OPEN ACCESS POLICY

The Journal of German Language and Culture Studies supports the initiative for open access to peer-reviewed journal literature, as stated in the Budapest Open Access Declaration, recognizing that the advancement of scientific work requires easy access to information. It offers all published articles for free in an environment where anyone can read and download them. In this declaration, open access is defined as "scientific literature being accessible, readable, downloadable, copyable, printable, searchable, linkable to full text, indexable, transferable to software data, and usable for any lawful purpose without financial, legal, or technical barriers through the Internet." Considering the role of information sharing in the progress of science, open access is of great importance for researchers and readers. Therefore, the articles published in this journal can be used as long as the author and the original source are properly cited. Permission from authors or publishers is not required.

The Journal of German Language and Culture Studies does not charge any article processing fees or subscription fees at any stage of the publication process.

Below are the ethical responsibilities, roles, and duties of the authors, journal editor, reviewers, and publisher. These ethical principles and rules are based on the "Code of Conduct and Best-Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" (Committee on Publication Ethics, 2011).


1. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE JOURNAL PUBLISHER

Editorial Independence
The Journal of German Language and Culture Studies is committed to ensuring editorial decisions are made independently, without influence from any individual or commercial partner.

Intellectual Property and Copyright
The Journal of German Language and Culture Studies protects the ownership and copyright of the articles published in the journal and ensures that each article’s published version is recorded.


2. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EDITORS AND THE PUBLISHING COMMITTEE

Editors evaluate submitted articles based on their academic value (importance, originality, validity of the study, clarity) and their relevance to the scope of the journal. In doing so, they do not consider the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, nationality, religious belief, political views, or institutional affiliation.
Editors have full responsibility and authority to accept or reject an article. The editor has full authority over all editorial content and the timing of publication of this content.
Editors must reject incomplete and flawed research that does not comply with journal policies, publication rules, and quality standards, without any external influence.

Confidentiality
Editors ensure that articles reviewed by at least two reviewers are assessed under a double-blind peer-review system, maintaining the confidentiality of the reviewers.

Publication Decisions
Editors ensure that all articles, except news, translations, and book reviews, are assessed for publication and reviewed by at least two experts in the field. The editor is responsible for deciding which articles will be published based on the approval of the article, its significance to researchers and readers, reviewer comments, and any legal requirements.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
The Journal of German Language and Culture Studies does not permit any conflicts of interest between editors, authors, and reviewers. Unpublished material from a manuscript should not be used by any party without the author’s explicit written consent.

Impartiality
Articles submitted to the journal are always evaluated without any bias.


3. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE REVIEWERS

Evaluation
Reviewers evaluate articles regardless of the author’s background, gender, sexual orientation, or political views. They also ensure that the peer-review process is fair and follows a blind-review system.

Support to the Editor
Reviewers assist the editor in making decisions and may also help authors improve their manuscripts.

Promptness
If a reviewer is not qualified or cannot assess a manuscript promptly, they should inform the editor immediately and request to be exempted from the review process so that a new reviewer can be assigned.

Confidentiality
All information regarding submitted manuscripts is confidential. Reviewers should not discuss the manuscript with anyone except those authorized by the editor.

Impartiality
Reviewers make decisions objectively and express their opinions with supporting evidence.

Acknowledgement of Sources
Reviewers should ensure that authors acknowledge relevant published work that has not been cited in the manuscript. They should also inform the editor about any significant similarities or overlaps between the manuscript under review and other published or unpublished work.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers who have a conflict of interest related to the manuscript under review (e.g., competitive, collaborative, or any relationships with authors, companies, or institutions) must reject the review invitation and inform the editor.

Unpublished material in a manuscript should not be used by a reviewer in their own research without the author’s explicit written consent. Any privileged information obtained during the review process should not be used for personal advantage. This applies even to reviewers who decline the review invitation.


4. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AUTHORS

Reporting Standards
A submitted manuscript must be original, and authors must ensure that the manuscript has not been previously published in any journal. The data for the research should be fully disclosed in the article, and sufficient details and references must be provided to allow others to replicate the work.

Originality and Plagiarism
Authors should ensure that the work submitted is entirely original. If they have used the work or ideas of others, they must appropriately cite the sources. Plagiarism, defined as presenting another person's work as one’s own, including copying substantial parts of others' work (without proper attribution), is considered unethical and unacceptable.

Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Violations include:
a) Plagiarism: Presenting another’s ideas, methods, data, writings, or works without proper attribution,
b) Fabrication: Creating false data or altering, manipulating, or reporting research that is not based on actual data,
c) Falsification: Distorting research records, manipulating data, or misrepresenting results to fit hypotheses,
d) Redundant Publication: Publishing multiple works containing the same research results as separate publications,
e) Salami Slicing: Dividing research into multiple pieces and submitting them as separate works,
f) Unjust authorship: Including individuals who did not contribute to the research, excluding those who did, changing author order without justification, or including someone’s name due to influence rather than contribution.

Plagiarism Policy
Every manuscript submitted to our journal is checked using the “iThenticate” plagiarism detection program. Editors, reviewers, and authors are required to adhere to international publishing ethics and comply with the journal’s writing guidelines.

Multiple, Duplicate, or Simultaneous Submissions/Publications
A manuscript should not be published in multiple journals or primary publications. Authors should not submit a manuscript to the journal if it has been published elsewhere. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is unethical and unacceptable.

In some cases, like clinical guidelines or translations, a manuscript may be published in multiple journals under certain conditions. The original reference should be cited in the secondary publication.


DISCLAIMER

Editors and the editorial board are not responsible for the views expressed by the authors or the content of the published articles. The originality, reading, and errors of the articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. All articles submitted to the Journal of German Language and Culture Studies undergo double-blind peer reviews for originality, ethical issues, and valuable contributions. Reviewer decisions are final and are the sole basis for publication.