Publication Ethics

The publication processes of the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences are conducted in accordance with the principle of producing, developing, and disseminating knowledge objectively through scientific methods.

The implementation of the scientific method and the assurance of impartiality are supported by the double-blind peer review process. All components of the publication process—publisher, editors, author(s), and reviewers—are required to comply with ethical principles in the production of scholarly work. In this context, all stakeholders involved in the publication process of the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences must adhere to the guidelines and policies of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). In addition, the rule regarding ethics committee approval, which has been in effect since 21.02.2020 under TR Dizin regulations, constitutes one of the fundamental ethical principles of the journal.

TR Dizin Journal Evaluation Criteria, Article 8: “For studies conducted in all scientific disciplines, including social sciences, that require an ethics committee decision, ethics committee approval must be obtained, stated in the manuscript, and documented. In studies requiring ethics committee approval, information regarding the approval (name of the committee, date, and approval number) must be provided in the Method section and also on the first/last page of the manuscript. In case reports, it is necessary to state in the manuscript that informed voluntary consent has been obtained.”

Ethics committee approval is not required for review articles. However, for studies that do not require ethics committee approval, it must be explicitly stated in both the Method section and on the final page of the manuscript that such approval is not required.

If ethical violations such as plagiarism, manipulation or distortion of data, or fabrication of data are detected in submitted manuscripts, the affiliated institution of the author(s) is formally notified, and the manuscript is rejected. The journal reserves the right to request output files related to the analysis results from the author(s) based on feedback provided by editors and/or reviewers.

The Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences requires a similarity report for all submitted manuscripts. The similarity rate, excluding references, must not exceed 20%. Manuscripts are also subjected to Turnitin similarity screening by the journal; if a higher similarity rate is detected, the manuscript may proceed to preliminary evaluation only after the author(s) make the necessary corrections.

Although the copyright of manuscripts accepted for publication in the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences belongs to the journal, all legal responsibility regarding the content of published articles rests with the author(s).

Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

Gazi University, the publisher of the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences, is a public higher education institution that operates on a non-profit basis and serves the public interest.

Since 2003, the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences has continued its efforts to disseminate scientific knowledge in the field of Turkish educational sciences with the administrative support of Gazi University.
Gazi University is responsible for using the communication resources at its disposal without pursuing any interests and for properly guiding its target audience. The University ensures open, electronic, and free access to the journal through its website.

The Editorial Board of the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences consists of five faculty members serving at Gazi Faculty of Education, Gazi University. When a member leaves the Board, a new member is appointed by the University. The term of a member whose tenure expires may be extended.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences

• The Editorial Board of the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences is responsible for all processes related to each manuscript submitted to the journal, from submission to publication. This responsibility requires the application of scientific principles in all decisions concerning the journal. The relationship between the publisher and the Editorial Board is based on the principle of independence; all decisions made by the editors are independent of the publisher and other individuals or institutions.
• The Editorial Board of the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences strives to continuously improve the journal and enhance its publication quality.
• The Editorial Board ensures the determination and implementation of journal policies, including those related to publication, double-blind peer review, evaluation processes, and ethical principles.
• The Editorial Board protects the copyright of authors whose articles are published in the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences.
• The Editorial Board is responsible for taking necessary measures regarding intellectual property rights and preventing unethical scientific conduct throughout the manuscript and publication process.

·       The Editorial Board prepares an “Author Guidelines” document addressing the information needs of authors and updates it when necessary.

• The Editorial Board electronically archives all records of manuscripts and all correspondence related to the journal.

     Ethical Responsibilities of Editors and Field Editors

• Editors strive to meet the information needs of reviewers, author(s), researchers, practitioners, and readers; provide feedback when necessary; and act in accordance with the principles of transparency in matters requiring correction and/or clarification during the publication process.
• Editors perform their duties without discrimination based on gender, religion, political beliefs, ethnic origin, or geographical background of the author(s), and act in a balanced, objective, and fair manner.
• When deciding on the publication of manuscripts, editors give due consideration to the originality of the work and its contribution to the scientific literature, as well as its value for readers, researchers, and practitioners.
• In making positive or negative decisions regarding manuscripts, editors take into account the originality and scholarly contribution of the manuscript, the validity and reliability of the research method, the clarity of expression, and the alignment of the study with the aims and scope of the journal.
• Editors implement the journal’s policies on double-blind peer review and evaluation processes, maintain the confidentiality of reviewer identities, and ensure that each manuscript is evaluated impartially and within a reasonable timeframe.
• Editors assign manuscripts to field editors in accordance with their areas of expertise and support impartial and independent evaluations.
• Field editors assign manuscripts to reviewers based on their areas of expertise and support impartial and independent evaluations. For each manuscript, subject editors appoint at least two reviewers from different institutions. If at most one of these reviewers recommends rejection, a third reviewer is appointed.
• Editors consider potential conflicts of interest or mutual interests among subject editors, reviewers, and author(s) to ensure impartial evaluation.
• Editors seek to maintain and continuously update a diverse and comprehensive reviewer pool.
• Editors prevent evaluations that do not comply with academic standards and that lack scientific rigor.
• Editors support the freedom of expression of author(s).
• Editors maintain effective communication with all members involved in the publication process and hold meetings at regular intervals.
• Editors ensure the protection of personal data in evaluated manuscripts and safeguard the personal information of authors, reviewers, and readers.
• Editors pay attention to the protection of human and animal rights in manuscripts, require documentation of informed consent from participants, and reject empirical studies requiring ethics committee approval if such approval has not been obtained.
• Editors take measures against misconduct. In cases of allegations of misconduct, they conduct an objective investigation and share the findings.
• Editors ensure the correction of errors, inconsistencies, or misleading information in manuscripts.
• Editors protect the intellectual property rights of published manuscripts and defend the rights of the journal and author(s) in cases of infringement. They also take necessary measures to prevent violations of the intellectual property rights of other publications and conduct originality and similarity checks.
• Editors consider consistent criticisms of published manuscripts and grant the author(s) the right to respond to such criticisms.
• Editors publish the submission and acceptance dates of manuscripts.
• Editors also take into consideration studies reporting negative results.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

The Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences applies a double-blind peer review process in which authors do not know the reviewers and reviewers do not know the authors. Reviewers may not communicate directly with the author(s); evaluation forms, comments on the manuscript, and revision requests are transmitted to the author(s) by the editors through the journal management system. Reviewers who evaluate manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences must adhere to the following ethical responsibilities:

• Reviewers should accept only manuscripts that fall within their area of expertise.
• Reviewers must conduct evaluations impartially and confidentially. In accordance with this principle, they must assess manuscripts in compliance with scientific and ethical standards and avoid providing any information that may reveal their identity.
• If reviewers recognize a conflict of interest or a competing interest, they must decline to review the manuscript and inform the editors.
• Reviewers must provide evaluations in accordance with academic standards, using constructive language, and must refrain from personal comments containing insults or hostility.
• Reviewers must complete the evaluation of manuscripts they have agreed to review within the specified timeframe.

Ethical Responsibilities of Author(s)

The ethical responsibilities of author(s) submitting manuscripts to the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences are as follows:

• Author(s) must not submit a manuscript that has been previously published or is under consideration elsewhere to the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences and must confirm their acceptance of this rule by completing the journal’s Copyright Transfer Form.
• If author(s) wish to submit another manuscript to the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences before the review process of a previous submission has been completed, they accept in advance that, should both manuscripts be accepted, they will be published in different volumes (years).
• Author(s) must submit original manuscripts to the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences.
• If the manuscript is derived from a graduate thesis or a project, this must be stated in the appropriate place on the first page of the manuscript.
• If part or all of the manuscript has been presented at a scientific symposium or conference, this must be indicated in the appropriate place on the first page of the manuscript.
• Author(s) must properly cite all sources used in the preparation of the manuscript in accordance with ethical principles.
• Author(s) must determine the similarity rate of their manuscript and submit it to the journal only if it does not exceed the 20% threshold.
• Individuals who have not contributed to the manuscript must not be listed as authors; no request should be made to change the order of authors, remove an author, or add an author after submission. The contribution rates of co-authors must be declared in the relevant section at the end of the manuscript.
• Author(s) must inform the editors of any conflicts of interest or competing interests related to the submitted manuscript and disclose this information in the relevant section at the end of the manuscript.
• Author(s) must include a statement of funding and acknowledgment, if applicable, in the relevant section at the end of the manuscript.
• During the review process, author(s) must provide any requested information or raw data related to their manuscript to the editors.
• Author(s) are required to retain the data related to their published manuscripts for a period of five years.
• If author(s) identify an error in a manuscript under review or already published electronically, they must contact the editor to inform, correct, or withdraw the manuscript.
• For empirical studies requiring ethics committee approval, author(s) must obtain such approval and indicate the name of the ethics committee, the date, and the approval number in the relevant section on the final page and in the Method section of the manuscript, and upload the approval document to the system at the time of submission. In addition, in case reports, information confirming that informed consent has been obtained must be included in the Method section.
• Author(s) must provide evidence within the manuscript that ethical principles were observed during the data collection process (e.g., obtaining permission for the use of scales, questionnaires, photographs, or similar materials developed by others). Manuscripts must state that research and publication ethics, as well as copyright regulations concerning intellectual and artistic works, have been observed. If the research involves human or animal subjects, it must be stated that the study was conducted in accordance with ethical principles.
• Ethics committee approval is not required for review articles. However, for studies that do not require ethics committee approval, it must be stated in both the Method section and on the final page of the manuscript that such approval is not required.
• Author(s) accept in advance that, if their manuscript is accepted, they will prepare the English version of the accepted text and upload a proofreading certificate.

Publication Policy

The Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences is a national, peer-reviewed scientific journal published electronically three times a year (April, August, and December) and operating under a double-blind peer review process. The publication languages of the journal are Turkish and English.

The Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences, recognizing that access to information is essential for the advancement of scientific research, supports the open-access initiative in scholarly publishing and provides all published articles free of charge in an online environment where they can be read and downloaded by anyone. Considering the role of knowledge sharing in the advancement of science, open access is of great importance for researchers and readers. Therefore, articles published in this journal may be used provided that proper citation is given to the author(s) and the original source. No permission from the author(s) or the publisher is required.

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences undergo a preliminary evaluation process in which compliance with the template, required supplementary files, and similarity rate is checked. Manuscripts that pass this stage are assigned to a field editor based on their areas of expertise. The field editor appoints two reviewers from different institutions who are experts in the relevant field. If both reviewers recommend “accept as is” or “publish after revision,” the manuscript is accepted following the field editor’s evaluation. If reviewers request to see the manuscript again after revision, the revised manuscript submitted by the author(s) is sent to the requesting reviewers for a second round of review. At the conclusion of the evaluation process, a manuscript that receives approval from two reviewers is accepted after the subject editor’s final assessment. If one reviewer recommends rejection, the field editor appoints a third reviewer. A manuscript that receives a total of two rejection decisions is rejected by the field editor. After a manuscript receives acceptance, the author(s) are requested to submit the final English version of the text along with a proofreading certificate. Once the English version is received, the manuscript is sent for Turkish and English language editing, and reference checks are conducted. These processes are carried out in collaboration with the author(s). After the author(s) complete the required revisions, page numbers are assigned and the manuscript is typeset. Following typesetting, the manuscript is sent to the author(s) for final proofreading. After publication approval is received from the author(s), the manuscript is published. The Editorial Board determines which manuscripts will appear in the forthcoming issue, taking into account the journal’s publication volume and the acceptance dates of the manuscripts.

Artificial Intelligence Statement

The Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences’ approach to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is aligned with the ethical guidelines published by COPE, WAME (World Association of Medical Editors), and the Council of Higher Education (Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence).

AI-based tools may generate outputs that are inaccurate, incomplete, or biased, yet presented in a persuasive and authoritative tone. Therefore, the ultimate responsibility for verifying and ensuring the accuracy of any content generated with AI support lies with the researchers and authors.

Authors, reviewers, and editors/publishers must adhere to the following principles when using artificial intelligence:

• Authors must not list artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies as authors or cite them as such.

• Since AI tools may incorporate information from sources without proper citation, including copyrighted materials, it is the responsibility of individuals to provide appropriate references, obtain necessary permissions when required, and ensure that no plagiarism has occurred when using AI-generated content.

• As manuscripts submitted to the journal contain confidential communication and author information, the use of AI tools in the processing or evaluation of manuscripts may violate confidentiality. Editors, reviewers, or publishers must not upload manuscripts to AI systems that cannot guarantee confidentiality without the explicit consent of the authors.

• Editors/publishers, authors, and reviewers must be transparent about the use of AI tools at every stage of the publication process, including manuscript preparation, editing, and review. When AI is used, the user must disclose which tool was used and for what purpose.

Authors who use AI tools are required to comply with the following rules:

• Text Editing: AI may be used to correct grammar or improve the fluency of the text; however, such use must be explicitly stated in the manuscript.

• Method Section: If AI tools are used in data analysis or coding processes, the name of the tool, its version, and its purpose of use must be clearly specified.

• Visual Production: All visuals generated using AI must indicate their source, and the author must confirm that such visuals do not infringe any copyright.

• Literature Review: References suggested by AI tools must be manually verified individually to avoid the risk of fabricated sources (“hallucinations”). For electronically accessed sources, a DOI must be provided when available; otherwise, the access URL must be included.

Example of Transparency Statement

The following statement must be included in the declaration section at the end of the manuscript:

“In the [relevant section] of this study, [Tool Name and Version] was used for [Purpose of Use, e.g., language editing/data visualization]. All outputs were verified by the authors, who assume full responsibility for the content.”