The publication processes followed by The Turkish Journal of Health Research—a publication of the Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Institute of Health Sciences—form the basis for the impartial and reputable development and dissemination of knowledge. These processes directly reflect the quality of the work produced by authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed studies are those that embody and reinforce the scientific method. In this context, it is imperative that all stakeholders (including authors, readers, researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) adhere to established ethical standards.

The Turkish Journal of Health Research is committed to national and international standards in research and publication ethics. It complies with the Press Law (a), the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (b), and the Higher Education Institutions’ Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Guidelines (c). Additionally, it has adopted the International Principles of Ethical Publishing as published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) (d).

a)      Press Law

b)      Law on Intellectual and Artistic Work

c)      Higher Education Institutions’ Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Guidelines

d)      Principles of Transparency and Best Practices in Academic Publishing

Within the framework of publication ethics, the journal expects all its stakeholders to assume the following ethical responsibilities:

1. Ethical Principles

Authorship of the Article

Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All authors must actively participate in the writing process. Active participation includes drafting the manuscript or critically reviewing and contributing to revisions that shape the final version.

Everyone who makes a significant contribution should be listed as a co-author. Individuals who have contributed to key aspects of the research project, yet not to the extent required for authorship, should be acknowledged as contributors. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included, that no inappropriate co-authors are listed, and that every co-author has reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission for publication.

Conflicts of Interest

a)      For Authors: All authors must disclose any financial or other significant conflicts of interest that could potentially influence the results or interpretations of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project must be fully disclosed.

b)      For Reviewers: Reviewers should notify the journal’s editorial office if they suspect any conflict of interest in the manuscript under review and, if necessary, decline the review. To prevent conflicts, individuals affiliated with the same institutions as the manuscript’s authors should not act as reviewers.

c)      For Editors: Editors must not have any personal or financial conflicts of interest regarding the manuscripts they oversee.

Data Access and Retention

Authors are required to provide the raw data associated with their manuscript for editorial review. Whenever possible, they should be prepared to make such data publicly accessible and must retain for a reasonable period following publication.

Fabrication of Data and Fraud

The submission must not include any fabricated or falsified experimental results—including manipulated images or data.

Duplicate or Multiple Submissions

Manuscripts that have been submitted elsewhere or published previously will not be accepted. If authors build upon or use their previously submitted or published work as the foundation for a new submission, proper citations must be included. Additionally, authors should clearly state how the new submission differs and contributes beyond previous works.

Intellectual Property Rights

·         Authors confirm that the submitted manuscript (and any supplementary material) is their own intellectual property and that copyright has not been transferred to any third party.

·         Authors must ensure that the manuscript does not contain plagiarism, fabricated data, falsification, or manipulated quotations and complies with the journal’s authorship policies.

·         All manuscripts, revisions, drafts, and proofs remain the intellectual property of the authors. Except as specified in the agreed-upon license, authors retain copyright. Furthermore, all parties—authors, reviewers, and editors—must maintain the confidentiality of all communications, comments, and reports received during the review process.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

·         Editors may issue corrections for minor errors in a published manuscript that do not affect the study’s findings, interpretations, or conclusions.

·         In cases where significant errors or violations that invalidate the study’s findings or conclusions are identified, editors may retract the manuscript.

·         If there is evidence of potential misuse of the research or publication (e.g., unreliable findings or inadequate institutional investigation), editors may issue an expression of concern. In such instances, COPE and ICJME guidelines will be followed regarding corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

Research Requiring Ethical Committee Approval

Research that requires approval from an ethics committee includes, but is not limited to:

Studies employing qualitative or quantitative methods (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, experiments) that involve collecting data from participants.

Research involving the use of human and animal subjects (including materials/data) for experimental or other scientific purposes.

Clinical research on human subjects.

Research conducted on animals.

Retrospective studies as required by the Law on Protection of Personal Data.

Additional requirements include:

For case reports, a statement confirming that an informed consent form was obtained.

For the use of scales, surveys, or photographs owned by others, obtaining and indicating permission from the rightful owners.

A declaration that copyright regulations have been observed for any ideas or artistic works used.

Data Sharing and Reproducibility

The journal encourages authors to submit supplementary materials and data that support the results presented in their manuscripts. If any restrictions apply to the data, these must be communicated to the editorial board during submission.

The journal supports the sharing and public availability of data, provided that such sharing does not violate any privacy or human rights concerns. All cited data, regardless of origin, should be included in the reference list. Authors are encouraged to include a statement on data availability and are advised to make their complete datasets publicly accessible.

Actions Contrary to Research and Publication Ethics

According to Article 4 of the YÖK Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Guidelines, actions that contravene ethical standards include:

a)      Plagiarism: Presenting others’ ideas, methods, data, practices, writings, figures, or works—either partially or wholly—as one’s own without proper citation.

b)      Fabrication: Generating data that are not based on actual research, manipulating or altering results based on untrue data, reporting such data, or presenting an unperformed study as conducted.

c)      Falsification: Altering research records or data, misrepresenting the use of methods, instruments, or materials, excluding data that do not support the hypothesis, or manipulating data and results to align with particular theories or to favor certain individuals or institutions.

d)      Duplicate Publication: Presenting redundant publications that report the same findings as separate contributions for purposes of academic advancement.

e)      Salami Slicing: Fragmenting the results of a study in a manner that disrupts the integrity of the research and publishing them as multiple separate articles.

f)       Unfair Authorship: Including individuals who have not made a significant contribution or excluding those who have, unjustifiably altering the author order, or leveraging influence to secure authorship.

g)      Other types of ethical violations include:

Responsibilities of Authors and the Ethical Principles They Must Adhere To

• Studies must be original and research-based.

• It must be ensured that the other authors whose names appear on the article have contributed to the research. Listing individuals who have not made an academic contribution as additional authors, or determining the order of authors without considering contributions—based on non-scientific criteria such as title, age, and gender—is contrary to scientific ethics.

• The article must not be submitted to different journals simultaneously, nor should it have been previously submitted to another journal. If it has, the publication process will be cancelled.

• It is assumed that authors submitting an article to the journal have read and accepted the journal's publication and writing guidelines, and by doing so, they commit to the expectations set forth in these guidelines.

• The citation format and reference list must be complete.

• Plagiarism must not occur, and fabricated data must not be included.

• As a result of the similarity the similarity index must be less than 20% for the manuscript to proceed to the peer review process.

• A manuscript is subject to a maximum of two preliminary screening processes; if the issues raised during these processes are not corrected, the manuscript will be rejected.

• Manuscripts that have previously been rejected by our journal should not be resubmitted in the same form. In such cases, the manuscripts will be rejected.

• The corresponding author must inform the journal editor in the event of any conflict of interest.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Reviewers must act with the awareness that they are the primary determinants of the academic quality of articles to be published in the journal and evaluate manuscripts with the responsibility of enhancing academic quality.

• Reviewers should accept review assignments only for manuscripts for which they possess the necessary expertise to conduct an appropriate evaluation, can adhere to the confidentiality of blind review, and are capable of keeping all details regarding the manuscript strictly confidential.

• Even after the review process, no information regarding the reviewed manuscript should be shared with anyone under any circumstances.

• Reviewers should evaluate only the accuracy of the manuscript’s content and its conformity to academic standards. The fact that the ideas presented in the manuscript differ from the reviewer’s own views should not affect the evaluation.

• Reviewer reports should be objective and measured. Insulting, condescending, or accusatory language must be strictly avoided.

• Reviewers should avoid superficial and ambiguous expressions in their evaluation reports. In cases of negative evaluations, the specific incomplete and flawed aspects that form the basis of the negative result must be clearly demonstrated.

• Reviewers must complete their evaluations within the allotted time. If they are unable to conduct the review, they should notify the journal within a reasonable time frame.

• Reviewers should identify works that are not included in the manuscript’s reference list, indicate whether the observations or discussions derived from the relevant publications are consistent with the sources, and inform the editor of their personal opinions regarding the evaluated manuscript, including any significant similarities or overlaps with other published articles.

Responsibilities of Editors and the Ethical Principles They Must Adhere To

• Editors must accept for the review process only those articles that contribute to the relevant fields as indicated in the journal's policy.

• Editors must not have any conflicts of interest or relationships with articles that are accepted or rejected.

• Editors have full responsibility and authority to accept or reject an article.

• It is the responsibility of editors to ensure that the identities of both reviewers and authors remain confidential.

• Only articles that contribute to the field should be accepted.

• When errors are found, editors should support the publication of corrections or the retraction of the article.

• It is the duty of editors to ensure that the preliminary screening, peer review, editing, and publication processes of submitted articles are completed in a timely and efficient manner.

• Editors shouldn't list non-contributors as editorial board members or associate editors.

2. Publication Policy

Any manuscript considered for publication in the Turkish Journal of Health Research must meet the following criteria:

• Originality

• Absence of ethical violations

• Contains clear messages intended for the scientific community

• The degree of contribution it will make to researchers in the field

• Relevance to current topics and areas of interest for researchers in the health sciences

• Structural and logical coherence

• Research findings based on scientific evidence

• Appropriateness of the scientific method

Evaluation of Manuscripts

Article submissions to the Turkish Journal of Health Research must be made by registering with the "Article Management System" at https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/journal/3372/submission/step/manuscript/new. Articles sent via email will not be considered.

Preliminary Review and Plagiarism Screening

The manuscript is examined for compliance with the journal's formatting guidelines, and a similarity check is conducted to prevent plagiarism. A plagiarism screening program (such as Turnitin, iThenticate, etc.) is used to perform this The manuscript must have a similarity index of less than 20%. If the similarity index is 20% or higher, the manuscript will either be rejected or returned to the author to reduce the similarity rate.

Editor/Section Editor Review

Manuscripts that pass the preliminary review and plagiarism screening stage are then evaluated by the relevant editor or section editor in terms of topic, scope, language, and academic adequacy.

Peer Review Process (Double-Blind Review) (Academic Evaluation)

Manuscripts that pass the preliminary and editor reviews are subjected to a confidential double-blind peer review process. According to the double-blind strategy, authors do not have access to information about which reviewers will evaluate their manuscripts, and similarly, reviewers are unaware of the identities of the authors. In other words, the review process is completed while maintaining the anonymity of both the authors and the reviewers.

Author Revision

Authors take into account the criticisms and suggestions of the reviewers and the Editorial Board. If there are any points with which they disagree, they have the right to object along with their reasons. In response to the reports, they revise the manuscript and upload the final version to the system.

Section Editor’s Review

The section editor verifies whether the author has made the requested corrections in the manuscript. If the reviewer reports indicate a “major revision,” the manuscript is sent to the corresponding reviewer. The manuscript might move on to the language review phase if the reports show "Acceptance" or "Minor Revision" and the necessary corrections have been made. If the section editor finds that the necessary corrections have not been made, the manuscript is returned to the author. The manuscript might be rejected if the author doesn't make the necessary changes. Unpublished manuscripts are kept in the system, including the process stage and all related files.

Turkish Language Review

Manuscripts that have passed the peer review process are examined by the Turkish Language Editor, and if necessary, the author is asked to make corrections.

English Language Review

Manuscripts that have passed the Turkish language review are then examined by the English Language Editor, and if necessary, the author is asked to make corrections.

Publication Board Review

Manuscripts that have passed the technical, academic, and linguistic reviews are evaluated by the Publication Board, where a final publication decision is made. If there are objections from members, the board decides by a majority vote.

Layout and Typesetting Stage

Manuscripts approved for publication by the Publication Board are typeset and formatted to be ready for publication.

Language of Publication

The Turkish Journal of Health Research publishes manuscripts in both Turkish and English. Manuscripts published in Turkish must include an English abstract, and manuscripts published in English must include a Turkish abstract.

Author Changes

The Turkish Journal of Health Research accepts article authors based on the statement on the manuscript’s title page and the data entered into the "Article Management System." Therefore, it is the responsibility of the authors to submit the final complete order of authors and to enter it in full into the "Article Management System." After the manuscript has been submitted, any requests for changes in authorship (e.g., removal/addition of authors, changes in order, etc.) are subject to editor approval. The Publication Board will investigate such cases and act in accordance with COPE flowcharts.

Authorship change requests must be submitted to the editor in the form of an official letter stating the reasons for the change. The letter must be signed by all authors and include their approval regarding the authorship change. The request will be reviewed by the Publication Board.

Complaints and Appeals

The Turkish Journal of Health Research handles complaints and appeals according to the following procedure. Complaints are not limited solely to long delays in manuscript review or publication ethics issues; all complaints are first handled by the editor-in-chief of the Turkish Journal of Health Research. The editor-in-chief may, if necessary, review complaints and appeals together with the publication board. In the event of any issues related to complaints and appeals, please contact us via email.

Complaints Regarding the Content of a Manuscript

The editor-in-chief reviews both the authors' complaints and the reviewers' reports and makes a decision regarding

• Confirming the rejection of the manuscript,

• Considering the author’s appeal,

• Obtaining a new opinion from an independent reviewer if necessary.

The editor-in-chief’s final decision is communicated to the authors. If deemed necessary, an explanation of the appeal outcome is shared with the authors. That constitutes the final decision of the Turkish Journal of Health Research.

Complaints About Processes

Complaints related to processes are handled by the editor-in-chief. Prolonged delays in the processing of manuscripts are reviewed by the editors of the Turkish Journal of Health Research, and any issues deemed necessary are communicated to the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief evaluates these complaints and, if necessary, shares information with the authors.

Complaints Regarding Ethical Principles

The editor-in-chief takes into account complaints from authors or reviewers regarding publication ethics. The editor-in-chief adheres to the publication ethics posted on the Turkish Journal of Health Research website. The Publication Board of the Turkish Journal of Health Research reviews the concerns raised by complainants or reviewers. The details and progress of the investigation are openly shared with the complainants. The editor-in-chief or associate editors provide feedback to the complainants regarding the course of action and the final decision.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in the articles published in the journal reflect the perspectives of the authors and not those of the Turkish Journal of Health Research, the Editor-in-Chief, the Editors, or the Publisher. The editor-in-chief, editors, publication board, and publisher assume no responsibility or liability in such cases. All responsibility regarding the published content rests with the authors.