The Journal of Consumer and Consumption Research (Tüketici ve Tüketim Araştırmaları Dergisi) is committed to fostering the production of scientific knowledge on an honest, transparent, and impartial foundation. The publication processes implemented by the journal are conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive.

1. Core Publication Policy and Peer Review Process

• Open Access Policy: Embracing the principle of widespread dissemination of knowledge, the journal operates as an open-access publication under the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI). Full texts of published articles are accessible free of charge.
• Fee Policy: No submission, processing, or publication fees (e.g., Article Processing Charges - APCs) are charged to authors at any stage of the editorial process.
• Double-Blind Peer Review Process: All submitted manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review process in which the identities of both authors and reviewers remain confidential. Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent expert reviewers in the relevant field. In the event of a tie (one acceptance and one rejection), the opinion of a third reviewer or a section editor is sought.
• Similarity and Plagiarism Screening: All submitted manuscripts are screened using similarity detection software (Turnitin / iThenticate). The similarity index is expected not to exceed 20%, excluding references (with a maximum of 3% similarity from any single source). Submissions exceeding this threshold are either returned to the author or rejected without entering the peer review process.

2. Research Ethics and Approvals (TR Dizin Criteria)

For all empirical studies involving human participants (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, experiments), compliance with the following ethical requirements is mandatory:

• Ethics Committee Approval: Approval must be obtained from an authorized institutional Ethics Committee prior to data collection.
• Mandatory Disclosure: Information regarding the ethics committee approval (committee name, meeting/decision date, and reference/approval number) must be explicitly stated in the "Methodology" section as well as in the ethical declarations section at the end of the manuscript.
• Informed Consent: It must be reported in the manuscript that informed consent forms confirming voluntary participation were obtained from all participants.
• Permissions for Scales and Materials: If scales, questionnaires, photographs, or visual materials belonging to other researchers are used, it must be stated that copyright and usage permissions were duly obtained.

3. Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of Stakeholders

Responsibilities of Authors:

• Originality: Submitted manuscripts must be entirely original, must not have been published elsewhere, and must not be under concurrent review by another publication.
• Authorship Criteria: All individuals listed as authors must have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript drafting. Adding individuals who did not contribute (gift, guest, or ghost authorship) is strictly prohibited.
• Data Sharing and Integrity: Authors must be prepared to provide raw data upon request by the editorial board. Falsification, fabrication, or misleading reporting of data is unacceptable.
• Conflicts of Interest and Funding: Financial support (grants, projects, sponsorships, etc.) and any potential personal or professional conflicts of interest must be explicitly declared at the end of the manuscript.
• Notification of Errors: If an author identifies a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must promptly notify the editor to initiate a correction (corrigendum) or retraction process.

Responsibilities of Reviewers:

• Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for peer review are treated as strictly confidential documents; they must not be shared with third parties or utilized in the reviewers’ own research.
• Objectivity and Constructive Feedback: Reviews must be conducted with academic impartiality and collegial tone, without bias regarding the author's nationality, religious beliefs, gender, or institutional affiliation.
• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must decline the review assignment immediately if they identify any conflict or overlap of interest with the authors or the subject matter.
• Ethical Violations: Reviewers must directly notify the editorial board if they detect significant plagiarism, redundant/duplicate publication, or deliberate omission of relevant citations.

Responsibilities of Editors and Section Editors:

• Independent Decision-Making: Decisions to accept or reject manuscripts are grounded solely on the work's scientific merit, originality, relevance to the journal’s scope, and methodological rigor.
• Safeguarding Confidentiality: The confidentiality of author and reviewer identities is meticulously maintained throughout the entire process.
• Process Transparency: Reviewer appointments are merit-based, and reasonable timeliness across the review cycles is actively monitored.

4. Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

• Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Claude, or similar AI tools cannot be listed as authors, as authorship entails legal liability and copyright transfer.
• If AI tools are used for data analysis, code generation, or linguistic editing, the name, version, and specific purpose of the tool must be transparently disclosed in the "Methodology" or "Acknowledgments" section of the manuscript.

5. Correction, Retraction, and Expressions of Concern (Retraction Policy)

• If plagiarism, data manipulation, redundant publication, or ethics committee violations compromising scientific integrity are identified in a published article, the manuscript will be Retracted in accordance with COPE guidelines.
• The retracted article is not removed from the journal's records; instead, it is retained in the archives watermarked with a prominent red "Geri Çekilmiştir / Retracted" label alongside an editorial notice detailing the grounds for retraction.