Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters

Author Guidelines

Important Notice : Beginning with the January 2027 issue, all manuscripts submitted to the journal must be prepared in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th Edition. Manuscripts submitted before this date will be evaluated according to the writing guidelines in effect at the time of submission.

Article Template for Manuscript Submission:   Click here   http://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/journal-file/34950

1. General Rules

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Manuscripts are accepted only through the DergiPark Journal Management System. Submissions by e-mail or any other means will not be considered.

The following documents must be uploaded during submission:

• Similarity Report (generated using iThenticate, Turnitin, or equivalent plagiarism detection software)
• Copyright and Licensing Statement
• Ethics Committee Declaration Form (where applicable)

The journal adopts an overall similarity threshold of 20%. However, the similarity percentage alone does not determine the editorial decision; similarity reports are evaluated by the editors in terms of their content and context. Manuscripts should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words, including the abstract and references, and should not exceed 30 pages. For manuscripts written in Turkish, the current Turkish Language Association (TDK) Writing Guide should be followed.

2. Structure of the Manuscript

Manuscripts should be prepared in the following order:

• Title in Turkish
• Title in English
• Author information
• ORCID ID(s)
• Turkish Abstract (150–300 words)
• English Abstract (150–300 words)
• Keywords (4–7)
• Main Text
• References

If the manuscript is derived from a master's or doctoral thesis or has previously been presented at a scientific meeting, this should be indicated in a footnote on the first page.

3. Formatting Requirements

Manuscripts should be prepared in Microsoft Word.

• Font: Times New Roman
• Font Size: 11 pt
• Line Spacing: Single
• Paper Size: A4

Authors are required to prepare their manuscripts using the journal's Article Template. Headings, subheadings, tables, and figures should conform to the formatting specified in the template.

 4. Abstract and Keywords

• Both the Turkish and English abstracts should contain 150–300 words. 
• The Turkish and English abstracts should correspond to one another in content. 
• Each abstract should be followed by 4–7 keywords.

5. Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

• Tables, figures, maps, and illustrations should be placed appropriately within the text.
• Table titles should appear above the table, while captions for figures and illustrations should appear below them.
• All tables, figures, and illustrations reproduced from other sources must be properly cited.
• Visual materials should be of sufficient quality and resolution for electronic publication.

6. Citation and References

The journal follows the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th Edition.

In-text citations and the reference list must be prepared in accordance with APA 7.

For special source types not specifically covered by APA (e.g., archival documents, manuscripts, or ancient sources), the established citation practices of the relevant academic discipline may be followed.

Basic Reference Examples

Book

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.

Book Chapter

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the chapter. In A. A. Editor (Ed.), Title of the book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Journal Article

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the article. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), xx–xx. https://doi.org/...

Thesis

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the thesis (Unpublished master's thesis / doctoral dissertation). University.

Web Resource

Author/Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title. URL

7. Final Provisions

For matters not covered in these Author Guidelines, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th Edition shall apply.

The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board reserve the right to amend these Author Guidelines whenever deemed necessary.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND PUBLICATION MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters (TUJFL) is the official scholarly journal of the Faculty of Letters at Trakya University. It is an international, double-blind peer-reviewed academic journal.

In the evaluation and publication processes of all manuscripts submitted to the Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters, the journal adheres to the ethical principles, standards, and guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as well as the editorial recommendations of the European Association of Science Editors (EASE). The journal is committed to conducting all editorial, peer-review, and publication processes in accordance with these internationally recognized principles.

The Duties Of Editors And Editorial Board

Neutrality and Editorial Independence

Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts solely on the basis of their academic merit, including originality, scholarly contribution, methodological soundness, clarity, and relevance to the scope of the journal. Editorial decisions are made without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, nationality, religious beliefs, political views, or institutional affiliation. The Editor-in-Chief has full responsibility and authority for the journal's editorial content and the timing of its publication.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Editors and Editorial Board members must not use unpublished information or data contained in submitted manuscripts for their own research or personal benefit without the authors' explicit written consent. All information and documents obtained during the editorial and peer-review process must be treated as confidential and must not be disclosed to third parties.

Editors shall refrain from handling manuscripts in which they have any personal, academic, professional, or financial conflict of interest with the authors, reviewers, institutions, or any other parties related to the manuscript. In such cases, the editorial responsibility shall be delegated to another editor appointed by the Editorial Board.

Publication Decisions

The Editors ensure that all submitted manuscripts are evaluated by at least two independent reviewers who are experts in the relevant field. The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board are responsible for deciding which manuscripts will be published based on their scholarly merit, originality, scientific contribution, relevance to the scope of the journal, reviewers' reports, and compliance with legal and ethical requirements concerning copyright, plagiarism, and publication ethics. Where appropriate, the Editor-in-Chief may consult other editors or reviewers before making a final decision.

Authors' Ethical Responsibilities

Authors declare that the submitted manuscript is original, has not been published previously in any language, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the manuscript has been prepared in accordance with the principles of research and publication ethics, complies with applicable copyright legislation, and does not infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties.

Authors are required to provide appropriate acknowledgment and citation for all sources used in the manuscript. They are also responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions for the use of copyrighted materials, including tables, figures, images, scales, and other proprietary content. All legal responsibility arising from the use of such materials rests with the author(s).

All listed authors are expected to have made a substantial scholarly contribution to the conception, conduct, interpretation, or preparation of the manuscript. Individuals who do not meet the criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors.

Authors are obliged to disclose any financial support, sponsorship, funding, or potential conflicts of interest that may have influenced the results or interpretation of the study.

For studies requiring approval from an ethics committee, the necessary approval must be obtained prior to the research, and the name of the ethics committee, approval date, and approval number must be stated in the manuscript and provided upon request. For studies that do not require ethics committee approval, the author(s) must declare that such approval is not required. In all cases, authors are required to complete, sign, and upload the Ethics Committee Declaration Form requested by the journal during the submission process. A statement confirming compliance with research and publication ethics must also be included in the manuscript.

If authors identify a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they are obliged to notify the Editor-in-Chief without delay and cooperate in the correction or retraction process.

The journal follows the current principles and guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding authorship and authors' responsibilities.
 

Referees' Ethical Responsibilities

Referees should accept to review only those manuscripts that fall within their area of expertise and conduct the review process in accordance with the principles of impartiality, confidentiality, and academic integrity. Referees should evaluate manuscripts solely on their scholarly merit, without regard to the authors' ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religious beliefs, political views, or institutional affiliation. Referees should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and promptly notify the Editor of any suspected copyright infringement, plagiarism, or other forms of publication misconduct. If referees are unable to complete the review within the requested time or consider the manuscript to be outside their area of expertise, they should promptly inform the Editor and withdraw from the review process. Referees must treat all manuscripts and related materials as confidential documents, must not disclose them to third parties, and must not use unpublished information for personal advantage. If referees become aware of any conflict of interest or circumstances that could compromise their impartiality, they should immediately inform the Editor and decline the review assignment where appropriate. The journal follows the current principles and guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding peer review and reviewers' responsibilities.

Editors' Ethical Responsibilities

Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts solely on the basis of their academic merit and relevance to the scope of the journal, without regard to the authors' ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religious beliefs, political views, or institutional affiliation. Editors ensure that the editorial and peer-review processes are conducted fairly, impartially, independently, and confidentially. They assign manuscripts to at least two reviewers, taking into account the areas of expertise of the associate editors and reviewers, and ensure the protection of the personal data of authors, reviewers, and all individuals involved in the publication process. Editors shall not participate in the editorial handling of manuscripts in which they have any personal, academic, professional, or financial conflict of interest. In such cases, the editorial responsibility shall be delegated to another editor. Editors uphold the principles of transparency, academic integrity, and publication ethics throughout the publication process and act in accordance with the current principles and guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
 

Confidentiality

All manuscripts submitted to the journal for evaluation are treated as confidential documents. Unless expressly authorized by the Editor in exceptional circumstances, manuscripts must not be shared with, discussed with, or disclosed to any third party, nor may they be used for any purpose other than the editorial and peer-review process. Editors, reviewers, and all individuals involved in the publication process are required to maintain the confidentiality of all information and materials obtained during the editorial and peer-review process. This obligation also applies to reviewers who decline a review invitation.

 

PUBLICATION POLICY

The Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters is an international, double-blind peer-reviewed academic journal published twice a year, in January and July.

The journal publishes original research articles written in Turkish and, within its publication policy, a limited number of original research articles written in Turkish dialects, English, and Balkan languages.

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the DergiPark Journal Management System. Manuscripts submitted by e-mail, post, or any other means will not be considered. Authors are responsible for uploading all required documents and forms during the submission process.

Submitted manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the Journal's Author Guidelines. Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal's formatting and submission requirements or are submitted without the required documents and forms may be returned to the authors for correction or rejected by the Editor-in-Chief without entering the peer-review process.

All submissions undergo an initial editorial evaluation with regard to the journal's scope, originality, academic quality, language, and compliance with the journal's publication policies. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be rejected during the preliminary evaluation (desk rejection).

The journal operates a double-blind peer-review system. Manuscripts that successfully pass the initial editorial evaluation are sent to at least two independent reviewers who are experts in the relevant field. The final publication decision is made by the Editorial Board based on the reviewers' reports.

If one reviewer recommends rejection while another recommends acceptance or major revision, the Editorial Board may reject the manuscript or seek the opinion of a third reviewer.

Authors are required to submit revised manuscripts within one month after receiving the reviewers' reports. Revisions requested by the Editorial Board concerning editorial or technical matters should be completed and uploaded within seven days, unless an extension is granted by the Editor-in-Chief for justified reasons.

Only authors holding a PhD degree may submit manuscripts to the journal.

The scientific content, opinions expressed, and legal responsibility for published articles rest solely with the author(s).

The same author may not publish more than one article in the same issue or in two consecutive issues. If multiple manuscripts by the same author are accepted for publication, the Editorial Board determines the issue in which each manuscript will be published.

To ensure editorial independence, the Owner of the Journal and the Editor-in-Chief do not publish articles in the journal.

The journal does not charge any submission, evaluation, processing, or publication fees, and no royalties are paid to authors.

Authors retain the copyright of their published work. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Authors grant the journal the right to publish their work under this license. Copyright is not transferred to the publisher.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Manuscripts submitted to the Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters must be original, must not have been previously published in any language, and must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Papers presented at scientific meetings may be considered for publication, provided that this is clearly indicated in the manuscript. Authors are required to inform the Editor during submission if the manuscript has previously been evaluated by another journal. Where necessary, the Editorial Board reserves the right to decide whether the manuscript will proceed to the peer-review process. The scientific content, ethical conduct, and legal responsibility for published articles rest solely with the author(s). Authors retain the copyright of their published work. Copyright is not transferred to the publisher. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). By submitting their manuscripts, authors grant the journal the right to publish their work under this license. To initiate the peer-review process, the journal's Copyright and Licensing Statement must be completed in full, signed by all authors, and uploaded to the system during submission. The journal accepts either a scanned copy of the handwritten signed document or a document signed with a verifiable electronic signature. Manuscripts submitted without the required Copyright and Licensing Statement will not be considered for review.

PLAGIARISM / SIMILARITY REPORT

Manuscripts submitted to the Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters must be prepared in accordance with the principles of research and publication ethics, and all sources must be appropriately cited. Authors are required to upload a similarity report generated using iThenticate, Turnitin, or an equivalent plagiarism detection software at the time of submission. The journal adopts an overall similarity threshold of 20%. However, the similarity percentage alone does not determine the editorial decision; the similarity report is evaluated in terms of its content and context. Failure to upload the required similarity report or the detection of suspected ethical misconduct may result in the manuscript being returned without review or rejected by the Editor-in-Chief.

Article Evaluation Process

All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo an initial editorial evaluation by the Editor-in-Chief to determine their compliance with the journal's scope, publication principles, author guidelines, and submission requirements. Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal's author guidelines or are submitted without the required documents and forms may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected by the Editor-in-Chief without entering the peer-review process.

Manuscripts that successfully pass the initial evaluation are sent to at least two independent reviewers who are experts in the relevant field. Reviewers are given five (5) days to accept or decline the review invitation and twenty-one (21) days to complete their evaluation after accepting the invitation. The journal operates a double-blind peer-review system. Throughout the review process, the identities of both authors and reviewers remain confidential. Reviewer reports are securely retained in accordance with the journal's archiving policy.

Based on the reviewers' reports, the Editorial Board decides whether the manuscript should be accepted, revised, or rejected. Manuscripts accepted for publication are scheduled for publication in accordance with the journal's publication plan.

If revision is requested by the reviewers, the author(s) are informed and asked to submit a revised version of the manuscript. The revised manuscript must be uploaded to the system within one month of the notification. Unless an extension is granted for justified reasons, manuscripts that are not revised and resubmitted within the specified period will be rejected.

Editorial and Peer Review Process

1. Preliminary review by the editorial secretariat,
2. Review by the editorial board,
3. Verification of compliance with journal formatting,
4. Evaluation of plagiarism/similarity report,
5. Examination of the copyright transfer form,
6. Sending invitations to referees to initiate the peer review process,
7. Notification to the author based on referee evaluation reports,
8. Review and redirection of revised manuscript from the author to referees,
9. Informing the author of the second assessment by referees,
10. Receipt of the final version of the manuscript from the author,
11. Final plagiarism and similarity report acquired by the editor,
12. Completion of the evaluation process of the manuscript,
13. Allocation of a DOI number to the manuscript,
14. Obtaining the author's final approval for layout and formatting,
15. Publication of the manuscript.

Duties of Referees

Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists the Editors and the Editorial Board in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communication, helps authors improve the quality of their manuscripts. Peer review is a fundamental component of scholarly publishing and plays a vital role in maintaining the quality, integrity, and credibility of academic research.

Promptness: Reviewers who believe they are not qualified to evaluate a manuscript or are unable to complete the review within the specified period should promptly notify the Editor and decline the review invitation so that an alternative reviewer can be assigned.

Objectivity and Impartiality

Reviewers should conduct their evaluations objectively, impartially, and constructively. Their comments should be clear, well-reasoned, and based on scholarly arguments that help authors improve their manuscripts. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should identify significant published studies relevant to the manuscript that have not been cited by the authors and bring them to the attention of the Editor. If reviewers identify the use of previously published ideas, findings, or interpretations without appropriate citation, they should report this to the Editor. Reviewers should also promptly inform the Editor-in-Chief if they detect substantial similarity, overlap, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or any other suspected breach of publication ethics between the manuscript under review and any published work or any manuscript of which they are aware.
 

Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards

Authors should present their research clearly, accurately, and in accordance with the principles of research and publication ethics. The objectives, methodology, findings, and conclusions of the study should be reported truthfully, and the significance of the research should be discussed objectively. Manuscripts should provide sufficient information and appropriate references to enable readers to understand the methods and sources used in the study. Review articles should present accurate, impartial, and comprehensive evaluations, and any personal interpretations or opinions of the authors should be clearly identified. Fabricated, falsified, or intentionally misleading data, information, or statements constitute unethical conduct and are unacceptable.
 

Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that the manuscripts they submit are entirely original. Where the work, ideas, data, or words of others have been used, these must be appropriately cited and referenced in accordance with accepted academic standards. Authors are also expected to acknowledge all publications that have significantly influenced the preparation or interpretation of their research. Plagiarism in any form—including presenting another person's work as one's own, using another person's ideas, data, or text without proper attribution, or submitting substantially similar work without appropriate acknowledgment—constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Submission/Publication

Authors must not submit the same or substantially similar manuscripts simultaneously to more than one journal for consideration, nor submit work that has already been published or accepted for publication elsewhere. Concurrent submission, duplicate publication, or redundant publication constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. In exceptional circumstances, secondary publication may be permitted, provided that the necessary conditions are met and the editors of the relevant journals have given their approval. In such cases, the original publication must be clearly and appropriately acknowledged.

Article Authorship

Individuals listed as authors are expected to have made a substantial scholarly contribution to the conception, conduct, interpretation, or preparation of the manuscript. Persons who do not meet the criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors. Individuals who have contributed to the study through technical assistance, language editing, data support, or general assistance, but who do not meet the authorship criteria, may be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section with their written permission. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all individuals who meet the authorship criteria are included as co-authors, that no inappropriate authors are listed, and that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission for publication.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors are responsible for providing appropriate citations and complete references for all sources used in their manuscripts in accordance with accepted academic standards. All publications that have contributed to the preparation or interpretation of the research should be appropriately acknowledged. Information or materials obtained through private communications, correspondence, interviews, or other non-public sources must not be used or published without the explicit written permission of the relevant individual or institution. Information and materials obtained through confidential activities, such as peer review, editorial evaluation, or research funding assessment, must not be used or disclosed without the explicit written permission of the rightful owner.

Peer Review Process

Authors are expected to participate actively in the peer-review process and to respond promptly to requests from the Editor-in-Chief or the Editorial Board for explanations, supporting documents, ethics declarations, copyright permissions, or any other information required during the evaluation process. If revisions are requested by the reviewers or editors, authors should address each comment systematically, provide appropriate responses where necessary, and submit the revised manuscript through the journal's submission system within the specified deadline.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

Authors are obliged to notify the Editor-in-Chief without delay if they discover a significant error, inaccuracy, or issue that may affect the reliability of their published work. Where necessary, authors are expected to cooperate with the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board in issuing a correction (erratum/corrigendum), retracting the article, or taking any other appropriate editorial action. If the Editor-in-Chief or the Editorial Board receives credible evidence that a published work contains a significant error or involves publication misconduct, the matter will be evaluated in accordance with the principles and guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and appropriate editorial action will be taken.

Article Retraction Policy

The Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in all matters concerning article withdrawal and retraction.

Authors who wish to withdraw a manuscript during the evaluation process must submit a signed Article Withdrawal Form stating the reason for the request through the DergiPark Journal Management System. The withdrawal request is evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board. A manuscript may not be submitted to another journal until the withdrawal request has been formally approved by the journal. Requests to withdraw manuscripts after the peer-review process has begun are considered only in exceptional circumstances and must be supported by a justified reason. If there is credible evidence of plagiarism, copyright infringement, duplicate publication, data fabrication, falsification, or any other breach of publication ethics in a manuscript under evaluation, accepted manuscript, or published article, the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board may initiate an investigation in accordance with the COPE guidelines.

If the investigation concludes that retraction is necessary, the journal will:

1. Clearly identify the article as Retracted in all electronic versions.
2. Publish a retraction notice explaining the reason for the retraction while preserving the scholarly record.
3. Maintain the bibliographic information of the original article and provide a clear link between the article and the retraction notice.
4. Notify relevant indexing and abstracting services where appropriate.

Retraction decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board in accordance with the journal's publication policies and the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE
 

Disclaimer

The opinions, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in articles published in the Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board, the Editors, or Trakya University. The scientific, ethical, and legal responsibility for published articles rests entirely with the author(s). All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo an initial editorial evaluation for originality, academic quality, and compliance with research and publication ethics. Manuscripts considered suitable proceed through a double-blind peer-review process. Reviewer reports support the editorial decision-making process. The final decision regarding the acceptance, revision, or rejection of a manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board.
 

Open Access and Licensing Policy

The Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters provides immediate, permanent, and free open access to all published content, based on the principle that making research freely available supports the advancement of scholarly communication and the global exchange of knowledge.

Authors retain the copyright of their published work. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license permits anyone to copy, distribute, reproduce, adapt, and build upon the work in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are clearly indicated.

Copyright is not transferred to the publisher. Authors grant the journal the non-exclusive right to publish their work under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

The journal supports the principles of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI).

For full license details:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Further information about the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI):
https://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/

Archiving

The Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters uses the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) digital preservation system to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of its published content. Through its Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, the journal participates in the LOCKSS network to support secure digital preservation. The LOCKSS system creates and maintains multiple copies of the journal's content across distributed servers, ensuring long-term preservation and protection against data loss.
 

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses provided on this journal's website will be used solely for the purposes stated by the journal. They will not be used for other purposes or shared with third parties.

In our journal, the durations applied (in days):
Additional time given for all processes that exceed the processing time: 5
Maximum time required for processing a new article: 30
Maximum time given to the secretary in the secretary step: 15
Maximum time required for the editor to take over the article (Completed Control Step): 20
Maximum time required for the editor to proceed after taking over (Editor Step): 30
Maximum time given to continue processing after the article is ready for decision (Ready for Decision Step): 15
Maximum time given for the editor to make a decision (Decision Pending Step): 25
Maximum time given to the editor for the publication process (Publication Process Step): 35
Maximum processing time for Writing, Language, Statistics Editor, and Final Reader: 15
Maximum processing time for the Layout Editor: 15
Time given when sending back to the author: 15
Time given for minor revision to the author: 15
Time given for major revision to the author: 15
Response time given to the invitation for evaluation by the referee: 7
Evaluation time given to the referee: 21