Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

Publication Ethics Principles

Ethics are values, concepts, and principles that serve as guides and moral foundations for researchers to distinguish between good (having a positive impact on people and/or the environment) and bad (having a negative impact on people and/or the environment) behavior. Publication ethics can be defined as a self-regulation mechanism insisting on honesty on behalf of authors, reviewers, and publishers to establish higher editorial processing standards. Ethical standards for publication are in place to ensure high-quality scientific publications, foster public trust in scientific findings, and uphold the credibility of people's opinions.

Honest researchers do not engage in plagiarism.
They accurately cite sources.
They do not conceal objections that they cannot refute.
They do not distort opposing views.

They do not destroy or hide data.

Peer-reviewed studies are endeavors that support and implement the scientific method. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that all parties involved in the publication process (authors, readers and researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) adhere to ethical principles. Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care adheres to national and international standards in research and publication ethics. It complies with the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive. Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care has also 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). Additionally, it commits to the decisions of the Turkish Editors Workshop.

• Press Law (National Legislation)
• Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)
• Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive (National Legislation)
• Transparency and Best Practices in Academic Publishing (International Criteria)
• Decisions of the Turkish Editors Workshop (National Criteria)

Publication Ethics Declaration

Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern
Editors may consider publishing corrections if minor errors that do not affect the findings, comments, or conclusions are identified in published articles. When major errors or violations that invalidate findings and conclusions are identified, editors should consider retracting the article. If there is a possibility of misuse of research or publication by authors, or if there is evidence that findings are unreliable and the authors' institutions have not investigated the matter, or if a potential investigation seems unjust or inconclusive, editors should consider expressing concern. COPE and ICJME guidelines are taken into account regarding correction, retraction, or expression of concern.

Plagiarism Prevention
Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care scans all submitted articles to prevent plagiarism. Plagiarism is checked using the iThenticate software. A similarity rate of less than 20% is expected. However, the main criterion for similarity rate is the authors' compliance with citation and quoting rules. Even if the similarity rate is 1%, if citations and quotations are not made properly, plagiarism may still be present. Therefore, authors must be familiar with citation and quotation rules and apply them carefully. All articles that do not comply with accepted ethical standards are removed from publication. This includes articles with possible irregularities or inappropriate content identified after publication.

Publication of Studies Based on Surveys and Interviews
In order to ensure ethical assurance in scientific periodical publishing, Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care adopts the principles outlined by COPE in "Codes of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" and "Codes of Conduct for Journal Publishers". Accordingly, the following points must be observed in studies submitted to the journal:
For research in all fields of science requiring ethical committee approval, such approval must be obtained, and this approval must be stated and documented in the article.
In research requiring ethical committee approval, information about the approval (committee name, date, and number) should be included in the method section and on one of the first/last pages of the article; for case presentations, information about the signed informed consent form should be included in the article.

Special Issue Publication Policy
Upon request by the Editorial Board, a special issue may be published once a year in our journal. Articles submitted for inclusion in a special issue undergo an initial editorial review. Then, they are reviewed for compliance with the journal's writing guidelines and undergo similarity checks to prevent plagiarism. Following these steps, they undergo peer review using a double-blind review model.

Publication Ethics of Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care

To maintain the quality of articles and prevent violations during the publication process, Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care adheres to scientific publication ethics consisting of author ethics, editor ethics, reviewer ethics, and journal management ethics.

Author Ethics
•Reporting: Authors should provide the editor with honest, transparent, and complete information about the process and results of their research, and they should store research data accurately and securely.
•Originality and plagiarism: Authors must ensure to the editor that the work they submit or intend to submit is original, that they have written the work themselves or with other co-authors, that the work is original, and that they have not plagiarized from the work of others.
•Duplicate submissions: Authors are not allowed to publish the same scientific article in multiple journals. Therefore, authors must declare to the editor that the scientific article is original and has not been published elsewhere.
•Author status: Authors must inform the editor that they have competence or qualifications in a specific field relevant to the published science. The author who submits the article to the editor is the first author, so if any problems arise during the publication process, the primary contact person is the first author.

•Errors in article writing: If an author detects a significant error or mistake in the published work, they are obligated to inform the editor of the error. After the error is identified, the author must collaborate with the editor to retract or correct the article. If information about a problem/error comes from a third party, it is the responsibility of the author to retract the scientific study/ make corrections in the article or provide evidence to the editor regarding the accuracy of the scientific study.

Publication Ethics
Publication decision: The decision on which articles will be published in Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care rests with the journal editor. This decision is based on the essence of the problem, the contribution to enriching the scientific debate, the quality of using the scientific approach in the evaluation, and the validity/originality. The editor must ensure that the article review process is comprehensive, transparent, unbiased, fair, and thoughtful.

Confidentiality: The editor cannot disclose any information about the scientific articles received from authors to anyone other than the authors, including reviewers and prospective reviewers.

Distribution of peer-reviewed articles: The editor must manage the peer review process fairly and reasonably. Additionally, the editor must clearly inform reviewers of the article review provisions and process. The editor should appoint appropriate reviewers by selecting individuals with sufficient expertise for articles under consideration for publication and avoiding any conflicts of interest.

Reviewer Ethics
Objectivity and impartiality: Reviewers must be honest, objective, unbiased, independent, and on the side of scientific truth. The article review process is conducted professionally.
Transparency of reference sources: Reviewers must ensure that the reference sources/citations are appropriate and reliable. If an error or deviation is detected in a reference/citation source, the reviewer must inform the editor immediately for corrections to be made by the author according to the reviewer's notes.

Effectiveness of peer review: Reviewers must respond to articles sent by the editor and work within the specified peer review period (up to 2 weeks) for the review. If additional time is needed to review the article, it must be communicated to the editor immediately.

Publisher Ethics
Decision-making: The journal manager/editorial board should define the organization's mission and goals, especially concerning the establishment of policies and the publication of journals, without any special interests.
Freedom: Journal managers should provide freedom to reviewers and editors to create a comfortable working environment and respect the privacy of authors.
Guarantee: Journal managers must guarantee, protect, and be transparent in the management of intellectual property rights (copyright) and funds received from third parties.
Disclosure of conflicts of interest: Journal managers must understand the scientific publication ethics mentioned above to prevent conflicts of interest with other parties, thereby ensuring a smooth and secure article publication process.

Editorial Confidentiality Obligation
The editors of Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care treat all submitted works as confidential documents. This means that authors are expected not to disclose information about a manuscript without permission. Only the editors, referees, and editorial board members have access to the manuscripts during the review process. However, in cases where serious research misconduct is suspected by the editor, details regarding a manuscript may be disclosed to a third party without the author's permission.

Scientific Misconduct Allegations and Suspicions
Scientific misconduct is a form of ethical violation. Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care addresses encountered issues on a case-by-case basis, following the guidance established by major publication ethics institutions. Editors are obligated to take action if they suspect ethical violations or if an allegation of misconduct arises. This duty extends to both published and unpublished manuscripts. Editors should not simply reject articles that raise concerns about potential misconduct but should instead address them ethically. Editors should follow COPE flowcharts when appropriate. They should first request a response from individuals suspected of misconduct. If unsatisfied with the response, editors should request investigations from relevant employers or institutions. Editors must make every effort to ensure that appropriate investigations are conducted regarding alleged misconduct. This is a crucial responsibility.

Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care adheres to COPE's Ethics Toolkit for a Successful Editorial Office. The editors take measures to prevent the publication of articles involving plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, and other forms of research misconduct. Under no circumstances will the journal or its editors allow such misconduct to occur. The editors will follow COPE guidelines regarding any allegations of research misconduct related to articles published in their journal.

Complaint Procedure
This procedure applies to complaints regarding content, procedures, or policies under the responsibility of Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care or its editorial staff. The journal aims to resolve potential complaints quickly, courteously, and constructively.
Complaints must be related to content, procedures, or policies under the responsibility of Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care or its editorial staff. Complaints should be sent directly to turkmdrdeditor@gmail.com via email. Sent complaints will be treated as confidential documents. The editor will respond promptly to complaints and follow the procedure outlined in the COPE flowcharts.

Complaints are reviewed by a relevant member of the editorial team, and if the issue remains unresolved, the following steps are taken:
•If the initial response is deemed insufficient, the complainant may request that the complaint be forwarded to a more senior member of the journal.
•If the complainant remains dissatisfied, complaints may be escalated to the chief editor.
•A full response will be provided within two weeks if possible.
•COPE publishes a code of conduct for editors of scientific journals. While this facilitates conflict resolution with journals and publishers, recourse can only be sought here after exhausting the journal's own complaint procedures.

Appeal Process
Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care welcomes appeals regarding evaluations made by editors and referees. If you believe your article was rejected due to a misunderstanding of its scientific content, please send an appeal message to the editorial team at turkmdrdeditor@gmail.com. Do not attempt to submit a revised version of your manuscript at this stage. If your appeal is found to be valid after review, you may be invited to submit a revised version of your manuscript for reconsideration in the external peer-review process. It is crucial to provide as much detail as possible in your appeal letter, as only one appeal is considered for each manuscript.

Conflict of Interest
Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care requires authors and individuals involved in the evaluation process to disclose any existing or potential conflicts of interest (including financial, consultative, and institutional conflicts) that could lead to bias or conflicts. The journal has established a process for handling submissions from editors, staff, or editorial board members to ensure impartial review. Such submissions are primarily redirected to other journals. If this is not possible, the submission's owner's duties at the journal are suspended. These submissions are also subject to double-blind peer review.
Editors should not be involved in decisions regarding articles written by themselves or their family members. Additionally, such a submission should adhere to all regular procedures of the journal. Editors must apply ICMJE guidelines regarding the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest by authors and referees.

Research Ethics Principles
Turkish Journal for the Spiritual Counselling and Care upholds the highest standards of research ethics and adopts the following internationally recognized research ethics principles. Compliance with ethical rules is the responsibility of the authors.
•Integrity, quality, and transparency principles should be ensured in the design, review, and execution of research.
•Research teams and participants should be fully informed about the purpose, methods, and potential uses of the research; the requirements of participation; and any associated risks.
•The confidentiality of information provided by research participants and the anonymity of respondents should be ensured. Research should be designed to preserve the autonomy and dignity of participants.
•Research participants should participate voluntarily and without coercion.
•Efforts should be made to avoid harm to participants. Research should be planned to avoid putting participants at risk.
•Clarity and transparency regarding research independence should be maintained, and conflicts of interest should be disclosed if present.
•In experimental studies involving human subjects, written informed consent should be obtained from participants deciding to participate in the research. Consent must be obtained from the legal guardian of children and wards or individuals with confirmed mental illness.
•Approval must be obtained from the institution or organization where the study will be conducted if the study involves any institution or organization.
•In studies involving human subjects, the "methods" section should indicate that "informed consent" was obtained from participants and that ethical approval was obtained from the institution where the study was conducted.