. Peer Review Process

Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two reviewers.
If the reviewers’ opinions differ, a third reviewer is assigned. However, if both reviewers recommend “major revision,” the manuscript is rejected.

D. Revision Stage

Authors are given one month to complete the revisions. Manuscripts not revised within the deadline will be rejected.

E. Typesetting Stage

The order of publication is determined by the date of acceptance.

IX. Copyright Policy

Submitted manuscripts must not have been previously published or be under review elsewhere.
The author(s) declare and guarantee that:
1) The manuscript is their original work.
2) It does not violate any copyright laws.
3) They grant unlimited rights of reproduction and distribution to the Journal.
4) The manuscript contains no illegal content.
5) If the work is used in any other publication, citation to the journal is mandatory.
6) Authors retain rights not related to copyright (e.g., patents, lectures, presentations).

X. Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism, regardless of intent, constitutes an ethical violation.
All manuscripts are screened using Turnitin.
Those with a similarity index above 20% are directly rejected.

XI. Double-Blind Peer Review Policy

Authors’ and reviewers’ identities are mutually concealed throughout the review process.
All communications occur via the DergiPark system.
Reviewer reports are shared with authors through the editor.

XII. Open Access Policy

The journal supports the Budapest Open Access Initiative, promoting free and unrestricted access to peer-reviewed literature.
All published content is available free of charge.
It can be downloaded, reproduced, and shared for non-commercial use without permission.

XIII. Article Processing Charges (APC) Policy

All expenses of the journal are covered by Selçuk University.
No submission, evaluation, or publication fees are charged to authors.

XIV. Advertising Policy

The acceptance of advertisements is at the discretion of the editor and the journal owner.
Editorial decisions are not influenced by advertisements.
Advertisements are separate from editorial content and prepared independently of the Editorial Board.
The journal does not market or sell products featured in advertisements.
The journal assumes no responsibility for advertisement content; all responsibility lies with the advertiser.
Accepted advertisements may be placed on any page deemed appropriate by the Editorial Board.
Advertisement publication is carried out in accordance with the contract between the advertiser and the journal.
Advertisements must not include discriminatory content based on language, religion, race, gender, age, disability, etc.
Advertisements contrary to societal and publication ethics are not accepted.
Only advertisements for legally approved and licensed products are allowed.
All advertisements must comply with competition laws and relevant regulations.
The journal is not liable for any material damages resulting from errors in advertisements.

XV. AI Policy

With the rapid rise in the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies, the Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice has updated its publication ethics policies as follows:

For Authors:

The use of generative AI and AI-assisted tools must comply with international and institutional policies, including the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). AI tools cannot be credited as authors; authorship is reserved for humans who meet the criteria outlined in the journal's guidelines. When authors incorporate generative AI and AI-assisted technologies into their writing process, these tools should serve solely to enhance the clarity, coherence, and overall readability of the text. Authors are required to explain which AI tools they used and in what context in the AI Declaration section of the article information form. Additionally, authors must ensure that any content generated by AI is free from plagiarism and has been thoroughly validated for accuracy because AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete, or biased. Authors are responsible for all content generated by AI tools.

For Reviewers:

When a researcher is invited to evaluate and provide feedback on a fellow researcher's manuscript in the Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice, it is imperative to treat the document with the utmost confidentiality. The manuscript should only be accessed and handled within the boundaries of ethical and professional conduct. Under no circumstances should reviewers upload the submitted work, whether in whole or in part, to any generative AI tool or similar platform. This confidentiality requirement extends to the peer review report, as it may contain confidential information about the manuscript and/or the authors. Such actions could jeopardize the authors' confidentiality, infringe upon their proprietary rights, and, in cases where the manuscript includes personally identifiable information, potentially result in serious violations of data protection and privacy regulations. Reviewers bear the responsibility of safeguarding the integrity of the peer-review process and respecting the trust placed in them by the authors of the Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice. The reviewer holds full responsibility and accountability for the content of the review report.

"The Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice AI Author Policy permits authors to utilize generative AI and AI-assisted technologies during the writing process before submission. However, this is strictly limited to enhancing the language and readability of their manuscript. Authors are required to provide proper disclosure in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice's AI Policy." Reviewers can find this or similar disclosure in this disclosure within the AI Statement Section of the paper.

For Editors:

A submitted manuscript in the Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice is to be regarded as a confidential document. Editors of the Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice must refrain from uploading a manuscript, or any portion of it, into a generative AI tool, as doing so could compromise the authors' confidentiality and proprietary rights. Furthermore, if the manuscript contains personally identifiable information, such actions might violate data privacy regulations. This confidentiality obligation also applies to all related communications about the manuscript, including notifications and decision letters, since such correspondence may contain sensitive information concerning the manuscript or its authors. Consequently, editors should avoid using AI tools to process these letters, even if the intent is solely to enhance their language or clarity.

The Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice AI Author Policy permits authors to utilize generative AI and AI-assisted technologies during the writing process before submission. However, this is strictly limited to enhancing the language and readability of their manuscript. Authors are required to provide proper disclosure in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Journal of Selçuk University Vocational School of Justice's AI Policy. Editors can locate this disclosure within the AI Statement Section of the paper. If an editor suspects a potential violation of AI policies by an author or reviewer, they should notify the publisher.