Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

Turkish Academy of Sciences Journal of Archaeology (TÜBA-AR) strictly adheres to the accepted rules set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in its Code of Conduct, including general duties and responsibilities of editors, relations with readers, relations with authors, relations with Reviewers, peer review process, complaints, encouraging debate, promoting academic integrity, protecting personal data, monitoring misconduct, ensuring the integrity of academic records, commercial considerations, conflict of interest, and appeal procedure.

TÜBA-AR addresses various aspects of cultural heritage in the light of scientific methods. It focuses on the documentation, inventorying and oral history of cultural heritage of different scales and qualities, such as practices, representations, narratives, knowledge, skills and cultural spaces. The journal includes a wide range of articles, from studies in archaeology and art history to rural and urban architecture, urban archaeology, industrial archaeology, ethnography, ethnobotany, geoarchaeology and history. Projects and ideas related to the conservation, restoration, exhibition and socialization of all practices considered within the concept of culture are included in the scope of the journal.

Publisher

TÜBA is an autonomous supreme organization with the mission of promoting and encouraging science in Türkiye. The Academy traces its origins back to the Ottoman society called the Society of Scholars, founded in 1851. TÜBA covers all fields of science in three categories: basic and engineering sciences, health and life sciences, and social and human sciences. In addition to working groups, funding and award programs, TÜBA continues its activities in cooperation with world science academies and its stakeholders in the form of umbrella institutions on topics such as scientific activities and reporting.

TÜBA-AR journal is published by the Presidency of TÜBA. As the publisher, it is committed to the implementation of the journal's publication ethics principles by the relevant stakeholders, providing free and continuous access to the content of the journal, archiving and protecting the publications. At the same time, it assumes the responsibility to take the necessary steps to clarify the situation in case of suspected violations of scientific publication ethics (cases such as misconduct, plagiarism, conflict of interest, copyright violations).

TÜBA-AR Journal, a publication of the Turkish Academy of Sciences, an autonomous public institution with a special budget, does not receive advertisements and does not charge a fee for articles to be published in the journal. Editorial decisions and choices are based solely on the quality and contribution of the research without any political, economic or financial interference.

Editorial Board

The Editorial Board of the TÜBA-AR Journal meets at least twice a year. The members of the Editorial Board accept the editorial ethics principles and policies of the TÜBA-AR Journal and evaluate the decisions related to these principles and policies. The Editorial Board determines the themes of the Journal and selects the people who will submit theme editorial proposals for the relevant themes. It also proposes members for the Scientific Board of the Journal and makes recommendations to increase the national and international recognition of the Journal.

The Editorial Board is responsible for informing the Journal's editorial team to clarify the situation in cases of suspected violations of scientific publication ethics (misconduct, plagiarism, conflict of interest, copyright violations, etc.). They also submit index proposals to increase the international visibility and academic quality of the Journal.

Editor

Manuscripts submitted to the journal are evaluated by the editors independently of the race, ethnicity, gender, worldview and beliefs of the authors. Reviewers provide detailed and constructive evaluations of the manuscripts they review. Content published in the journal without the need for peer review may include articles such as event evaluations. The editor may offer comments and suggestions on the category under which the submitted article can be published in the journal; however, the final decision belongs to the author and/or editor.

Editors act with the responsibility of being the contact person between the author and the Reviewer for articles that will enter the Reviewering process. They carry out the Reviewering process with academic courtesy from the date of receipt of the article to the publication stage, meticulously documenting each stage. Regarding the evaluation process, they do not hesitate to account for the evaluation steps for each article (provided that the personal rights of the author and the Reviewer and the privacy principles of the journal are observed).

In the event that two Reviewers have different opinions on the manuscript under review, the editors should consult a third Reviewer.

In case editors have a conflict of interest or are involved in relationships that may lead to a conflict of interest, they should clearly state this and step down from the editorial position. Editorial staff should disclose any financial interests or other conflicts and step down as editor if they have a conflict of interest. The editorial staff should not use information obtained from a manuscript under review for personal gain.

Editors may retract a published article if they find an error in the manuscript that invalidates the work or significant parts of it, involves plagiarism, or involves an unethical situation. In the case of a retraction, editors must publish a statement explaining that the article has been retracted and an explanation of the reason for the retraction. They should also provide a link between the original article and the retracted version. In this way, all readers can easily access this information on online platforms.

Author

TÜBA-AR Journal adheres to rigorous authorship criteria to protect the credibility and integrity of published scientific work. Eligibility for authorship depends on making significant contributions to the conception, design, conduct or interpretation of the research study. Members of the editorial team do not usually publish in the journal. If this situation arises, a rigorous and impartial peer review process is applied to the manuscript of the person on the editorial board. Submitted articles are subjected to the same scrutiny as other articles, ensuring fairness, transparency and the maintenance of high publishing standards. Authors are expected to actively participate in the drafting or critical review of the article and to collectively approve the final version before submission. Public responsibility for the accuracy and originality of the work is an important aspect that ensures the accountability of each author. The journal encourages acknowledgment in the acknowledgments section of those who do not meet the criteria for authorship but have nonetheless contributed to the article. Any disputes or concerns regarding authorship are promptly addressed by our editorial office. This policy aims to promote transparency, fairness, and ethical authorship practices and to reinforce our commitment to maintaining the highest standards in scholarly publishing. Within this framework, TÜBA-AR Journal includes studies that utilize advanced scientific research methods and techniques consistent with the subject and scope of the journal. The main publishing criterion is the methodological competence of the studies as well as their original and new contributions to the field.
Authors have academic, ethical and social responsibilities. It is the responsibility of the author to comply with the following rules:

• Authors cannot submit more than one article to the themed issue of the journal.
• Article submission deadlines are specified in the announcement text of the relevant issue during the publication preparation phase. Article submissions received after the application date will not be evaluated.
• Authors should avoid ethical violations such as plagiarism, labor theft, improper referencing, forgetting references, not mentioning the names of scholarship and support institutions. Otherwise, the article will be rejected.
• Authors who receive study or research support should indicate this source in their articles.
• Authors must sign the Copyright Transfer and Conflict of Interest Declaration Form and upload it to the system.
• Authors are responsible for ensuring that the ideas and expressions in the manuscripts they submit for publication have not been used elsewhere before. If they have been used, they should be indicated with the necessary citations.
• Authors undertake that their manuscripts have not been previously published elsewhere and have not been included in the evaluation phase.
• Authors should be accountable for the validity and ethical issues of the study.
• In studies where more than one author contributes, the order of names should be a joint decision of the authors.
• Authors should not include people who have not actively contributed to the article among the authors and should explain their requests for changes in the order of authors in a justified manner.
• Authors should promptly notify the journal editors of any errors or inaccuracies after the publication of their manuscript.
• Authors may not publish the same article in more than one journal without permission or cross-reference without proper justification. They must comply with the signed license and copyright transfer agreement.

Reviewer

Reviewers fulfill their duties by adhering to the following principles:

• They adopt the double-blind peer review process and fulfill the requirements of this process. Authors do not know who the reviewers are. Reviewers do not know the author(s) of the manuscript they are reviewing.
• When offered a review, they should respond positively or negatively within two weeks. A one-week extension may be granted to a Reviewer who requests it with reasonable justification.
• They should explain if they do not have expertise in the subject matter of the paper or are only able to evaluate part of it.
• They should agree to review within the agreed timeframe and should be informed in case of overruns.
• A similarity report is generated for all manuscripts submitted to the journal. If the similarity report exceeds the 20% limit excluding references (sources), the article is resubmitted to the author.
• Reviewer are responsible for informing the editors when they notice self-plagiarism in the articles sent to them for review.
• Reviewer should not use any information in the manuscript that is of their own interest before their review is published.
• Reviewer should inform the editors if they feel that they cannot provide a fair and impartial review.
• Reviewer should decline to review a manuscript if it is too similar to a manuscript they are preparing or under review.
• Reviewer should inform the journal if they become aware of any conflict of interest during the review.
• Reviewer must keep all manuscripts and peer reviews confidential.
• Reviewer must ensure that their evaluations are purely scientific and will not be favorably or unfavorably influenced by personal, financial, or intellectual bias.
• Reviewer should avoid personal comments or unsubstantiated accusations against the author.
• Reviewer should be specific in their criticism; for example, they should concretize a general statement such as “a study that has been done before”; this will help editors to treat authors fairly in the evaluation and decision-making process.
• Reviewer should not contact authors directly without informing the journal.
• Reviewer should recognize the potential sensitivities that may arise from writing in another language and express this respectfully and appropriately.
• Reviewer should not recommend citations just to increase their own or their colleagues' citation count or to raise their visibility. If a paper is to be recommended, it must have a scientific justification.

Reviewer post-evaluation;
- They should continue to maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and the review process.
• They should inform the journal if a situation arises that may affect their substantive comments and feedback.
• They should respond to requests from the journal for revision and re-evaluation.

Ethical Principles and Values

TÜBA-AR adopts the high ethical standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in scientific studies. It expects researchers and authors to present their work in an honest and transparent manner.

As representatives of intellectual discourse and cultural preservation, TÜBA-AR recognizes that ethical principles and values are of paramount importance in maintaining the integrity and credibility of scientific research. Adherence to ethical behavior ensures the credibility of our journal and contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the field of cultural inventory.

• Authors are expected to submit original and authentic work, accurately attributing the contributions of others.
• Plagiarism, data fabrication and falsification are strictly prohibited.
• All authors listed must have made significant contributions to the research. Each contributor must be properly attributed.
• Ghost authorship and guest authorship are not acceptable. All individuals who have made significant contributions should be acknowledged.
• The peer review process is crucial for maintaining the quality of scientific publications. Reviewers should conduct their evaluations in an objective and constructive manner.
• Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair and impartial review process, free from conflicts of interest.
• Authors, reviewers and editors must disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect the research or review process.
• Steps should be taken to manage and mitigate conflicts to maintain the objectivity and impartiality of the publication process.
• Authors must adhere to ethical standards in research, including humane treatment of subjects, appropriate use of data, and compliance with relevant regulations and guidelines.
• Ethical approval for research involving human or animal subjects should be obtained and clearly stated in the manuscript.
• Transparency in reporting is essential for building trust within the scientific community.
• Authors should respect the privacy and confidentiality of individuals involved in the research.
• Informed consent must be obtained from participants and their rights and dignity must be protected.
• Editors will not accept manuscripts submitted elsewhere at the same time.
• In cases of error or misconduct, corrections, retractions and clarifications should be made immediately.
• Authors should pay attention to cultural diversity and respect the cultural contexts of their research topics.
• Offensive or inappropriate language, images or content is strictly prohibited.
• Researchers, reviewers and editors are encouraged to stay informed about emerging ethical issues and to engage in continuous professional development.

By adhering to these ethical principles and values, TÜBA-AR aims to foster a scientific environment that promotes the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and respect for cultural diversity. Authors, reviewers and editors are essential partners in upholding these principles and contribute to the advancement of knowledge and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Open-Access and Publication Policy: Open-Science

Based on the principle of diversity, the journal welcomes articles from different disciplines on the topics covered by the journal. The quality control process includes a peer review process to assess compliance with academic standards and Open-Science.

In terms of content access, it is important that the content published in the journal is accessible. In addition to being sent to the central libraries of all higher education institutions, the physical archives kept at the center of the journal are also preserved in digital archives kept in Open-Science format. Thanks to this dual system, researchers, students and readers can easily access the issues. The journal's material is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 license to promote Open-Science and the exchange of information. Authors must comply with the terms of this license when submitting their work. All articles published in the journal are available online at https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/tubaar . This policy is intended to expand access to information, support research, and encourage the sharing of scientific knowledge. In order to contribute to the world of science and society, the journal prioritizes Open-Science and allows scientific content to be used free of charge by a wide range of readers.

All publication, publishing and distribution rights of the published articles belong to TÜBA-AR. In case of quotation, it is obligatory to cite the source, and the use of the entire article depends on the permission of the journal.

Promoting a respectful academic atmosphere and maintaining standards of scientific rigor and integrity are the goals of the journal. If you have scientific criticism or objections to any article we publish, please let us know. Upon receipt of such a request, the processes of “Editorial Review”, “Ethical Review”, “Confidentiality” and “Editorial Decision” are carried out. Providing a transparent and accountable system for responding to reader complaints and appeals is among the journal's key priorities.

If you encounter content or behavior that does not comply with the obligations and policies set out in this ethics and publication policy text of the journal, please notify us via
tuba-ar@tuba.gov.tr .