Ethics
1- Publication Ethics
The ethical duties and responsibilities set out below have been prepared taking into account the open-access guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
2- Those Responsible for Publication Ethics
- Researchers (authors)
- Editors
- Editorial boards
- Advisers (referees)
- Supporting institutions (individuals)
- Those who set science policy (administrators)
- Readers
3- Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting articles for publication in the Journal of Black Sea Studies are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:
The publication processes applied in the Journal of Black Sea Studies form the basis for the impartial and respectable development and dissemination of knowledge. Accordingly, these processes directly reflect the quality of the work of authors and of the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed studies are works that embody and support the scientific method. At this point it is important that all stakeholders in the process (authors, readers and researchers, the publisher, referees and editors) comply with standards of ethical principles. Within the scope of the publication ethics of the Journal of Black Sea Studies, all stakeholders are expected to bear the following ethical responsibilities.
- The works submitted by authors must be original. When authors make use of or draw on other works, they must cite and/or quote them completely and accurately.
- Persons who have not made an intellectual contribution to the content of the work should not be listed as authors.
Any circumstances and relationships that may constitute a conflict of interest must be disclosed for all works submitted for publication.
Authors may be asked to provide raw data relating to their articles during the review process; in such a case, authors must submit the expected data and information to the editorial board and the scientific board.
- Authors must hold documents showing that they have the rights to use the data used, the necessary permissions for the research/analyses, or the consent of the subjects involved in experiments.
- If authors notice an error or inaccuracy in their published work, in work published as early view, or in work under review, they are obliged to inform the journal editor or publisher and to cooperate with the editor in correction or retraction procedures.
- Authors may not have their work under review at more than one journal at the same time. Each submission may be initiated only after the previous one has been completed. Work previously published in another journal may not be submitted to the Journal of Black Sea Studies.
- Changes to the authorship of a work whose review process has begun (such as adding an author, changing the order of authors or removing an author) may not be proposed.
4- Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of Editors
The editors and section editors of the Journal of Black Sea Studies should have the following ethical duties and responsibilities, based on the open-access guidelines “COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors” and “COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors” published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE):
4-1- General duties and responsibilities
Editors are responsible for every publication published in the Journal of Black Sea Studies. Within the context of this responsibility, editors have the following roles and obligations:
Striving to meet the information needs of readers and authors,
Ensuring the continuous development of the journal,
Conducting processes to improve the quality of the works published in the journal,
Supporting freedom of thought,
Ensuring academic integrity,
Carrying out work processes without compromising intellectual property rights and ethical standards,
Showing openness and transparency in publication matters that require correction or clarification.
4-2- Relations with readers
Editors should make decisions taking into account the knowledge, skills and experience expected by all readers, researchers and practitioners. They should ensure that published works contribute to readers, researchers, practitioners and the scientific literature and are original in nature. Editors are also obliged to take into account feedback from readers, researchers and practitioners and to provide explanatory and informative responses.
4-3- Relations with authors
The duties and responsibilities of editors towards authors are as follows:
Editors should make positive or negative decisions based on the importance, originality, validity and clarity of expression of the work and on the aims and scope of the journal.
They should take works that fall within the scope of the journal into pre-review unless they have serious problems.
Editors should not disregard positive referee recommendations unless there is a serious problem with the work.
The “Blind Peer Review and Evaluation Process” must be published, and editors should prevent any deviations from the defined processes.
Authors should be given explanatory and informative notifications and responses.
4-4- Relations with referees
The duties and responsibilities of editors towards referees are as follows:
Referees should be selected in accordance with the subject of the work.
Editors are obliged to provide the information and guidelines that referees will need during the review.
They must watch for conflicts of interest between authors and referees.
They must keep the identities of referees confidential within the framework of blind review.
They should encourage referees to evaluate the work in impartial, scientific and objective language.
They should establish practices and policies that improve referee performance.
They should take the necessary steps to keep the pool of referees dynamically updated.
They should prevent discourteous and unscientific evaluations.
They should take steps to ensure that the pool of referees is drawn from a broad range.
4-5- Relations with the Editorial Board
Editors should ensure that all members of the editorial board carry out processes in accordance with the publication policies and guidelines. They should inform editorial board members about publication policies and keep them informed of developments.
In addition, editors should:
Ensure that editorial board members evaluate works impartially and independently.
Select new editorial board members who are able to contribute and are suitably qualified.
Send works for evaluation that match the editorial board members’ fields of expertise.
Interact regularly with the editorial board.
Hold meetings with the editorial board at regular intervals on publication policies and the development of the journal.
4-6- Relations with the journal owner and publisher
The relationship between editors and the publisher is based on the principle of editorial independence. Under the written agreement between the editors and the publisher, all decisions taken by the editors are independent of the publisher and the journal owner.
4-7- Editorial and blind peer review processes
Editors are obliged to apply the “Blind Peer Review and Evaluation Process” policies set out in the journal’s publication policies. In this context, editors ensure that the evaluation of each work is completed fairly, impartially and on time.
4-8- Quality assurance
Editors are responsible for ensuring that every article published in the Journal of Black Sea Studies is published in accordance with the journal’s publication policies and international standards.
4-9- Protection of personal data
Editors are obliged to ensure the protection of personal data relating to subjects or images included in the works under review. They are responsible for rejecting a work unless the explicit consent of the individuals included in it is documented. Editors are also responsible for protecting the personal data of authors, referees and readers.
4-10- Ethics committee, human and animal rights
Editors are obliged to ensure the protection of human and animal rights in the works under review. They are responsible for rejecting a work where ethics committee approval for the subjects used, or permissions for experimental research, are lacking.
4-11- Measures against possible misconduct and abuse
Editors are obliged to take measures against possible misconduct and abuse. In addition to conducting a careful and objective investigation into identifying and evaluating complaints about such situations, sharing the relevant findings is among the editor’s responsibilities.
4-12- Ensuring the integrity of academic publication
Editors should ensure that errors, inconsistencies or misleading statements in works are corrected promptly.
4-13- Protection of intellectual property rights
Editors are obliged to protect the intellectual property rights of all published articles and to defend the rights of the journal and the authors in the event of possible infringements. Editors are also obliged to take the necessary measures to ensure that the content of all published articles does not infringe the intellectual property rights of other publications.
4-14- Constructiveness and openness to debate
Editors should:
Take into account convincing criticism of works published in the journal and adopt a constructive attitude towards such criticism.
Grant the authors of criticised works the right of reply.
Not disregard or exclude works with negative results.
4-15- Complaints
Editors are obliged to examine complaints from authors, referees or readers carefully and to respond in an enlightening and explanatory manner.
4-16- Political and commercial concerns
The journal owner, the publisher and no other political or commercial factor may influence the independent decision-making of the editors.
4-17- Conflicts of interest
Taking into account conflicts of interest between authors, referees and other editors, editors guarantee that the publication process of works is completed independently and impartially.
5- Ethical Responsibilities of Referees
Evaluating all works through “blind peer review” directly affects the quality of publication. This process ensures confidence through the objective and independent evaluation of the publication. The review process of the Journal of Black Sea Studies is conducted on the principle of double-blind peer review. Referees may not contact authors directly; evaluations and comments are conveyed through the journal management system. In this process, evaluation forms and referee comments on the full texts are forwarded to the authors by the editor. In this context, referees reviewing articles for the Journal of Black Sea Studies are expected to have the following ethical responsibilities:
They should agree to review only works related to their field of expertise.
They should carry out the review impartially and confidentially.
If they believe they face a conflict of interest during the review process, they should decline to review the work and inform the journal editor.
In accordance with the principle of confidentiality, they should destroy the works they have reviewed after the review process. They may use only the final versions of the works they have reviewed, and only after publication.
They should carry out the review objectively and solely with regard to the content of the work. They should not allow nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political beliefs or commercial concerns to influence the review.
They should write the review in constructive and courteous language. They should not make derogatory personal comments containing hostility, slander or insult.
They should complete the review of the works they have agreed to evaluate on time and in accordance with the ethical responsibilities above.
6- Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher
The Editors and Editorial Board of the Journal of Black Sea Studies act with awareness of the following ethical responsibilities:
Editors are responsible for all stages of the works submitted to the Journal of Black Sea Studies. Within this framework, the editors are the decision-makers, without regard to economic or political gain.
The publisher undertakes to ensure that editorial decisions are made independently.
It protects the ownership and copyright of every article published in the Journal of Black Sea Studies and undertakes the obligation to keep a record of every published copy.
It is responsible for taking measures against all kinds of scientific misconduct, citation cartels and plagiarism relating to the editors.
If You Encounter an Unethical Situation
If you encounter any unethical behaviour or content in the Journal of Black Sea Studies beyond the ethical responsibilities mentioned above, please report it by e-mail to karadenizincelemeleridergisi@yahoo.com.tr.