Trakya University Faculty of Letters Journal (TÜEFD) is the official publication of Trakya University Faculty of Letters and is an internationally double anonymous peer-reviewed academic journal. In the evaluation of submissions to Trakya University Faculty of Letters Journal, the recommendations of EASE (The European Association of Science Editors) and the International Standards for Editors and Authors by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) are taken into consideration. The guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in open access, such as 'COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors' and 'Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors,' are the basis for editors and authors in the publication process.

Neutrality and Editorial Independence

Editors evaluate submitted articles solely based on their academic merits (importance, originality, validity, clarity) and relevance to the scope of the journal, without consideration of the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious beliefs, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation. The Editor holds complete authority over all editorial content of the journal and the timing of its publication."

Declaration and Conflicts of Interest

Editors and members of the editorial board shall not use unpublished information obtained through the consideration of a submitted manuscript for their own research purposes without the explicit written consent of the authors. Privileged information or ideas obtained through handling the manuscript will be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Editors will abstain from evaluating manuscripts in cases where they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the submitted papers. In such cases, they will request another member of the editorial board to handle the manuscript.

Publication Decisions

Editors ensure that all submitted manuscripts undergo peer review by at least two expert reviewers in the field. The Editor and Editorial Board are responsible for deciding which of the submitted papers should be published based on the validity of the work, its significance for researchers and readers, the reviewers' comments, and compliance with prevailing legal requirements concerning copyright infringement and plagiarism. The Editor may consult other editors or reviewers in making this decision."

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must declare that the submitted manuscript has not been previously published or under consideration for publication elsewhere, in any language. Additionally, they must affirm that the content complies with ethical principles and is original. Authors must comply with current copyright agreements and laws concerning intellectual property used in the work. Any copyrighted materials, including tables, scales, figures, or other forms of material, will be published only with valid permission and copyright approval, and the responsibility for this lies with the authors. Authors should appropriately cite other authors, contributors, or sources, indicating relevant references. Authors of research-based articles (including short reports) must declare their participation in at least three stages among "designing the study," "collecting data," "examining data," "writing the article," and "validating the accuracy of data and analyses.” Authors are obliged to disclose any financial relationships, conflicts of interest, or competing interests that could potentially affect the findings or scientific outcome of the study. They should clearly disclose all financial contributions, sponsorships, or project support related to the study.
For research conducted in all fields of science, including social sciences, and studies requiring ethical committee approval, separate ethical committee approval must be obtained, documented, and specified in the article. Articles should contain a statement confirming compliance with Research and Publication Ethics.
In studies requiring ethical committee approval, information regarding the permission (committee name, date, and reference number) should be provided in the methodology section and on the first/last page of the article. In case studies, information regarding obtaining informed consent must be included in the article. When authors detect scientific errors or inappropriateness in their published work, they have an obligation to contact the Editor as quickly as possible to retract the article or correct the error.
To access the document prepared by COPE regarding authorship and author responsibilities, click here: [Code of conduct for journal editors (PDF)]
(https://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_Mar11.pdf)

Referees' Ethical Responsibilities

Referees should agree to evaluate articles solely within their area of expertise, conduct the process in an impartial and confidential manner. Referees must assess submitted papers based on their scientific content without considering the authors' ethnic background, gender, nationality, religious beliefs, or political philosophies. Referees should indicate any relevant publications not cited by the author. If referees notice any copyright infringement or plagiarism in the article they're evaluating, they should report it to the editor. If referees find it impractical to provide feedback within the designated time or if they believe the content of the submitted article doesn't align with their scientific field or expertise, they should inform the editor and request exclusion from the refereeing process. Referees should inform the editors if they perceive a conflict of interest or potential bias and may refuse to evaluate the manuscript in such cases, providing relevant information to the editors.
To access the PDF document titled "Reviewer Guidelines" prepared by COPE, click [here]
(https://publicationethics.org/files/reviewer-guidelines.pdf).

Editors' Ethical Responsibilities

Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts from a scientific standpoint, disregarding the ethnic background, gender, gender identity, nationality, religious beliefs, or political philosophies of the authors. They ensure the protection of personal data in evaluated manuscripts, considering the expertise of associate editors and referees, sending articles to two referees. Editors safeguard the individual data of authors, referees, and readers. They support impartial and independent evaluations.
Editors should not allow any potential conflicts of interest or competition among authors, editors, and referees.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and should be treated as such. They should not be shown to or discussed with others unless authorized by the Editor, which would only occur in exceptional and specific circumstances. This confidentiality extends to referees who decline the review invitation.

The journal is published twice a year, in JANUARY and JULY. TÜEF Journal accepts articles in Turkish, and limited to five articles per issue, in Turkish dialects, English, and Balkan languages.
The article author, after registering via the link https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/ is responsible for uploading articles and other requested documents and forms to our journal platform. Articles sent via email or post will not be accepted. When uploading the article to the system, an Example Article Format file is provided to the authors. Manuscripts that are not prepared in accordance with the specified guidelines are not included in the peer-review process. Articles submitted to our journal undergo an initial review based on both format and content. Manuscripts that do not comply with writing standards or contain translation errors are rejected by the Editor without entering the peer-review process. However, if minor corrections are needed, the Editor requests these revisions via Dergipark. Submitted articles should be prepared in accordance with the in-text citation method (APA 6th edition). Authors are expected to adhere to the specified writing guidelines.
Our journal follows a double-blind peer-review process. Articles deemed suitable for publication in the journal are sent to at least two referees. Once accepted following the referee evaluation, articles are placed in line for publication.
In cases where one of the referees issues a rejection report or requests major revisions, the article may be rejected based on the decision of the Editorial Board or sent to a third referee. If corrections are requested by the referees, the author is notified and asked to revise and resubmit the manuscript. Revised articles resulting from these correction requests should be uploaded into the system by the author/authors within a month. Reasonable extensions may be granted if justified by the author's circumstances. Failure to make the revisions will result in rejection of the manuscript.
During the peer-review process, requested changes by the Editorial Board must be completed, and the revised manuscript must be uploaded into the system by the author/authors within 7 days. Failure to make these changes will result in rejection by the Editor. The opinions expressed in published articles and the scientific responsibility, as well as the legal responsibility of the articles, lie with the author/authors. Trakya University Faculty of Letters Journal does not accept legal responsibility for published articles. Even if different works by the same author/authors have been accepted, they will not be published in the same and two consecutive issues. The decision on which work will be published in which issue is determined by the Editorial Board. The owner and Editor cannot publish in the journal. No royalties are paid to the author/authors for published articles. No fees are charged to the author/authors for published articles. The publication rights of the published work belong to the journal.

Copyright Transfer

For articles to be published in our journal, they should not have been previously published elsewhere or accepted for publication. Papers presented at a scientific meeting can be accepted if this is indicated. Articles that have been previously evaluated in another journal or compilation book and rejected must be explicitly stated by the author. In such cases, the Editorial Board decides whether the article will enter the peer-review process.
All responsibility regarding the article(s) belongs to the author(s). The Commitment Form should be printed after all author-related information is fully completed. After being wet-signed by all authors, the form should be scanned (photo shooting is not accepted) and uploaded into the system.
By submitting their article to the Trakya University Faculty of Letters Journal and uploading the Commitment Form into the system, the author commits to transferring the copyright to our journal. If the Commitment Form is not uploaded into the system, the article will not be considered for evaluation and publication.

Plagiarism/Similarity Report

Research should be prepared in accordance with ethical standards, and citations within the text must be clearly stated. Authors use plagiarism detection software (such as Ithenticate, Turnitin, etc.) to obtain a similarity report. The acceptable similarity rate limit is set at 20%. The plagiarism report must be uploaded to the system along with the article. Otherwise, the article will not be considered for evaluation and will be rejected."

Article Evaluation Process

Submitted articles are initially reviewed for compliance with the journal's principles. In case of non-compliance with writing guidelines, authors are contacted to make necessary adjustments. The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject submitted articles outright.

The selected works for evaluation are sent to two referees in the respective field. Referees are given a 5-day period to accept the invitation and a 21-day period for the evaluation of the article once they accept. Our journal practices double-blind peer review. The identities of the referees are not disclosed to the authors, and the identities of the authors are not disclosed to the referees. Referees' names are kept confidential, and their reports are stored for five years. The Editorial Board makes the final decision by reviewing the referee reports. Articles accepted following the referee evaluation process are scheduled for publication.
If corrections are requested by the referees, the author is notified and asked to revise and resubmit the manuscript. The revised work should be uploaded to the system by the author(s) within 14 days for articles where revisions are requested. Failure to make revisions will result in rejection of the manuscript.

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

Editorial Contribution to Decisions
Hakem değerlendirmesi editoryal kararlar vermede editörlere yardımcı olur ve yazarlarla yapılan editoryal iletişimler aracılığıyla yazarların makalelerini desteklemektedir. Hakem değerlendirmesi, resmi bilimsel iletişimin temel bir bileşenidir ve bilimsel çalışmaların merkezinde yer alır.
Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and supports authors' articles through editorial communications. It is a fundamental component of formal scientific communication and lies at the core of scientific research."
Punctuality
The person invited to review an article should immediately inform the editors if they feel inadequate to review the research or believe that they won't be able to complete the review within the specified time. They should decline the review invitation promptly to allow for alternative reviewers to be contacted.

Objective Standards

Evaluations should be conducted objectively, and observations must be clearly formulated with supportive arguments that authors can use to improve the article. Personal criticism of the authors is not appropriate.

Citation of Sources
Reviewers should identify any published works relevant to the article's subject that have not been cited. Any observation, derivation, or opinion previously presented in other publications should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Moreover, if there is significant similarity or overlap between the reviewed manuscript and any other (published or unpublished) work, reviewers should inform the editors.

Reporting Standards

The authors of the original research should provide an accurate description of the conducted study and results, followed by an objective discussion about the importance of the study. The article should contain sufficient details and references that allow others to replicate the study. Review articles should be accurate, objective, and comprehensive, and any editorial 'views' or perspectives must be clearly defined. Deceptive or intentionally false statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
Data Access and Retention
Authors may be requested to provide the raw data of their work along with their articles for editorial review, and authors should be willing to make the data accessible to the public if possible. In any case, authors must ensure that such data remains accessible for at least 10 years after publication for other competent professionals, provided the confidentiality of participants and legal rights concerning proprietary data are maintained.

Originality and Plagiarism
Authors should ensure that they submit entirely original works, and if they have used the work and/or words of others, they should appropriately cite them. Reference should also be made to publications that are influential in determining the nature of the reported work. Plagiarism can take many forms, ranging from passing off another's article as the author's own, copying significant portions of another's article (without citation), rephrasing the content using different words, to using the results of research conducted by others. All forms of plagiarism constitute unethical publishing behavior and are unacceptable.

Duplicate, Redundant, or Simultaneous Submission/Publication

Articles describing the same research should not be published in more than one journal or primary publication. Therefore, authors should not submit a manuscript that has been published in another journal for consideration. Simultaneous submission of a manuscript to multiple journals is unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. However, under certain circumstances and provided certain conditions are met, the publication of certain types of articles in multiple journals might be justifiable. Authors and editors of relevant journals should agree that the secondary publication reflects the same data and interpretation as the primary document. The primary reference must be cited in the secondary publication.

Article Authorship

Due to the public responsibility for the content, only those individuals who meet the following authorship criteria should be listed as authors in the article: (i) made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, data collection, or analysis/interpretation of the study; and (ii) drafted or critically revised the article for important intellectual content; and (iii) reviewed and approved the final version of the article for submission and publication. Individuals who contributed to the reported study (technical assistance, writing and editing assistance, general support, etc.) but do not meet the authorship criteria should not be listed as authors. With their written permission, these individuals should be acknowledged by name in the acknowledgments section of the article. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors (as per the above definition) are included in the author list and ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the article and agreed to its submission for publication.

Citation of Sources

Yazarlar, ilgili diğer çalışmaları uygun şekilde kaynak gösterdiğinden emin olmalı ve ayrıca rapor edilen çalışmanın niteliğini belirlemede etkili olan yayınlara atıfta bulunmalıdır. Özel olarak elde edilen bilgiler (üçüncü şahıslarla yapılan görüşmelerden, yazışmalardan veya tartışmalardan) ilgili kaynaktan açık yazılı izin alınmadan kullanılamaz veya rapor edilemez. Yazarlar, makalelerin hakemliği veya hibe başvuruları gibi gizli hizmetlerin sağlanması sırasında elde edilen bilgileri, bu hizmetlere dâhil olan çalışmanın yazar(lar)ının açık yazılı iznini almadıkça kullanmamalıdır.
"Authors should ensure appropriate citation of other relevant works and additionally reference publications that were instrumental in determining the nature of the reported study. Specifically obtained information (from interviews, correspondence, or discussions with third parties) cannot be used or reported without explicit written permission from the relevant source. Authors should not use information obtained during confidential services, such as peer review of manuscripts or grant applications, without explicit written permission from the authors involved in those services."

Peer Review

Authors are obliged to promptly respond to the editors' requests for raw data, explanations, ethical proof, patient consents, and copyright permissions, to participate in the peer review process, and to fully cooperate. In the event of an initial decision for "revision," authors should systematically address the referees' comments, point by point, and respond in a timely manner, revising their paper and resubmitting it to the journal by the specified deadline.

Common Errors in Published Works

Authors are obligated to promptly notify the journal's editors or publishers and collaborate with them to rectify significant errors or inaccuracies discovered in their published works, either by correcting the article in the form of an erratum or retracting the article. If editors or publishers learn from a third party that a published work contains a significant error or inaccuracy, the authors are responsible for promptly correcting or retracting the relevant article or providing evidence to the journal editors regarding the accuracy of the article.

The Article Retraction Process

The responsibilities of authors and the Editorial Board regarding the retraction process of works within the publication policies of the Trakya University Faculty of Letters Journal are as follows: Authors must execute the retraction process for published, peer-reviewed, pre-prints, or works in the evaluation stage in collaboration with the journal editor. For the retraction of a work in the evaluation stage, authors must fill out the Retraction Form, signed with the wet signatures of each author, and submit the scanned copy to the journal editor via email or through the DERGİPARK journal management system. Authors cannot submit these works for evaluation to another journal without the approval of the Editorial Board. The Editorial Board reviews the retraction notification and provides feedback within 15 days at the latest. If there are suspicions of copyright infringement or unethical situations regarding a published, pre-print, or work in the evaluation stage, the Editorial Board may conduct an investigation. Upon finding a situation that is not in line with copyright or research ethics in a published or pre-print work, the Editorial Board can retract the work without evaluation and inform the author of the investigation's outcome. The Editorial Board conducts the following retraction and notification procedures if it identifies a situation not compliant with copyright or research ethics in a published or pre-print work.

1. The prefix "Retracted:" is added to the title of the work accessed in electronic form.
2. Instead of the Abstract and Full Text links available in the electronic environment, the reasons for the retraction of the work, along with notifications from the affiliations of the authors regarding the subject, if any, are published.
3. In the table of contents of the first issue to be published after the retraction date, the entry "Retracted: Work Title" is added, starting from the first page. The reasons for retraction and original citations referenced are shared with the public and researchers.
4. The retraction notifications listed above are conveyed to the institutions and organizations where the journal is indexed and to the National Library Directorate for inclusion in indexing systems and catalogs.

Article Retraction: A work for which the peer review process has been initiated, cannot be retracted by the author. According to our Journal Publication Policy, the decision regarding retraction is made by the Editorial Board only if a substantiated request is submitted by the author.

Disclaimer

Editors and the editorial board are not responsible for the content of the published article and the opinions expressed by the authors. The originality of the writings, their editing, and any errors are solely the responsibility of the authors. All papers submitted for review and publication in Trakya University Faculty of Letters Journal undergo double-blind peer review for originality, ethical considerations, and valuable contributions. The decisions made by the reviewers are the sole and final means regarding the publication of an article in the journal.

Open Access Policy

Trakya University Faculty of Letters Journal has adopted an open access provision policy, recognizing the beneficial outcomes of effectively disseminating information. The journal supports the Budapest Open Access Initiative accepted on September 12, 2012.
Policies adopted by our journal can be found at http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/boai-10-translations/turkish-translation.

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supporting a greater global exchange of knowledge. By “open access” to [peer-reviewed research literature], we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution and the only role for copyright in this domain, is given to authors to retain control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited.

Archiving

The Journal of Trakya University Faculty of Arts supports the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) application, a secure and enduring archiving system integrated within its Open Journal Systems. Developed at Stanford University Libraries, LOCKSS is an open-source software designed to archive newly published content on network access pages of registered journals regularly collected in libraries. Each archive safeguards the data against potential loss within the library system. If corrupted or lost, it's used to retrieve other cached data.

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