ATED aims to develop and disseminate knowledge in an unbiased and respectful manner. The primary content of ATED consists of peer-reviewed studies that support and implement the scientific method. All parties involved or playing a role in the production process of a peer-reviewed product, including editors, reviewers, authors, publishers, and readers, are expected to contribute to the proper progression of these processes. Adherence to ethical principles, rules, regulations, and considerations in scientific research is of great importance in achieving this goal.
ATED adheres to the ethical principles based on guidelines and policies prepared by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). It is expected that all stakeholders of ATED embrace, adopt, and follow the following ethical principles.
Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Authors should ensure the accuracy and truthfulness of the data used in their work; maintain records of research processes and procedures in an organized manner; provide relevant raw data and/or information when deemed necessary by publication and scientific committees.
Authors should ensure that their articles have not been published elsewhere or are not under consideration for publication in another peer-reviewed journal.
Individuals who have not made an intellectual contribution to the study should not be listed as authors.
If the study involves animal and/or human subjects, authors should comply with relevant national and international rules and regulations (e.g., the Declaration of Helsinki, the Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals by PHS, the EU Directive on the Use of Animals); provide evidence that necessary permissions and approvals have been obtained; respect the privacy of subjects/participants.
Articles submitted for publication should be shared with the editor and publisher if there is any conflict of interest or relationship. If necessary, an addendum or erratum should be reported or the article should be retracted.
During the peer review process, authors may be requested by the Editorial Board to provide the raw data they used in their studies. Therefore, it is expected that they share the relevant data with the Editorial Board and retain all relevant data for a minimum of five years.
Authors are obligated to inform the editor or publisher if they discover any errors in their work during early publication or the publication process and collaborate with the editors during the correction or retraction process.
Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of the Editor
The editors and section editors of ATED should have the following ethical responsibilities based on the "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, which can be accessed from the following link: https://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_Mar11.pdf)
• Adopting balanced and objective behavior while fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of an editor; treating authors fairly without discrimination based on gender, religious beliefs, political views, ethnic origin, or nationality.
• Evaluating the articles submitted to ATED based on the "article submission guidelines," the significance and originality of the study, and if the decision is made to reject a manuscript based on editorial evaluation, providing authors with clear and objective reasons for the decision. If it is determined that an article requires extensive revision due to various typesetting, punctuation, spelling, and formatting errors or issues with the referencing system, informing the authors and allocating the necessary time for corrections.
• Taking necessary measures and evaluating the requests of both parties in cases of conflicts of interest.
• Evaluating the submitted works to ATED based on their content without granting any privileges.
• Ensuring that all manuscripts undergo a blind peer review process and that authors have no knowledge of the reviewers, and reviewers have no information about the authors.
• Treating sponsored research or studies on special topics in the same manner as all other articles.
• Supporting the freedom of expression for authors.
• Carefully informing authors about the processes and status of their manuscripts without violating the rules and regulations of blind peer review.
• Continuously updating the article template that presents and explains what is expected from authors.
• Ensuring that all published articles include submission and acceptance dates.
• Striving to contribute to the improvement and development of the journal's quality.
• Taking necessary actions in accordance with ATED's relevant policies and procedures in case of a complaint regarding a violation of ethical principles. Providing authors with the necessary opportunities to respond to the complaints raised against their manuscripts or defend themselves, and applying appropriate and objective sanctions.
• Inviting the authors of a manuscript to declare that they have no conflict of interest before starting the review process.
• Renewing and expanding the pool of reviewers considering their areas of expertise or specialization.
• Excluding reviewers who fail to fulfill their duties in a timely manner or provide rude and low-quality feedback and comments.
• Rejecting a manuscript that is not aligned with the objectives and scope of the journal.
• Identifying and appointing new members who can contribute to the development of the Editorial Board.
• Informing the new members of the Editorial Board about ATED's manuscript submission guidelines, explaining what is expected from them as Editorial Board members, and providing information about their responsibilities.
• Reviewing and responding to criticism or feedback related to the journal when necessary.
Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
The evaluation of all manuscripts through the process of "Double-Blind Peer Review" directly impacts the quality of publication. This process ensures confidentiality through unbiased and independent assessment. The review process at ATED is conducted according to the principle of double-blind review. Reviewers do not directly know or communicate with the authors, and authors have no knowledge of the reviewers. Reviews and comments are conveyed through the journal management system. In this process, the opinions of reviewers regarding evaluation forms and full texts are assigned to the author(s) by the editor. Therefore, reviewers conducting reviews for ATED should have the following ethical responsibilities:
Reviewers should:
• Agree to review only the works in their respective areas of expertise and commit to reviewing the assigned manuscript fairly, impartially, and in a timely manner to assist the editor in the decision-making process.
• Fill out the relevant 'Reviewer Evaluation Form' and ensure that no information about their (reviewer) identity is reflected in the form. State their decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of the manuscript along with the rationale.
• Review the manuscript objectively and solely based on its content, ensuring that nationality, gender, religious and political beliefs, and economic concerns do not influence the review.
• Thoroughly and confidentially review the draft with objectivity and provide relevant feedback to improve its quality.
• Review the manuscript in a constructive and courteous manner, avoiding personal comments that involve hostility, defamation, or insults. Reviewers may be asked to reconsider their evaluations and feedback if it is determined that their comments lack scientific merit.
• Review a manuscript solely based on its content.
• Preserve the confidentiality of information provided by the editor or author(s) and destroy the manuscript after the review process.
• Notify the journal editor and decline the review of a manuscript if they encounter any issues that may compromise the double-blind peer review process.
• Dispose of the reviewed manuscripts in accordance with the principle of confidentiality after the review process. Reviewers may only use the final version of the reviewed manuscripts after they are published.
• Be aware of potential conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, collaborative, or those related to relationships with authors) and alert the editor to withdraw from reviewing the respective manuscript.
Publisher's Ethical Responsibilities
Like all other stakeholders, the publisher is obliged to adhere to ethical principles and act accordingly.
The publisher bears the responsibility of taking measures against scientific misconduct, fraud, and plagiarism.
The publisher safeguards the intellectual property rights of all articles published in ATED and is responsible for maintaining records of all published materials.
The publisher acknowledges that decisions regarding peer review, editorial processes, and publication rest with the editor and the editorial board.
All stakeholders should not hesitate to contact the publisher if they observe or become aware of any unethical behavior or misconduct.
Publisher's Ethical Responsibilities
Like all other stakeholders, the publisher is obliged to adhere to ethical principles and act accordingly.
The publisher bears the responsibility of taking measures against scientific misconduct, fraud, and plagiarism.
The publisher safeguards the intellectual property rights of all articles published in ATED and is responsible for maintaining records of all published materials.
The publisher acknowledges that decisions regarding peer review, editorial processes, and publication rest with the editor and the editorial board.
All stakeholders should not hesitate to contact the publisher if they observe or become aware of any unethical behavior or misconduct.
Abuse of Scientific Research and Publication Ethics
Plagiarism: Using someone else's original ideas, methods, data, or products without proper attribution or presenting another person's work partially or entirely as one's own.
Fabrication: Using nonexistent or distorted data.
Distortion: Tampering with research records or data; claiming the use of certain tools or materials in the study that were not actually used; altering, distorting, or shaping research findings to align with the interests of supporting individuals or institutions.
Duplication: Using the same research data in multiple studies.
Slicing: Dividing research results into several parts that disrupt the integrity and publishing them as separate research articles.
Undeserved Authorship: Listing individuals as authors who did not actively contribute to the production of the manuscript or failing to acknowledge those who made significant contributions to the study. Inappropriately and unnecessarily changing the order of author names.
Failure to provide information about the individuals/organizations/institutions supporting the research and their contributions.
Failure to cite unpublished theses or articles or referring to them when they have not been presented or published yet.
Failure to comply with ethical rules and regulations or obtain necessary permissions before conducting research involving human and/or animal subjects. Disregarding patient rights and causing harm to the health of animals and ecological balance.
Misuse or abuse of provided/allocated resources, locations, or equipment for research.
Providing misleading/false information regarding scientific research and publications.
Transfer of Copyright
The submitted papers to ATED for publication should not have been previously published or submitted elsewhere for publication. Authors are obliged to declare that the manuscript has not been published or submitted for publication in any other form during the submission process. Otherwise, the authors will be held responsible for any consequences that may arise.
Authors are expected to transfer the copyright of their work to ATED. This transfer agreement comes into effect after the acceptance of the manuscript for publication.
Authors retain the right to publish the content of the article on their personal websites or in their institution's open-access repositories; they may make copies of the article for personal use and use its content, in part or in whole, appropriately cited, in their other works.
When using tables, figures, and other types of verbal and/or visual materials included in the content of a paper published in print or electronic format, authors must obtain permission from the copyright holder. Legal, financial, and criminal liabilities regarding this matter belong to the authors.
Authors planning to submit an article to ATED are required to fill out the "Copyright Transfer Agreement." Then, sign the form with an original signature, scan it, and return the signed form to ATED via email: anadoluturkegitim@gmail.com.
Conflict of Interest
Conflict of interest can arise when individuals or groups benefit economically or personally from certain matters. The credibility of scientific research and published articles partly depends on the objective handling of conflicts of interest in the planning, implementation, writing, evaluation, revision, and publication processes.
Financial relationships can encompass the most easily identifiable conflicts of interest, which can inadvertently affect both the authors and the credibility of the journal. These conflicts can stem from various issues such as interpersonal relationships, academic competition, or intellectual approaches.
Editors may attempt to avoid conflicts of interest by refraining from assigning specific individuals as reviewers for certain papers submitted by particular authors.
Authors are expected to inform the editorial board if there is a potential conflict of interest to ensure that the peer-review process remains independent of any unethical behavior.
The editorial board of ATED commits to considering all these possibilities and strives to make the review process as objective as possible.
