Our journal, a publication of the Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Institute of Health Sciences, is a peer-reviewed periodical that publishes research and review articles, laboratory studies, methodological investigations, epidemiological research, case reports, and letters to the editor in the fields of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biotechnology and Nutrition & Dietetics, Child Development, Speech and Language Therapy, Midwifery, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation, Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Audiology, Health Management, Social Work, Sports Sciences, and all other health science disciplines. The editor, assistant editors, and a minimum of two evaluators evaluate articles that meet the formal requirements and are submitted to The Turkish Journal of Health Research. Before the article is published electronically with open access, the authors are requested to make any necessary revisions. The following section delineates the ethical responsibilities, positions, and responsibilities of the publisher, reviewers, authors, and journal editors. These ethical principles and guidelines have been formulated in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE; https://publicationethics.org/).
Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
• Submission Guidelines: Manuscripts submitted to The Turkish Journal of Health Research must include research and review articles, laboratory studies, methodological investigations, epidemiological research, case reports, and letters to the editor in the following disciplines: Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biotechnology and Nutrition & Dietetics, Child Development, Speech and Language Therapy, Midwifery, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation, Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Audiology, Health Management, Social Work, Sports Sciences, and all other health science fields.
• The manuscripts must accurately and appropriately cite all sources used, including authors, online pages, and personal communications.
• The submitted manuscript must be declared as having not been submitted to any other journal.
• Authors who have not made a significant intellectual contribution to the manuscript should not be listed; in their place, they may be acknowledged in the acknowledgments section.
• Any conflicts of interest associated with the manuscript that has been submitted must be explained and disclosed.
• The authors must furnish the editor with the requisite information or raw data if it is sought during the review process.
• The authors must provide documentation that they have obtained the rights to use the data and, if applicable, have obtained consent from the participants involved in the research.
• Authors are accountable for promptly notifying the editor and the editorial board and participating in the process of issuing corrections or retractions in the event that any errors are discovered post-submission.
• The authors must verify that ethical committee approval was obtained for studies that involve data acquisition through experiments, surveys, scales, interviews, observations, or focus group discussions. The first and last pages, as well as the methodologies section, must contain the name of the ethics committee, decision date, and approval number. In case reports, it is necessary to include a statement that verifies the acquisition of informed assent.
• The manuscript should include evidence that demonstrates compliance with ethical standards during data collection, such as obtaining permission for the use of proprietary instruments or images. The ethical guidelines and copyright regulations that govern intellectual and artistic works should be explicitly stated to ensure that the research is in compliance. The research should be reported as having been conducted in accordance with international declarations or guidelines if it involves human or animal subjects.
• Review articles are not required to obtain ethical committee approval; however, it is important to indicate in the methods section and on the first and last pages that ethical approval is not necessary for manuscripts that do not require it.
Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
A double-blind peer review system is implemented in the evaluation process of The Turkish Journal of Health Research. This system prohibits direct communication between reviewers and authors and ensures that reviewers are unaware of the identities of the authors. The editors transmit evaluation forms, remarks, and correction requests to the authors through the journal's management system. The following ethical responsibilities and duties must be observed by reviewers who are responsible for evaluating manuscripts:
• Reviewers should only accept manuscripts that are within their area of expertise.
• Reviews must be conducted in a confidential and impartial manner. The manuscript should be destroyed by the evaluators following the review process, and it should only be used if required post-publication. The objectivity of the review must not be compromised by nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political views, or commercial interests.
• If a reviewer identifies any potential conflict of interest or bias, they must decline to review the manuscript and inform the editor.
• Reviews should be conducted in a manner that is consistent with academic standards, utilizing constructive language, and refraining from making personal remarks that are offensive or hostile.
•It is anticipated that reviewers will conclude their evaluations within the designated timeframe.
General Responsibilities
• The editor must endeavor to improve the quality and development of the journal.
• The editor should advocate for the freedom of expression of authors.
Relations with Readers
• The editor must ensure that the sections of the journal that do not require peer review (e.g., letters to the editor, invited articles, conference announcements, etc.) are plainly labelled.
• The editor should strive to guarantee that the knowledge and skills of the journal's readership are reflected in the published articles.
Relations with Reviewers
• In order to guarantee an appropriate evaluation, the editor should delegate manuscripts to reviewers according to their areas of expertise.
• Before assessing a manuscript, reviewers must be obligated to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
• The editor must clearly communicate the reviewers and provide all necessary information regarding the peer review process.
• The identities of both the authors and reviewers must be kept confidential by adhering to a rigorous double-blind review process.
•Reviewers' performance should be evaluated by the editor on the basis of their feedback quality and timeliness.
• A reviewer database should be established and updated on a regular basis in accordance with performance.
• Reviewers who consistently submit reviews late or provide unprofessional or low-quality feedback should be removed from the reviewer pool.
• The reviewer list should be consistently updated and expanded in accordance with the areas of expertise of the reviewers.
Relations with Authors
• The editor should consistently revise the publication and writing guidelines, as well as sample templates, to ensure that authors have a clear understanding of the expectations.
• Manuscripts should be assessed on the basis of significance, originality, and adherence to journal guidelines. The editor is required to provide clear and unbiased reasons for the rejection of a manuscript during the initial submission procedure. If revisions are required in the areas of grammar, punctuation, and formatting (e.g., margins, appropriate citation, etc.), authors should be notified and given sufficient time to make the necessary corrections.
• The dates of manuscript submission and acceptance must be documented.
• Authors should be informed of the status of their manuscripts in a manner that does not jeopardize the double-blind peer review process.
Relations with the Editorial Board
• All editorial board members should be provided with the most recent version of the publication and writing guidelines.
• The editor should communicate the publication and writing guidelines to new members of the editorial board and explicitly specify the expected responsibilities.
• The editor is responsible for assessing the performance of editorial board members and selecting those who make a significant contribution to the journal's growth.
• The duties and responsibilities of editorial board members should be communicated to them, which include:
o Supporting the development of the journal
o Writing review articles in their area of expertise when requested
o Reviewing and improving the publication and writing guidelines
o Fulfilling necessary responsibilities in the operation of the journal
Publisher's Ethical Responsibilities
The Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Institute of Health Sciences, the publisher of The Turkish Journal of Health Research, is a public educational institution that is non-profit and serves the welfare of the public. The publisher is accountable for the following ethical obligations:
• The publisher recognizes that the editor is responsible for the decision-making authority and the peer review process for publishing articles in The Turkish Journal of Health Research.
• The publisher guarantees that the journal is accessible online, openly, and free of charge through its website.
Reporting Non-Compliance with Ethical Principles
To report any unethical behavior or deviations from ethical principles that are observed in editors, reviewers, or authors, or if any unethical issues arise during the review process, in early view, or with a published article, please send an email to mehmetdelen@aybu.edu.tr