Publication Ethics

• In all processes pertaining to the Journal of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, it is our policy to ensure the impartial production and dissemination of information in accordance with the principles of scientific methodology.
• All parties involved in the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge, including publishers, editors, field editors, authors, referees, and readers, are expected to adhere to ethical principles. In this regard, all parties should align their actions with the guidelines and policies set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in the context of open access.
• It is unethical to manipulate, distort or fabricate data used in publications for any reason. In the event of such practices being identified, the article will be rejected and the authors' institutions will be informed. However, the editorial board reserves the right to request data or output files related to the analysis results from the author or authors.

Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

• The publisher of the Journal of the Faculty of Applied Sciences is Akdeniz University, a public educational institution.
• The publisher makes the journal available in an open, electronic and free format on the journal's web page.
• In order to ensure the effective fulfilment of the journal's activities, an editor, two assistant editors, a language editor and a managing editor have been appointed. In accordance with the subject matter of the article in question, the editor is empowered to forward said article to faculty members who are not members of the Editorial Board for review as a field editor when necessary.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Faculty of Applied Sciences

• The Editorial Board of the Journal of the Faculty of Applied Sciences bears responsibility for all articles submitted to the journal for publication. This responsibility entails the capacity to make independent decisions, without allowing personal interests to influence the outcome. The editorial decisions are independent of the publisher, other individuals, and organisations.
• The Board of Editors is committed to ongoing enhancements to the journal and the elevation of publication standards.
• The Board of Editors is responsible for establishing and enforcing policies pertaining to the evaluation of articles, ethical standards, and other matters related to the publication process.
• The Board of Editors is responsible for protecting the copyright of authors of published articles. This includes safeguarding intellectual property rights, implementing measures against unscientific and unethical behaviour, preventing plagiarism and addressing instances of academic dishonesty.
• The Editorial Board is responsible for the preparation of the 'Author Guidelines' and the 'Referee Guidelines'.
• The Board of Editors is responsible for maintaining records of all articles and associated correspondence pertaining to the journal, in either electronic or printed format.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors, Deputy Editors and Field Editors

• In accordance with the principle of openness, editors are responsible for overseeing all activities related to the publication process.
• Editors ensure that articles are original and contribute to the scientific literature, as well as to the knowledge base of readers, researchers and practitioners.
• In making positive or negative decisions on articles, editors consider a number of factors, including the original value, contribution to the field, validity and reliability of the research method, clarity of expression, and the purpose and scope of the journal.
  
• The editors adhere to the policies governing blind review and evaluation, maintaining the confidentiality of reviewer identity information and ensuring impartial and timely assessment of each article.
• In submitting manuscripts, editors consider the specific areas of expertise of field editors and referees, and facilitate the conduct of impartial and independent evaluations.
  Editors ensure that evaluations are conducted in accordance with the standards of academic etiquette.
• Editors are responsible for ensuring the protection of personal data in the articles that they evaluate. They are charged with the protection of the individual data of authors, reviewers and readers.
  
• Editors ensure the protection of human and animal rights in manuscripts, require the explicit consent of participants to be documented, and reject manuscripts that have not been approved by an ethics committee and obtained permission from participants in experimental research.
  
• Editors ensure that any errors, inconsistencies or misleading information in articles are corrected.
  
• Editors safeguard the intellectual property rights of published articles and defend the rights of the journal and the author(s) in the event of any infringement. Furthermore, they ensure that the content of published articles does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of other publications. They also examine the originality and similarity of the articles in question.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

• In accordance with the principles of academic integrity, the Journal of the Faculty of Applied Sciences employs a policy of blind refereeing. The referees are not permitted to view one another's evaluations and are required to submit their assessment of the article to the editor via the journal management system, taking any pertinent notes on the article.

• It is incumbent upon referees to consent to the evaluation of articles pertaining to their respective fields of expertise. It is incumbent upon referees to conduct their evaluations in an impartial and confidential manner.
  
• In the event that a referee identifies a potential conflict of interest, they are obliged to decline to evaluate the article in question and to inform the editors accordingly.
  
• It is expected that reviewers will evaluate the manuscript in a constructive manner, in accordance with the rules of academic etiquette. Personal comments containing insults and hostility should be avoided.
  
• It is the responsibility of the reviewer to evaluate the manuscript within the specified timeframe.
  
• It is expected that reviewers will complete their evaluation of the article within 30 days. Furthermore, referees are expected to complete the evaluation of articles that have been requested for re-examination following the implementation of corrections within a period of 15 days.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

• It is unethical for an author to submit more than one article at the same time to the Journal of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, or to submit an article that has already been published elsewhere or sent for publication.
  
• It is the responsibility of the author(s) to correctly cite the sources used during the writing of the article in accordance with the ethical principles that govern academic practice.
  The names of individuals who do not contribute to the article in question should not be included as authors. Furthermore, it is not appropriate to suggest any changes to the order of authors, the removal of authors, or the addition of authors to an article that has been submitted for publication.
  
• It is the responsibility of the author(s) to inform the editors of any potential conflict of interest or related issues pertaining to the article in question.
  
• In the event that the author(s) are requested to provide information or raw data pertaining to their articles during the evaluation process, they are obliged to submit the expected information to the editors.
  
• It is the responsibility of the author(s) to ensure that the necessary permissions and approvals have been obtained for the use of any data, research materials or images included in their article.
  
• In the event of an error in a manuscript that is in the review and early view stage or has been published electronically, the author(s) should contact the editor for information or correction. A five-day correction period is permitted for published articles from the date of publication.
  
• The author(s) should indicate that they have received ethics committee approval for research requiring ethics committee approval and upload the document showing the ethics committee decision to the system with the application of the article.
  
• Author(s) are not required to obtain ethics committee approval for review articles.
  
• Author(s) are required to complete the Copyright Transfer Form in its entirety and upload this form to the system at the article upload stage. 

Price Policy

• The Journal of the Faculty of Applied Sciences does not impose any publication fees on authors at any stage of the submission and review process.

Article Evaluation Period

• Submissions that do not align with the journal's scope or adhere to the standards of a scientific study in terms of content and form are rejected without initiating the refereeing process. Alternatively, the authors may be requested to make some modifications.
• In the event that the manuscript is deemed to require further assessment, a third referee may be appointed.
• Manuscripts that pass the preliminary evaluation stage are sent to at least two referees, appointed by the Editor and/or the Editorial Board.
• The typical evaluation period is approximately one month. It should be noted that the evaluation period for articles that are corrected and then requested to be re-examined by referees may exceed the average evaluation period.
• Manuscripts submitted to the journal that exhibit a reasonable level of similarity are subject to preliminary evaluation by the Editor and the Editorial Board.

Correction and Withdrawal Processes

• The authors are required to implement the necessary corrections within 15 days, taking into account the referee reports. The Editorial Board reserves the right to extend the 15-day period in accordance with the status of the referee reports.
• Manuscripts that have undergone corrections but have not been re-uploaded through the journal management system within the specified period will be considered new submissions.
  
• In accordance with the journal's publication policy, manuscripts may only be withdrawn at the pre-control stage. Once an article has passed the pre-control stage, it cannot be withdrawn.

Should you become aware of any unethical conduct falling outside the remit of the aforementioned ethical responsibilities, we request that you notify ubfdergisi@gmail.com via email.