Publication Ethics Principles
Vankulu Journal of Social Research expects all stakeholders to carry the ethical responsibilities described below within the scope of publication ethics.
The following ethical duties and responsibilities have been prepared in open access, taking into account the guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Actions Contrary to Scientific Research and Publication Ethics
• Plagiarism: Presenting the original ideas, methods, data, or works of others as one's own, either partially or entirely, without proper citation in accordance with scientific rules,
• Fabrication: Using data that does not actually exist or has been falsified in scientific research,
• Distortion: Altering research records or obtained data, presenting devices or materials not used in the research as if they had been used, altering or shaping research results in line with the interests of the individuals and organizations providing support,
• Re-publication: Presenting duplicate publications as separate publications for academic appointments and promotions,
• Salami slicing: Dividing the results of a study into parts in an inappropriate manner that compromises the integrity of the study and publishing them in multiple publications, presenting these publications as separate publications for academic appointments and promotions,
• Unfair authorship: Including individuals who have not made an active contribution among the authors or excluding those who have, changing the author order in an unjustified and inappropriate manner, removing the names of those who have made an active contribution from subsequent editions, or including one's name among the authors by using one's influence despite not having made an active contribution,
Other types of ethical violations include:
a) Failing to acknowledge individuals, institutions, or organizations that provided support for research resulting in publications,
b) Using theses or studies that have not yet been submitted or defended as sources without the owner's permission,
c) Sharing information contained in a work assigned for review with others before publication without the express permission of the author,
ç) Using resources, facilities, opportunities, and equipment provided or allocated for scientific research for purposes other than those intended,
d) Making unfounded, inappropriate, and deliberate allegations of ethical violations,
e) Publishing data obtained without the explicit consent of participants in surveys and attitude studies conducted as part of scientific work, or without the permission of the institution if the research is to be conducted at an institution,
f) Failure to comply with the obligation to inform and warn those concerned about possible harmful practices related to scientific research conducted by researchers and officials,
g) In scientific studies, failing to use data and information obtained from other persons and institutions to the extent and in the manner permitted, failing to respect the confidentiality of this information, and failing to ensure its protection,
h) Making false or misleading statements regarding scientific research and publications in academic appointments and promotions,
Ethics Committee Approval
For all research conducted in all scientific fields requiring ethics committee approval, an ethics committee decision must have been obtained, and information regarding the decision must be stated in the article text. Our journal does not consider studies without an ethics committee decision. In studies requiring ethics committee approval, information regarding the approval (committee name, date, and number) must be included in the article text. In accordance with the decisions taken by Ulakbim TR Index, Ethics Committee Approval is required for studies to be published from 2020 onwards.
Studies Requiring Ethics Committee Approval
In our journal, studies requiring ethics committee approval include the following:
• All research conducted using qualitative or quantitative approaches that involve collecting data from participants through methods such as surveys, interviews, focus group studies, observation, and interview techniques.
• Retrospective studies within the framework of the Personal Data Protection Law.
For such studies to be considered for evaluation, the relevant ethics committee approvals must have been obtained and these approvals must be clearly stated in the article text.
Relationships with the Journal Owner and Publisher
The relationship between the editor and the publisher is based on the principle of editorial independence. According to the written agreement between the editor and the publisher, all decisions made by the editor are independent of the publisher and journal owner.
Corrections, Retractions, Expressions of Concern
Editors may consider publishing a correction if minor errors are found in a published article that do not affect the findings, interpretations, or conclusions. Editors should consider retracting an article when major errors/violations invalidate the findings and conclusions. The COPE guidelines are considered regarding corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.
Protection of Intellectual Property Rights
Our journal is responsible for protecting the intellectual property rights of all published articles and defending the rights of the journal and author(s) in case of possible infringements.
Protection of Participants' Personal Data
All personal data submitted to our journal is protected in accordance with legal regulations and ethical rules.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
The use of artificial intelligence in studies submitted to our journal is acceptable in processes that do not affect the originality of the article, such as literature review or language control. However, the use of artificial intelligence must be carried out within the framework of ethical rules and must not be used for unethical purposes such as fabricated data or manipulation.
For studies involving the use of artificial intelligence, it is mandatory to inform our journal of this situation during the article submission stage. All responsibility regarding the use of artificial intelligence lies with the authors themselves.
Plagiarism Check
Studies submitted to our journal for publication are scanned using the iThenticate program to prevent plagiarism. The acceptable similarity rate for studies submitted to our journal is a maximum of 20%. Studies exceeding this rate are returned to the authors during the preliminary review stage. Our journal acts in accordance with COPE principles if plagiarism is detected in a submitted or published article.
Complaints
If an unethical situation is detected in our journal, it should be reported to sbedergisi@yyu.edu.tr. Complaints are evaluated in accordance with COPE flowcharts.
Responsibilities of Stakeholders
1. Ethical Obligations of Editors
• Editors evaluate all submissions to the journal based on their scientific merits, free from bias and in accordance with the principle of equality.
• Editors must not conceal potential conflicts of interest involving authors, reviewers, or third parties and must act in accordance with the principle of transparency.
• It is the editor's responsibility to protect the confidentiality of identity information in the double-blind peer review process and to ensure the impartiality of the process.
• Identifying competent reviewers in the field and ensuring that the evaluation process is conducted fairly, objectively, and in a timely manner are among the editor's duties.
• The editor is responsible for initiating the necessary investigation and procedures when a suspicion of publication ethics violation arises.
• Acceptance or rejection decisions should be based solely on the originality, scientific value, and contribution to the literature of the work.
• The editor is responsible for conducting similarity and plagiarism checks on submitted works.
2. Ethical Obligations of Authors
• Authors should submit original works that have not been published elsewhere.
• Every author listed in the work must have made a scientific and academic contribution.
• If the article is based on a thesis, project, or paper presented at a scientific meeting, this information must be clearly stated.
• Financial support, contributions, or potential conflicts of interest must be declared transparently.
• Honest, open, and timely communication must be maintained with the editorial board during the review process.
• If artificial intelligence tools have been used, the scope and stage of use should be clearly stated.
3. Ethical Obligations of Reviewers
• Reviewers should evaluate the works submitted to them during the review process in accordance with the principle of confidentiality.
• They should prepare their evaluations in an impartial, objective, scientifically based, and constructive manner.
• Personal criticism and derogatory or offensive language should be avoided.
• In the event of a potential conflict of interest, the editor should be informed, and the review task should not be accepted.
• The specified review schedule should be adhered to, and the editor should be informed in advance in case of any delay.
• Refereeing should only be accepted for works within the referee's area of expertise.