ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

The publication processes implemented in The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) are fundamental to the development and dissemination of knowledge in an impartial and reputable manner. These processes directly reflect the quality of the work produced by authors and the institutions supporting them. Peer-reviewed studies are essential for embodying and supporting the scientific method. Therefore, it is crucial for all stakeholders in the process (authors, readers and researchers, publisher, reviewers, and editors) to adhere to ethical standards.
The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) adopts a publication ethics policy that aligns with both national and international standards. Our journal fully complies with national legislation such as the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive. Additionally, we commit to upholding the international ethical principles of publishing as established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). Moreover, we adhere to the decisions of the Turkey Editors’ Workshop. These ethical standards aim to ensure the creation of high-quality scientific publications, enhance trust in scientific findings, and promote the respectful exchange of ideas.
• Press Law (National Legislation)
• Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)
• Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive (National Legislation)
• Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (International Criteria)
• Turkey Editors’ Workshop Decisions (National Criteria)

The ethical duties and responsibilities outlined below have been prepared in consideration of the aforementioned guidelines and policies.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting work to The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:
• Authors must act according to scientific methods in the acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and conclusion of data. Non-scientific results cannot be presented as research findings.
• Data obtained in studies must be used to the extent and manner permitted by authorities. Data that should not be disclosed must remain confidential.
• Authors are obliged to inform relevant individuals and institutions of any adverse situations that may arise from the research. Authors have the right to withdraw from the research due to these potential adverse situations.
• The works submitted by authors are expected to be original. If authors draw upon or use other works, they must provide complete and accurate citations and/or quotations.
• Individuals who do not contribute intellectually to the content of the work should not be listed as authors.
• All works submitted for publication must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and relationships, if any.
• Authors may be asked to provide raw data related to their articles during the review processes; in such cases, authors should be ready to present the expected data and information to the editorial board.
• Authors must possess the rights to use the data they present, hold the necessary permissions related to the research/analyses, or have documentation proving that consent was obtained from the subjects involved in the experiments.
• Authors are obliged to inform the journal editor or publisher if they detect a mistake or error in their published, early view, or under-review work, and cooperate with the editor in correction or retraction processes.
• Authors may not submit works published in another journal to The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD). Duplicate publication refers to the publication of the same or substantially similar articles in more than one journal. The editor will reject such articles without review. Subsequently, the editor may impose an embargo on the author for a specific period, publicly disclose this situation, or apply all of these measures together.
• Authors cannot have their work under review in more than one journal at the same time. Each submission can be initiated following the completion of the previous submission. If such a situation is detected, the editor reserves the right to return or reject the article without review. Upon learning of this situation, the editor may inform the editor of the other journal that received the simultaneous submission. The editor may also write to the authors' employers or implement all of these measures together.

In line with ethical rules, the following types of research submitted for evaluation in our journal require Ethics Committee Approval:
• All kinds of research conducted with qualitative or quantitative approaches that require data collection from participants using survey, interview, focus group work, observation, experiment, interview techniques,
• Research using humans and animals (including material/data) for experimental or other scientific purposes,
• Clinical research on humans,
• Research on animals,
• Retrospective studies in accordance with the law on the protection of personal data

In this context, the following points must be adhered to in the studies submitted to the journal:
• Ethics committee approval must be obtained for research conducted in all branches of science requiring ethics committee approval, and this approval must be stated and documented in the article.
• In research requiring ethics committee approval, information about the approval (name of the committee, date, and number) should be included in the method section, as well as on one of the first/last pages of the article; in case reports, information indicating that informed consent forms were signed should be included in the article.
Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of Editors
The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) adopts the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) "Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" and "Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers" to establish ethical assurance in scientific periodical publishing.

General Duties and Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for every publication in the International Relations and Politics Journal (ULİPOD). In this context, editors have the following roles and responsibilities:
• Striving to meet the informational needs of readers and authors.
• Continuously working on the development of the journal.
• Managing processes aimed at improving the quality of the works published in the journal.
• Supporting freedom of thought and expression.
• Ensuring the maintenance of academic integrity.
• Continuing business processes without compromising intellectual property rights and ethical standards.
• Demonstrating transparency and clarity in matters that require corrections or explanations regarding publications.

Relations with Readers

Editors should make decisions considering the information, skills, and experience expectations of all readers, researchers, and practitioners. They must ensure that published works contribute to readers, researchers, practitioners, and the scientific literature and that they are original in nature. Additionally, editors are responsible for considering feedback from readers, researchers, and practitioners and providing explanatory and informative feedback.

Relations with Authors

Editors have the following duties and responsibilities toward authors:
• Editors should make decisions based on the importance, originality, validity, clarity of expression, and the journal's aims and objectives, whether positive or negative.
• Editors should take works that fit within the scope of the publication into the preliminary evaluation stage unless they have a significant problem.
• Editors should not disregard positive reviewer suggestions unless there is a serious issue with the work.
• New editors should not change decisions made by previous editors regarding works unless there is a significant issue.
• The "Blind Peer Review and Evaluation Process" must be published, and editors should prevent deviations in the defined processes.
• Editors should publish a "Writing Guidelines" manual that includes all the topics authors will expect from them in detail. These guidelines should be updated at regular intervals.
• Editors should provide explanatory and informative notifications and feedback to authors.

Relations with Reviewers

Editors have the following duties and responsibilities toward reviewers:
• Editors should select reviewers based on the subject of the work.
• Editors are responsible for providing the information and guidelines that reviewers will need during the evaluation process.
• Editors must monitor whether there is a conflict of interest between authors and reviewers.
• Editors should keep the identities of reviewers confidential within the context of blind peer review.
• Editors should encourage reviewers to evaluate the work impartially, scientifically, and objectively.
• Editors should evaluate reviewers based on criteria such as timely feedback and performance.
• Editors should implement policies and practices aimed at improving reviewers' performance.
• Editors should take necessary steps to keep the reviewer pool dynamically updated.
• Editors should prevent discourteous and non-scientific reviews.
• Editors should take steps to ensure that the reviewer pool comprises a wide range of expertise.

Relations with the Editorial Board

Editors must ensure that all editorial board members conduct the processes in accordance with the publication policies and guidelines. They should inform the editorial board members about publication policies and keep them updated on developments. Editors are also responsible for educating new editorial board members about publication policies and providing them with the necessary information.
Additionally, editors should:
• Ensure that editorial board members evaluate the work impartially and independently.
• Select new editorial board members who can contribute effectively and possess appropriate qualifications.
• Assign work to editorial board members that aligns with their areas of expertise.
• Maintain regular interaction with the editorial board.
• Organize meetings with the editorial board at regular intervals to discuss publication policies and the journal's development.

Relations with the Journal Owner and Publisher

The relationship between editors and the publisher is based on the principle of editorial independence.
Editorial and Peer Review Processes
Editors are responsible for implementing the "Blind Peer Review and Evaluation Process" policies outlined in the journal's publication policies. In this context, editors ensure that every work undergoes a fair, impartial, and timely evaluation process.

Editorial Confidentiality Obligation

Editors are required to keep all submitted manuscripts confidential and may not disclose any information about a manuscript to anyone without the authors' permission. The only individuals who can access the manuscripts during the review process are the editors, reviewers, and editorial board members. The only circumstance under which details about a manuscript can be disclosed to a third party without the authors' permission is if the editor suspects serious research misconduct.

Quality Assurance

Editors are responsible for ensuring that every article published in the journal complies with the journal's publication policies and international standards.

Plagiarism Prevention Measures

Authors should only publish their original work and properly attribute any works, sources, and data they have used. They should also cite other publications that have influenced the nature of their work. There are different types of plagiarism: presenting another researcher’s work as one's own, copying part of another researcher’s work without citing it, using it in a manner that suggests it is original, or claiming the results of another work as one’s own. Regardless of the form, plagiarism is contrary to publishing ethics and is unacceptable. Therefore, The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) screens all submitted articles to prevent potential plagiarism. Each submitted article is checked for plagiarism using the Turnitin program. This check excludes the bibliography and quotes. A similarity rate of less than 20% is expected. The primary measure of similarity is adherence to citation and quotation rules. However, failure to comply with citation and quotation rules can still be considered plagiarism, even with a low similarity rate. Therefore, citation and quotation rules should be well-known and carefully followed by the author. For editors, a 20% threshold is not a standard; they retain the right to reject the article or request corrections if they notice any issues. All articles that do not meet accepted ethical standards are removed from publication, including those with potential rule violations detected after publication.

Protection of Personal Data

Editors are responsible for ensuring the protection of personal data related to subjects or images used in the evaluated works. The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) requires all research involving personal or sensitive data or materials about human participants who are not legally publicly available to undergo official ethical review. Editors are required to reject work if the individuals involved in the studies do not provide documented consent. Additionally, editors are responsible for protecting the personal data of authors, reviewers, and readers.

Measures Against Potential Abuse and Misconduct

Editors are obligated to take measures against potential abuse and misconduct. In addition to conducting a thorough and objective investigation into complaints related to such issues, sharing findings is among the editor’s responsibilities. Editors are required to act if there is suspicion of ethical violations or allegations of such violations. Editors should first seek a response from the individuals suspected of misconduct. If unsatisfied with the response, they should request an investigation from relevant employers or institutions. This duty covers both published and unpublished articles. The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) or its editors will not knowingly permit any occurrence of plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, or other research misconduct. If editors become aware of any research misconduct related to a published article, they will follow COPE’s guidelines regarding the allegations.

Complaint Procedure

This procedure applies to complaints regarding content, procedures, or policies under the responsibility of The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) or our editorial team. Editors are required to carefully review and respond to complaints from authors, reviewers, or readers in a clarifying and explanatory manner. Complaints should pertain to content, procedures, or policies under the responsibility of The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) or the editorial team. Complaints should be sent via email to ulipodergisi@gmail.com and will be handled confidentially. The editor responds immediately to complaints. The editor follows the procedure outlined in the COPE flowchart regarding complaints.
Complaints are reviewed by the relevant member of the editorial team, and if unresolved, the following processes are followed:
• If the initial response is deemed inadequate, the complainant may request that their complaint be forwarded to a more senior member of the journal.
• If the complainant remains dissatisfied, the complaint may be escalated to the editor-in-chief.
• A complete response will be provided within two weeks, if possible.
• COPE publishes a code of practice for editors of scientific journals. This code facilitates the resolution of disputes between editors, journals, and publishers, but it can only be used after the journal’s own complaint procedures have been exhausted.

Correction, Retraction, and Expression of Concern

Editors may consider publishing a correction if they detect minor errors in a published article that do not affect the findings, interpretations, or conclusions. For significant errors or violations that invalidate the findings and conclusions, editors should consider retracting the article. If there is a possibility of misuse of research or publication by the authors, evidence of unreliable findings or lack of investigation by the authors’ institutions, or if an investigation seems unjust or inconclusive, editors should consider publishing an expression of concern. COPE guidelines are followed regarding corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

Political and Commercial Considerations

The journal owner, publisher, and any other political or commercial interests do not influence the editors' independent decision-making.

Conflict of Interests

Editors must ensure that the publication process is completed independently and impartially, taking into account conflicts of interest among authors, reviewers, and other editors.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

The quality of publication is directly affected by the use of "Double-Blind Peer Review." This process ensures objective and independent evaluation of the publication. The International Relations and Politics Journal (ULIPOD) operates under the principle of double-blind peer review. Reviewers cannot communicate directly with authors; evaluations and comments are communicated through the journal management system. In this process, reviewer comments on evaluation forms and full texts are relayed to authors through the editor. In this context, reviewers evaluating for The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) are expected to adhere to the following ethical responsibilities:
• Accept to review only works related to their area of expertise.
• Conduct evaluations with neutrality and confidentiality.
• If they believe they have a conflict of interest, they should decline to review the work and inform the journal editor.
• As per confidentiality, they should destroy reviewed works after the evaluation process. They may only use the final versions of the reviewed works after publication.
• Conduct evaluations objectively, based solely on the content of the work. They should not allow nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or commercial concerns to influence their evaluation.
• Provide evaluations in a constructive and polite manner. They should avoid hostile, defamatory, or insulting personal comments.
• Complete the evaluation of accepted works in a timely manner and in accordance with the aforementioned ethical responsibilities.

Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher of The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD), the International Relations and Politics Association (ULIPOD), is a non-profit civil society organization that serves the public good. In this context, The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) acts with awareness of the following ethical responsibilities related to The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD):
• Editors are responsible for all processes of the works submitted to The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD). In this regard, the decision-makers are the editors, without considering economic or political gains.
• Commitment to the creation of independent editorial decisions.
• Responsibility to take measures against scientific misconduct, citation manipulation, and plagiarism.

Reporting Ethical Violations

Readers who notice significant errors or inaccuracies in a published article or have any complaints related to editorial content (such as plagiarism, duplicate publications, etc.) can report them by sending an email to ulipodergisi@gmail.com. We welcome such reports as they provide an opportunity for improvement, and we will respond promptly and constructively.

PUBLICATION POLICY

• The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) is a peer-reviewed, semi-annual journal published in January and June. The journal features theoretical and applied studies and book reviews in the fields of international relations, international politics, political history, state law, security studies, area studies, migration studies, diplomacy, political economy, foreign policy, and political science. It does not include academic works from other social sciences or those unrelated to the listed fields. The journal is published in both Turkish and English. The responsibility for the scientific content and language of the published works lies with the author(s).
• Special issues may be published upon the request of the Editorial Board. Articles submitted for inclusion in a special issue undergo initial editorial review, followed by an examination for adherence to the journal's writing guidelines and a similarity check to prevent plagiarism. Articles that pass these stages are then subjected to a double-blind peer review process.
• There are no fees for manuscript evaluation or submission.
• Authors do not receive royalties for published works in the journal.
• Manuscripts submitted to The Journal of International Relations and Politics (ULIPOD) must adhere to APA 6 citation and referencing style. Detailed guidelines are available in the "Writing Rules."
• Manuscripts should be prepared using the article template provided on the Writing Guidelines page and uploaded to the system in .docx format.
• Manuscripts are initially reviewed for format and content. They must meet the format requirements and submission conditions. Articles that are found to be appropriate in terms of format and content will undergo the peer review process initiated by the editors. There is no guarantee that submitted manuscripts will enter the peer review process, nor is there a specific timeframe for the review process.
• After initial review for format and content and plagiarism screening, manuscripts are sent to at least two reviewers. Articles that receive positive feedback from reviewers proceed to the publication process. If one reviewer provides a positive report and another a negative one, the article may be sent to a third reviewer at the editor's discretion. Reviewer assignments are made by the editor.
• The timing and issue in which evaluated manuscripts will be published are determined by the Editorial Board. Authors of accepted manuscripts will receive an acceptance email. Manuscripts that have completed the review process may be published in any issue, as determined by the editorial board's decision.
• Based on the reports from reviewers, decisions are made regarding the publication of the manuscript, requests for revisions, additional information, or rejection. These decisions are communicated to the authors through the system. Authors are required to make all requested changes. Manuscripts will be rejected if authors do not make the required changes within the specified time.
• The views expressed in published articles and the responsibility for these views lie with the authors.
• If a manuscript is supported by any institution or derived from a thesis, this information must be specified in the file containing the author details.
• Manuscripts that do not conform to the publication principles will not be accepted. Manuscripts with deficiencies discovered later, regardless of their stage in the process, will have their evaluation process terminated and will be returned.
• Authors can archive their manuscripts through systems such as Sherpa/Romeo, Dulcinea, Diadorim, etc.