Ethical Principles

Publication Ethics Principles

Publication ethics refers to the self-regulation mechanism that insists on integrity on behalf of authors, reviewers, and publishers to establish higher editorial processing standards. Ethical standards for publications exist to ensure high-quality scientific publications, public trust in scientific findings, and respect for individuals' ideas.

Authors:

• Honest researchers do not engage in plagiarism.
• They do not misrepresent sources.
• They do not distort opposing views.
• They do not destroy or conceal data.

Peer-reviewed work supports and implements the scientific method. At this point, it is crucial that all parties involved in the publication process (authors, readers and researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) adhere to ethical principles. Sultan Journal adheres to national and international standards regarding research and publication ethics. It complies with the Press Law, Copyright Law, and the Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Regulation. Sultan Journal has adopted the International Ethical Publishing Principles published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

Duplicate Publication

Duplicate publication refers to the publication of the same article or substantially similar articles in multiple journals. The editor will return such articles without review. Subsequently, the editor may impose a certain embargo period on the author attempting duplicate publication, announce this situation to the public (possibly as a simultaneous announcement with the previous journal's editor), or apply all these measures collectively.

Simultaneous Submission to Multiple Journals

Authors may not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals. If the editor learns of possible simultaneous submissions, they reserve the right to consult with other editors. The editor may return the manuscript without review or reject it without considering reviews, or make this decision in consultation with other editors and decide to suspend manuscript submissions for a certain period. Additionally, the editor may notify the authors' institutions or implement all these measures together.

Plagiarism Prevention Control

Plagiarism involves presenting others' ideas, methods, data, applications, writings, figures, or works as one's own without proper scientific attribution, either partially or entirely.

To prevent ethical violations, manuscripts submitted to the journal are scanned with plagiarism detection programs (iThenticate, Turnitin, or plagiarism.net/). The similarity report is reviewed by the editor to check for "citation-plagiarism differences." If unethical practices not conforming to academic writing are detected, the manuscript is returned to the author(s).

Plagiarism, duplication, fake authorship/denied authorship, research/data fabrication, article slicing, slicing for publication, copyright infringement, and concealment of conflicts of interest are considered unethical behaviors. All articles not complying with accepted ethical standards are retracted, including those detected with potential rule violations or non-compliance after publication.

Fabrication

Fabrication involves creating data not based on research, organizing or altering presented or published works based on non-existent data, reporting or publishing these, or presenting nonexistent research as if it were conducted.

Altering research records and obtained data, using methods, devices, and materials not used in research, disregarding data inconsistent with the research hypothesis, manipulating data and/or results to fit a theory or assumptions, and distorting or shaping research results according to the interests of supported individuals and organizations are considered fabrication.

Protection of Participants' Personal Data

Sultan Journal requires that all research involving human participants containing personal or sensitive data or materials not legally public undergo official ethical review.

Handling of Research Misconduct Claims

Sultan Journal adheres to COPE’s Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. The journal’s editors will take measures to prevent the publication of articles involving plagiarism, citation manipulation, data distortion, data fabrication, and other research misconduct. Under no circumstances will Sultan Journal editors knowingly allow such misconduct. If editors become aware of any research misconduct claims related to an article published in the journal, they will follow COPE’s guidelines.

Ethical Violation Notifications

Readers who notice significant errors or inaccuracies in an article published in Sultan Journal or have any complaints related to editorial content (plagiarism, duplicate articles, etc.) may notify us by sending an email to dergisultan@gmail.com. We welcome such notifications as opportunities for improvement and aim to respond promptly and constructively.

Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern

Editors may consider publishing a correction for minor errors that do not affect the findings, interpretations, or conclusions of a published article. For major errors or violations that invalidate the findings and conclusions, editors may consider retracting the article. If there is a potential misuse of research or publication by authors, and there is evidence that the findings are unreliable or that the authors' institutions have not investigated the issue, or if an investigation seems unjust or inconclusive, editors may consider publishing an expression of concern. Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern are guided by COPE and ICMJE guidelines.

Publication of Survey and Interview-Based Studies

To ensure ethical assurance in scientific publishing, Sultan Journal adheres to the COPE principles for "Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" and "Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers." In this context, submitted studies must adhere to the following:

1. Research requiring ethical committee approval must obtain such approval, and this approval must be stated and documented in the article.

2. In research requiring ethical committee approval, information about the approval (committee name, date, and number) should be included in the methodology section and on one of the first/last pages of the article. In case presentations, information should be provided in the article about the signed informed consent form.

Editorial Confidentiality Obligation

Editors of Sultan Journal treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents; this means they will not disclose any information about a manuscript to anyone without the authors' consent. During the manuscript review process, access to the manuscript is limited to: Editors, Reviewers, and Editorial Board Members. The only circumstance where details about a manuscript may be shared with a third party without the authors' consent is when the editor suspects serious research misconduct.

Complaints Procedure

This procedure applies to complaints about content, procedures, or policies under the responsibility of Sultan Journal or our editorial team. Complaints may provide opportunities for improvement and should be addressed promptly, politely, and constructively.

Complaints must relate to content, procedures, or policies for which Sultan Journal or our editorial team is responsible. Complaints should be sent directly to dergisultan@gmail.com and will be handled confidentially. The editor will respond promptly and follow the procedures outlined in COPE’s flowchart.

If the initial response is deemed inadequate, the complainant may request that the complaint be forwarded to a more senior member of the journal. If the complainant remains dissatisfied, complaints can be escalated to the Chief Editor. A full response will be provided within four weeks if possible.

COPE publishes a code of practice for journal editors that facilitates the resolution of disputes between journals and authors. However, this should only be applied after the journal’s own complaint procedures have been exhausted.

Appeal Process

Sultan Journal welcomes serious appeals against decisions made by editors and reviewers. If a manuscript is rejected due to a misunderstanding of the scientific content, an appeal message may be sent to the editorial team at dergisultan@gmail.com. At this stage, the revised version of the manuscript should not be sent. If the appeal is deemed valid, the editor will request a revised version of the manuscript from the author, and the manuscript will be resubmitted to external peer review.

The appeal letter should be as detailed as possible. Only one appeal per manuscript will be considered. Therefore, it is crucial that the appeal is clearly and comprehensively presented. Since prolonged discussions on rejected manuscripts are generally unsatisfactory for both authors and editors, multiple appeals for the same manuscript will not be entertained.

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when a person’s professional judgment is influenced by secondary interests (such as financial gain or personal competition) in relation to a primary interest. To make the most accurate decision about how to handle a manuscript, any competing interests of authors should be known and disclosed to readers if the manuscript is published.

Conflicts of interest include any financial or other interests that could lead to a significant conflict or bias the objectivity of the work, or unfairly advantage any person or organization. All financial support sources and sponsors involved in the research and manuscript preparation should be disclosed. If there is no funding source, this should also be stated. Examples of conflicts of interest to be disclosed include consulting, salary, and grants. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed as early as possible.

Sultan Journal has a procedure for handling submissions from editors, staff, or editorial board members to ensure impartial review. Such submissions are initially redirected to other journals. If this is not possible, the submission is suspended from the editor's duties at the journal. These submissions are reviewed under double-blind conditions.

The editor should not be involved in decisions regarding manuscripts written by themselves or their family members. Such submissions should be subject to the journal’s standard procedures. The editor should apply the ICMJE guidelines for disclosing potential conflicts of interest by authors and reviewers.