*Wheat Studies*
Ethical Principles and Publication Policy
Publication Ethics
Wheat Studies is committed to upholding the highest standards of scientific publication ethics and adheres to the core practices developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for journal editors.
Manuscripts submitted to *Wheat Studies* must not have been previously published, accepted for publication, or currently under consideration for publication by another journal.
Wheat Studies adopts the standards established by COPE regarding publication ethics. In this context, in cases of misconduct or violations of publication ethics, the journal refers to the publication ethics flowcharts developed by COPE (https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts).
In accordance with its double-blind peer-review process, *Wheat Studies* ensures the anonymity of authors, section editors, and reviewers throughout the submission and evaluation stages.
The confidentiality of author information is the responsibility of the journal; however, such information may be disclosed during an investigation into potential misconduct. *Wheat Studies* defines its policies regarding potential misconduct in line with the guidelines established by COPE and makes these available to stakeholders via its website.
The reuse of portions of a text across multiple publications by the same author—without proper citation or disclosure—is not acceptable to Wheat Studies. In such instances, the journal follows the relevant guidelines set forth by COPE.
Wheat Studies is an international, peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes original research articles and well-prepared reviews on current topics within the field of agriculture—covering both Turkey and the rest of the world—in either Turkish or English.
Wheat Studies facilitates the development of knowledge in plant-related research through scientific methods and promotes the sharing of such information. It operates under an open-access policy, allowing free access to its content, and is published biannually.
Peer-reviewed articles are works that demonstrate the application of scientific methodology and ensure impartiality. Throughout the process of scientific production, all components of the publication workflow— Publishers, editors, authors, reviewers, and readers are required to adhere to ethical principles. In this context, Wheat Studies mandates that all stakeholders involved in the publication process comply with these ethical standards.
If instances such as the manipulation or distortion of data, or the use of fabricated data, are detected, the author’s affiliated institution will be formally notified, and the manuscript will be rejected. Based on evaluations by the editorial board and/or reviewers, the journal reserves the right to request output files related to the analysis results from the authors.
Wheat Studies does not charge any article processing fees, nor does it require subscription fees for access to its content.
Manuscripts submitted for publication must not have been previously published elsewhere, nor should they be under consideration for publication in any other journal.
The research presented in the manuscript must have been conducted within the last 10 years.
An author may appear as the first author on no more than two articles within the same issue.
Manuscripts submitted to the journal must have a similarity index of no more than 15% when checked via plagiarism detection software.
Manuscripts will not be published until all revisions requested by the reviewers have been incorporated.
Manuscripts submitted to the journal will not be returned, regardless of whether they are published or not. The authors bear full responsibility for the content of their work.
Manuscripts intended for publication must be prepared in accordance with the “Wheat Studies” guidelines, and citations must follow the APA style.
Manuscripts must be submitted via the "Submit Article" (Makale Gönder) menu at https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/wsj. The “Article Submission and Copyright Transfer Agreement,” which can be obtained as an attachment to our journal or via the DergiPark webpage, must be completed, signed, scanned, and submitted along with the article.
Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher
The Bahri Dağdaş International Research Institute, the publisher of Wheat Studies, is a non-profit public research organization that operates with the public interest in mind.
Since 2014, Wheat Studies has been managed under the direction of an editorial board.
Responsibilities of the Wheat Studies Editorial Board
The Wheat Studies Editorial Board is responsible for every manuscript submitted to the journal, as well as for all processes following publication, and is fully cognizant of this responsibility. This entails making decisions—regarding any matter concerning the journal—independently and exclusively in the public interest, without regard for personal gain. The relationship between the publisher and the Editorial Board is founded on the principle of independence; all decisions made by the editors are independent of the publisher and any other individuals or entities.
The Wheat Studies Editorial Board strives for the continuous improvement of the journal and the enhancement of the quality of its publications.
The Wheat Studies Editorial Board is responsible for establishing and implementing the journal’s policies, including those concerning publication, the double-blind peer-review process, evaluation procedures, and ethical standards.
The Wheat Studies Editorial Board protects the copyright of the authors whose work is published in the journal.
The Wheat Studies Editorial Board is responsible for taking measures to address issues related to intellectual property rights, unethical scientific conduct, plagiarism, and citation manipulation (citation cartels) throughout the manuscript submission and publication process.
The Editorial Board of Wheat Studies prepares and, when necessary, updates an “Author Guide”—containing information required by author(s)—and a “Reviewer Guide”—containing information needed by reviewers during the evaluation process. The Editorial Board of *Wheat Studies* maintains records of every article, as well as all correspondence related to the journal, in either electronic or printed format.
Ethical Responsibilities of Editors and Associate Editors
Editors strive to meet the information needs of reviewers, author(s), researchers, practitioners, and readers; they adhere to the principles of transparency regarding any corrections or clarifications required during the publication process.
When deciding on the publication of articles, editors ensure that the submissions are original, scientifically sound, and contribute to the knowledge of readers, researchers, and practitioners.
In making decisions—whether positive or negative—regarding articles, editors consider the original value of the work, its contribution to the field, the validity and reliability of the research methodology, the clarity of the presentation, and the alignment of the work with the journal’s aims and scope.
Editors advance submitted articles to the preliminary evaluation stage, provided there are no significant issues; they take into account positive recommendations from reviewers and, barring any serious concerns, do not overturn decisions made by previous editor(s).
Editors implement the journal’s publication policies, including those concerning double-blind peer review and the evaluation process; they ensure the confidentiality of reviewers' identities and guarantee that every article is evaluated impartially and within the designated timeframe.
Editors assign manuscripts by considering the areas of expertise of section editors and reviewers, and they support the conduct of impartial and independent evaluations.
To ensure an unbiased evaluation of a manuscript, editors assess whether any conflicts of interest—or common interests—exist between the editors, reviewers, and author(s).
Editors actively seek to maintain a diverse and continuously updated pool of reviewers.
Editors prevent evaluations that are unscientific or fail to adhere to academic standards of conduct.
Editors ensure that the journal’s publication processes are managed in accordance with its editorial policies and guidelines; they keep those involved in the process informed about developments regarding these policies and organize training programs when necessary.
Editors maintain effective communication with everyone involved in the publication process and hold regular meetings.
Editors ensure the protection of personal data contained within the manuscripts under review, as well as the individual data of authors, reviewers, and readers.
Editors ensure that human and animal rights are upheld in the manuscripts; they require documentation of informed consent from research participants and mandate ethics committee approval—or other necessary research authorizations—for studies involving human or animal subjects, rejecting any manuscripts that lack such documentation.
Editors take measures to prevent the abuse of editorial authority. In the event of allegations of such abuse, they conduct an objective investigation and share their findings regarding the matter.
Editors ensure that any errors, inconsistencies, or misleading information in manuscripts are corrected. * Editors protect 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 take necessary precautions to ensure that the content of published articles does not violate the intellectual property rights of other publications; they conduct checks for originality and similarity.
Editors take into account substantive critiques regarding articles published in the journal and provide the author(s) of the critiqued articles the right to respond.
Editors also consider studies that report negative results.
Editors investigate complaints submitted to the journal and provide the necessary clarifications.
Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
Wheat Studies employs a double-blind peer review process, in which neither the author(s) nor the reviewers are aware of each other’s identities. Reviewers may not communicate directly with authors; instead, feedback—including evaluation forms, annotations on the manuscript, and requests for revisions—is conveyed to the author(s) by the editors via the journal’s management system. Reviewers evaluating manuscripts submitted to *Wheat Studies* are expected to adhere to the following ethical responsibilities:
Reviewers should only agree to evaluate manuscripts that fall within their area of expertise.
Reviewers must conduct evaluations with impartiality and confidentiality. In accordance with this principle, they should destroy the manuscripts they have reviewed once the evaluation process is complete. Factors such as nationality, gender, religious or political beliefs, or commercial interests must not compromise the impartiality of the evaluation.
If reviewers identify a potential conflict of interest, they must decline to evaluate the manuscript and inform the editors accordingly.
Reviewers should conduct their evaluations in a constructive manner, consistent with academic etiquette, and must refrain from making personal, insulting, or hostile remarks.
Reviewers are expected to complete the evaluation of a manuscript within the designated timeframe. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Ethical responsibilities of author(s) submitting a manuscript to the journal *Wheat Studies*:
Author(s) must not submit a manuscript—or multiple manuscripts—to Wheat Studies that has/have been published elsewhere or is/are currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Author(s) must submit original work to Wheat Studies.
Author(s) must accurately cite all sources used in the preparation of the manuscript, in accordance with ethical principles.
Individuals who have not contributed to the manuscript should not be listed as authors; furthermore, it is not permitted to alter the order of authors, remove authors, or add authors to a manuscript already submitted for publication.
Author(s) must disclose to the editors any potential conflicts of interest (or common interests) regarding the submitted manuscript.
If requested by the editors during the review process, author(s) must provide information or raw data pertaining to their manuscript.
Author(s) must provide documentation confirming that they possess the usage rights for the data employed in their research, have obtained necessary permissions for their research/analyses, and have secured informed consent from any research participants.
Should author(s) discover an error in their manuscript—whether it is currently under review, in the "early view" stage, or already published online—they must contact the editor to report the error, initiate a correction, or request a retraction.
For research requiring data collection through quantitative or qualitative methods—such as experiments, surveys, scales, interviews, observations, or focus group studies—author(s) must confirm that they have obtained approval from an ethics committee. The name of the ethics committee, along with the date and number of the decision, must be stated on the first and last pages of the manuscript as well as in the methodology section. The document verifying the ethics committee's decision must be uploaded to the system at the time of manuscript submission. Furthermore, for case reports, the manuscript must include a statement confirming that informed consent has been obtained.
Authors must provide evidence within the manuscript that ethical principles were upheld during the data collection process (e.g., obtaining permission to use instruments, scales, questionnaires, or photographs developed by others). It must be stated that the research adheres to research and publication ethics, as well as copyright regulations regarding intellectual and artistic works. If the research involved human or animal subjects, it must be declared that the study was conducted in accordance with relevant international declarations, guidelines, etc.
Ethics committee approval is not required for review articles. However, in cases where such approval is not necessary, this must be explicitly stated on the first and last pages of the manuscript and within the methodology section.
Ethics committee approval is required for the following types of research:
All research conducted using qualitative or quantitative approaches that involve collecting data from participants through methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, experiments, or discussions;
The use of humans or animals (including materials/data derived from them) for experimental or other scientific purposes;
Clinical research involving human subjects;
Research involving animal subjects;
Retrospective studies, in accordance with the Law on the Protection of Personal Data.
Additionally;
For case reports, it must be stated that an "informed consent form" has been obtained.
For the use of scales, questionnaires, or photographs belonging to others, permission must be obtained from the owners and duly noted.
It must be confirmed that copyright regulations have been observed regarding any intellectual or artistic works used.
Reporting Ethical Misconduct to the Editor
Should any behavior contrary to ethical principles—involving editors, reviewers, or authors—or any unethical situation concerning a manuscript under review, in "early view," or already published, be encountered, it must be reported to the “Wheat Studies” via email at jbdcr42@gmail.com.
Publication Acceptance Process
Manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo an initial editorial screening—covering adherence to submission guidelines, proofreading (spelling and grammar), statistical and linguistic assessment, and plagiarism checks—before being sent to reviewers. The journal employs a "double-blind peer review" process. Each manuscript is sent to two reviewers; if both recommend acceptance, the manuscript is accepted for publication. If both reviewers recommend rejection, the manuscript is rejected. If one reviewer recommends rejection and the other suggests minor revisions, the manuscript is sent to a third reviewer; if the final outcome is "minor revision" or "acceptance," the manuscript is accepted following the completion of the necessary revisions. If one reviewer recommends rejection and the other suggests major revisions, the manuscript is rejected.