Ethics, Submission & Publication Policy

ETHICS, SUBMISSION, AND PUBLICATION POLICY

ETHICS POLICY

The publication of scientific studies in an academic journal evaluated by experts in the field is essential for the sustainability of a reliable and consistent information production process. This process directly reflects not only the quality of the published studies but also the academic responsibility of the authors, the reliability of the institutions supporting these studies, and the scientific reputation of the journal.

In studies subject to peer review, the correct, consistent, and transparent application and support of scientific methods are essential. Therefore, it is of great importance that all stakeholders involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, editors, and the institutions publishing the journal—share a common understanding of ethical responsibilities. İVT adheres to the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) throughout these processes.

1. Accurate and Complete Transfer of Necessary Information

Authors who transform their original research into articles are obliged to present their work in a clear, detailed, and understandable manner. The purpose of the research, the method, the data collection process, and the findings obtained must be accurately conveyed; it must contain explanations and references to the extent that other researchers can replicate the work.

Statements that do not reflect scientific reality, are deliberately distorted, misleading, or contain incomplete information are contrary to research ethics and are unacceptable. This principle applies not only to original research articles but also to review articles, editorial articles, and opinion pieces. Accuracy, objectivity, and academic integrity are fundamental criteria in all these works.

2. Data Access and Data Protection

Authors may be asked to provide access to the data, documents, and sources used in their work during the editorial review process or after publication, if deemed necessary. Authors are obliged to make such data accessible when requested.

Furthermore, it is recommended that data and research materials be retained for a reasonable period after publication to ensure scientific verifiability and academic transparency. However, if personal data, confidentiality obligations, or legal restrictions are involved, this must be clearly stated, and relevant regulations must be followed.

3. Publication Ethics Violations and Plagiarism Policy

All works submitted to İVT must comply with scientific ethical principles and be based on the principle of originality. The following ethical violations are strictly unacceptable during the publication process:

• Plagiarism and self-plagiarism
• Fabrication and/or falsification of data
• Duplicate publication
• Misleading statements and lack of permission in cases requiring ethics committee approval

If such violations are detected, the relevant work will be rejected at any stage of the evaluation process or, if already published, retraction procedures will be initiated.

3.1. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the partial or complete use of another person's work, idea, data, or text without proper citation. Quotations from the author's own previously published works without proper citation (self-plagiarism) are also considered plagiarism. Works found to be plagiarized will be rejected at any stage of the evaluation process.

3.2. Fabrication and/or Falsification of Data

Fabrication refers to the creation of data that does not actually exist; falsification refers to the deliberate alteration, selective presentation, or misinterpretation of obtained data. Such practices are contrary to scientific integrity and are considered serious ethical violations.

3.3. Duplicate Publication

Submitting a study to the journal that has already been published or is under review in another journal, with substantially similar content, is considered duplicate publication. Authors are required to declare that their work is original and is not simultaneously under review elsewhere.

However, in exceptional cases, such as translated articles or specific document types, multiple publications may be accepted provided that the necessary ethical and editorial conditions are met. In such cases, explicit reference to the first publication and mutual approval from the relevant editors are mandatory.

3.4. Plagiarism Detection Tools

All articles submitted to İVT may be screened using reliable plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate, Turnitin, etc.) as part of the editorial review process. The similarity rates obtained are evaluated qualitatively, taking into account the context and content, rather than as a quantitative threshold.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SOURCES

The works of other authors must be properly acknowledged. Publications that define the fundamental scope of the work cited must be quoted. Specific information obtained from a conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties should not be used or reproduced without the written permission of the source. Private information obtained from confidential services, such as official correspondence and applications, should not be used without the written permission of the authors of the work inherent to these services.

ETHICAL RULES AND ETHICS COMMITTEE PERMISSION

Compliance with research and publication ethics is a fundamental requirement in research conducted in all scientific fields, including the social sciences. In clinical, experimental, and applied research requiring ethics committee approval, permission must be obtained from the relevant ethics committee; this permission must be clearly stated in the article and documented when necessary. Authors are required to include a clear statement that their work complies with Research and Publication Ethics.

1. Research Requiring Ethics Committee Approval

Ethics committee approval is mandatory for the following types of research:

• Qualitative and quantitative research requiring data collection from participants using survey, interview, focus group, observation, experiment, and interview techniques,
• Studies conducted on humans and animals (including materials and data) for experimental or other scientific purposes,
• Clinical research conducted on humans,
• Research conducted on animals,
• Retrospective studies evaluated under the Personal Data Protection Law,
• Situations requiring an informed consent form in case presentations,
• Use of scales, questionnaires, photographs, or similar materials belonging to others,
• Content subject to copyright in studies using intellectual and artistic works.

In all studies conducted within this scope, the institution from which the ethics committee approval was obtained, the date of approval, and the decision or number must be clearly stated in the article text.

2. Situations Exempt from Ethics Committee Approval

In the following situations, retrospective ethics committee approval is not required; however, these circumstances must be clearly stated in the article:

• Studies using research data from before 2020,
• Studies produced from master's or doctoral theses (provided this is clearly stated in the article),
• Studies that have been submitted to the journal, accepted, but not yet published.

Researchers who are not members of the university are required to apply to the authorized ethics committees operating in their region.

3. Ethical Statement Regarding Human and Animal Subjects

If the study involves the use of human or animal subjects, it must be clearly stated that the research was conducted in accordance with international ethical declarations, guidelines, and relevant legislation. The principles of confidentiality, voluntariness, and informed consent are fundamental to the data collected from participants.

4. Legal and Special Permissions

Articles to be published in journals must clearly state whether legal or special permissions are required in addition to ethical committee approval. If required, the article text must include the name of the institution from which the permissions were obtained, the date, and relevant document information.

AUTHORSHIP, AUTHOR CREDIT, AND CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT

To be listed as an author on a study, one must have made a meaningful and direct contribution to the scientific content of the research. For studies to be published in İVT, the author list is limited to individuals who have made a scientific contribution to at least one of the following stages: developing the research idea, designing the study, obtaining, analyzing, or interpreting the data, writing the article, or significantly revising or translating it.

Those who meet these criteria are listed as co-authors. All individuals listed as co-authors must meet the following conditions:

• Have contributed to the content of the work at a scientific and intellectual level,
• Have seen and approved the final version of the article,
• Have reached a mutual agreement regarding the submission of the work to the journal for publication,
• Have accepted responsibility for the work as a whole, limited to their own area of contribution.

Individuals who have contributed only at certain stages of the research process, such as providing technical support, assistance with data collection, language editing, administrative or financial support, but who have not made a direct and decisive contribution to the scientific content of the work, are not included in the list of authors. These individuals are clearly indicated in the “Contributors” or “Acknowledgments” section, as appropriate.

Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for:

• declares and guarantees that all persons listed as co-authors have been correctly and completely declared,
• that no person deserving of inclusion has been omitted from the list of authors,
• that no person who has not made a scientific contribution has been listed as an author,
• that all co-authors have approved the final version of the work and consented to its submission to the journal for publication.

Changes to the Author List

İVT permits changes to author names under certain conditions before publishing an accepted work. Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors prior to publication must be submitted in writing to the İVT Secretariat by the corresponding author.

These requests must include the following elements:

• The reason for adding, removing, or reordering the relevant author,
• Separate written approvals from all authors indicating their agreement to this change,
• The explicit approval of the author being added or removed.

Requests submitted by anyone other than the corresponding author will not be considered and will be returned to the relevant author. In such a request process, the publication process of the manuscript being prepared for publication may be suspended until agreement is reached on the author list. Requests for changes to the author list will not be accepted after the manuscript has been published.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, PATENT DECLARATION, AND FUNDING DECLARATION

In all publication processes conducted at İVT, scientific impartiality, reliability, and transparency are paramount. To this end, authors, reviewers, and editors are required to declare any conflicts of interest that may influence the evaluation process or create such an impression in a clear and complete manner.

1. Author Conflicts of Interest

All authors must clearly disclose to the journal any financial, personal, institutional, or similar relationships with individuals or institutions that could improperly influence their work or be perceived as such within the last three years following the commencement of their research.

Disclosures may be of existing or potential conflicts of interest. When in doubt, disclosure is required regardless of whether the relationship is considered a conflict of interest.

The following, among others, are examples of relationships and connections that must be disclosed:

• Employment relationships,
• Consulting services,
• Capital or share ownership,
• Service and royalty fees,
• Notarizations,
• Patent applications and registrations,
• Grants, scholarships, and other funding sources.

Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed to the journal at the earliest possible stage. If there is no conflict of interest, this should also be clearly stated.

All authors are required to disclose, under the subheading “Patent Statement” at the end of the article, all conflicts of interest and disagreements that have occurred or have the potential to occur within three years of the submission of the work for publication, in a clear and complete manner.

2. Funding Statement

All financial resources used in conducting the research must be presented under the heading “Financial Resources” as a separate section immediately preceding the References section.

Authors are required to:

• Clearly and transparently state the individuals or institutions providing funding,
• The roles of these individuals or institutions in the study's design, data collection and analysis processes, data interpretation, writing of the article, and decisions regarding its submission for publication.

3. Referee Conflicts of Interest

Referees must immediately inform the journal and withdraw from the review process if they have any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest that could affect their impartiality regarding the work they are assigned to evaluate.

Referees are obligated to adhere to the principle of confidentiality during the evaluation process and to present their opinions objectively and constructively, based solely on scientific criteria.

4. Editor Conflicts of Interest

Editors shall not be involved in the relevant process and shall transfer the file to an independent editor if there is a direct or indirect conflict of interest regarding the work they evaluate or decide on.

Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of scientific merit, originality, and ethical compliance, independent of the authors' personal characteristics, institutional affiliations, or external influences.

5. Evaluation of Declarations

In accordance with COPE principles, declarations of conflict of interest are an integral part of the editorial review process. İVT reserves the right to consider the information disclosed in its editorial decision-making processes and to publish these disclosures when deemed necessary.

If false, incomplete, or misleading disclosures are identified, the journal has the authority to apply relevant ethical violation procedures and implement necessary sanctions.

DATA ACCESSIBILITY, REPLICABILITY, AND OPEN SCIENCE POLICY

The accessibility of research data and the replicability of research processes are of great importance for the verifiability and sustainability of scientific knowledge. İVT embraces and promotes open science principles to support transparency and scientific reliability.

1. Data Accessibility

Authors commit to ensuring the highest possible level of accessibility for the data, analysis codes, and research materials used in their articles. During the editorial review process or after publication, authors may be asked to share their data for review purposes when necessary.

Data may be stored:

• In institutional or national data archives,
• In open access digital data repositories,
• Or, if reasonable justification is provided, upon request from authors.

If personal data, confidentiality obligations, copyrights, or legal restrictions prevent the sharing of data, this should be clearly stated in the article, and the reasons for restricting access to the data should be clearly stated.

2. Reproducibility

Authors are responsible for presenting the methods, research design, and analysis processes used in their work with sufficient clarity and detail to enable other researchers to replicate the study under similar conditions.

Compliance with the principle of reproducibility requires

• Clear and accurate reporting of
• The measurement tools used,
• The data collection processes,
• The analysis methods and statistical techniques.

3. Open Science Practices

İVT encourages open access, open data, and open methods practices. However, open science practices are not mandatory if they conflict with ethical, legal, and confidentiality obligations.

If authors have used practices such as:

• Open data sharing,
• Open source code usage,
• Preprint publication

in relation to their work, this should be clearly stated in the article.

4. Responsibility and Editorial Review

Compliance with the principles of data accessibility and reproducibility is addressed as part of the editorial review process. Editors may request additional explanations or documentation when deemed necessary.

If misleading, incomplete, or untrue data declarations are detected, the relevant ethical violation procedures are implemented and the necessary actions are taken in accordance with COPE guidelines.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE SUBMITTING

Authors should review our journal's writing guidelines before submitting and ensure that their text fully complies with these guidelines. The style guidelines are available on our web site: https://www.insanvetoplum.org/en/nc/ga.

SUBMISSION & ARTICLE PUBLICATION FEE

İVT does not charge authors a submission fee. Authors are only responsible for the costs of editing and proofreading after acceptance.

QUEUEING FOR PUBLICATION

After all corrections and revisions are completed, the Editorial Board decides which issue the articles will be published in. Normally, articles are scheduled according to their submission dates; however, in some cases, exceptions may be made for special circumstances and files. If such a decision is made, the author(s) will be informed.

ACCEPTANCE LETTER

If the author needs or requests it, the Editorial Board can send them an acceptance letter stating the status of their article. This letter contains the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, which the author may need later in official processes.

USE OF DOI

DOI can be used for citation and linking to electronic documents. A DOI is assigned to documents by the publisher at the beginning of electronic publication. It consists of alphanumeric strings and is unique. The assigned DOI never changes. Therefore, it is a suitable tool for citing a document, especially for articles in the printing stage that do not yet have complete bibliographic information.

An example of a correct DOI assigned to İVT (in internet address format; human.society.Volume Number.Issue Number.Article Number): http://dx.doi.org/10.12658/M0217

When used to link to any document on the internet, this identifier remains absolutely unchanged.

OPEN ACCESS SYSTEM 

İVT accepts article submissions through the Open Journal System. All published articles and reviews are accessible at www.insanvetoplum.org.  Submissions must be made entirely online via our website.

The Open Journal System is a journal management and publishing system developed by the Public Science Project and funded by government agencies to expand and improve access to research. The Open Journal System assists in every stage of the impartial publishing process, from submissions to online publishing and indexing, and explores ways to improve both the general and scientific quality of research. The management system provides access to research indexing and content provided for research. The Open Journal System was developed to offer a viable option for accessing more journals and open publishing. It is open-source, free software that all journals worldwide can use because ease of access increases a journal's readership and enhances its contribution to society on a global scale.

COPYRIGHT

Authors must attach a copyright approval letter to the articles they submit to İVT. With this approval, authors acknowledge that the copyright of the intellectual work belongs to them, but the commercial rights of the work belong to the publisher if the work is accepted for publication. The work will be published by the publisher under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Under this license, authors may reuse, store, distribute, and reproduce their work in any medium for non-commercial purposes. The work may be shared publicly, provided it is properly attributed, and may be distributed without modification or for non-commercial purposes.

By submitting their work to the journal, authors accept the terms of the above license and open access principles and grant permission for public sharing of their work.

JOURNAL COPIES

The corresponding author will also receive a PDF file of the article via email free of charge.

REVIEW PROCESS, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND IMPARTIALITY PRINCIPLES

All submissions for publication in İVT undergo a double-blind peer review process to ensure scientific quality and ethical compliance. Applications for publication are considered regardless of the authors' race, gender, religious views, ethnic origin, citizenship, political orientation, age, or reputation. The peer review process for all works is conducted in accordance with the principles of impartiality, confidentiality, and academic integrity.

Duties of Editors

• Publication Decision
• Impartiality
• Confidentiality
• Disagreements and Statements
• Collaboration in Research

Statement of Editors

İVT requests its editors to write a brief statement regarding any views they may hold that could potentially influence their impartial evaluation. Such transparency is an ethical obligation to authors and readers, and is also an equal counterpart to the statement of interest requirement expected of authors, reviewers, and evaluators of the book. The editorial team is expected to refrain from decision-making arrangements that could potentially give rise to a conflict of interest.

Selection and Responsibilities of Reviewers

The evaluation of İVT's works is carried out by at least three reviewers selected from among experts in the subjects covered in the articles. The reasons for their selection are based on their objectivity and scientific knowledge. All persons who will carry out the evaluations are informed about what İVT expects from them. Each of them is asked to fill out an evaluation form and, if necessary, prepare a separate report. Individuals who have a conflict of interest regarding the subject matter of an article cannot evaluate that article (e.g., those who have contributed to or collaborated with one of the authors, or who are unable to offer an objective opinion on the work; also, individuals who are employees of the institution whose work is being reviewed or competitors of that institution, or who hold specific political or ideological views). Such individuals must contact the editorial board before the article is submitted to the review committee to disclose any potential disagreement/conflict of interest.

Development of the Review Process

İVT editors routinely review articles for quality. The quality of the review and other performance characteristics of reviewers are reviewed at regular intervals to ensure optimal İVT efficiency. Performance metrics such as review completion time should be used to review changes in processes that contribute to the journal's efficiency. Individual performance is kept confidential. Editors who do not contribute to the quality of İVT may be removed from the editorial board.

1. Peer Review Process

Studies that pass the preliminary review are sent to at least two independent reviewers who are experts in the field. At İVT, peer reviews are conducted in a professional, honest, thoughtful, timely, and constructive manner. Reviewers base their evaluation on scientific objectivity and adopt the fundamental goal of contributing to the improvement of the work.

For a high-quality and reliable review, reviewers are expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

• Reviewers should identify the strengths and weaknesses of the study's design and methodology and comment on them.
• Reviewers should accurately and constructively critique the author's skill in data processing (taking into account that data may be limited).
• Reviewers should identify the strengths and weaknesses of the work as a written communication tool, regardless of its structure, methodology, results, and processing.
• Reviewers should state their opinion on whether the work contains content that may raise ethical concerns or is of low scientific standard.
• Reviewers should provide useful advice to authors for improving the work.
• Reviewers' criticism should be constructive and professional towards the author.
• The review should provide the editor with an accurate perspective and content to enable them to decide whether to accept (and/or request revisions to) the work.
• Reviewers are expected to identify works that have not been cited and to use citations to indicate which elements of the work have been previously reproduced. Reviewers should also report any striking similarities between the text under review and any work published in another journal or submitted to İVT.
• Reviewers are strictly expected not to contact the author directly. In many cases, the opinions of two experts will be sought; however, these experts' opinions may not be the same as the editor's final decision on the article in question. Receiving even partial advice from a reviewer may give authors false impressions about the review process.

Based on the referee reports, the work is concluded with one of the following decisions: acceptance, request for revision, or rejection. Editorial decisions are made based on academic grounds, taking into account the opinions of the referees.

2. Confidentiality Principle

Confidentiality is paramount throughout all stages of the peer review process. Reviewers may not share the works sent to them or any information related to these works with third parties. Information and data obtained during the evaluation process may not be used for personal or academic gain.

Editors and editorial board members are also obligated to protect the confidentiality of all information and documents related to the evaluation process.

3. Impartiality and Objectivity

Referees must base their evaluations solely on the scientific content of the work, independently of the authors' identity, institutional affiliation, nationality, gender, beliefs, or political views.

Referees must disclose any conflict of interest that could influence the evaluation process to the journal and must not accept the evaluation task.

POST-PUBLICATION CORRECTIONS, RETRACTIONS, AND APPEALS PROCESSES

To maintain the scientific accuracy and reliability of studies published in İVT, any errors, ethical violations, or appeals that may arise after publication are handled through transparent and consistent processes. These processes are conducted in accordance with COPE guidelines.

1. Post-Publication Corrections

If typographical, typesetting, or technical errors that do not affect the scientific content and results of a published study are identified, a correction (corrigendum/erratum) may be published following editorial review.

Requests for corrections may come from:

• Authors,
• Readers,
• Editors, or reviewers.

The scope and format of the correction are determined by the editorial board and published with a clear reference to the relevant article.

2. Retraction

If circumstances are identified that seriously undermine scientific integrity, the relevant work is retracted. The decision to retract is made by the editorial board, communicating with the authors where necessary.

Circumstances requiring retraction include, but are not limited to, the following violations:

• Plagiarism or self-plagiarism,
• Fabrication or falsification of data,
• Duplicate publication,
• Lack of permission in studies requiring ethics committee approval,
• Serious methodological errors,
• Misleading or false statements.

Retracted works remain in the journal archive; however, they are clearly marked as “retracted” and the reason for retraction is disclosed to the public.

3. Expression of Concern

During the editorial review process or after publication, if there are serious ethical or scientific concerns regarding a study but no definitive conclusion can be reached, the editorial board may issue an expression of concern.

This notice is used to inform readers until the relevant review process is completed.

4. Appeal Process

Authors must submit their reasoned appeals regarding editorial decisions or referee evaluations in writing to editor@insanvetoplum.org. Appeals are evaluated impartially by the editorial board.

If deemed necessary:

• The work may be sent to new referees,
• The editorial process may be reviewed again.

The editorial board's decisions regarding appeals are final.

5. Ethical Violation Reporting

Readers, authors, or reviewers may report potential ethical violations related to published or under review works to the journal. All reports are handled confidentially and evaluated in accordance with COPE principles.

READER COMMENTS, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AND RESPONSES TO PUBLISHED WORKS

The journal welcomes reader comments, letters to the editor, and critical contributions regarding published articles in order to encourage scientific debate and academic interaction. These contributions should be constructive, scientific, and ethical.

1. Reader Comments and Letters to the Editor:

Readers may submit their opinions, criticisms, or contributions regarding studies published in the journal in the form of a letter to the editor. These letters should focus on scientific content, should not contain personal accusations or insults, and should make explicit reference to the relevant study. Letters to the editor are subject to editorial pre-evaluation, and those deemed appropriate are published.

2. Responses to Published Works:

The editor grants the authors of a relevant article the right to respond if the criticism or comments directed at a published article are scientifically meaningful. Author responses should be constructive and evidence-based; they should be prepared in a manner that advances the discussion. Where deemed necessary, the criticism and response texts may be published together or in consecutive issues.

Reader-Initiated Criticisms, Corrections, and Notifications:

Allegations of possible errors, omissions, or ethical violations reported by readers are taken seriously by the editors. Editors evaluate such notifications in accordance with COPE guidelines and request clarification from the authors when necessary.

As a result of the review;

• Corrigendum/erratum for minor errors,
• Editorial expression of concern for serious issues affecting the reliability of the findings,
• Retraction in cases where validity is compromised may be pursued.

The journal addresses reader contributions and criticism within the framework of transparency, impartiality, and academic integrity principles and considers protecting the accuracy of scientific records as a fundamental responsibility.

INFORMATION SOURCE

The Scientific Studies Association (İLEM), which publishes İVT, was founded in 2002 with the aim of training and supporting social scientists. The work carried out within İLEM is planned using a comparative and multidimensional interdisciplinary approach with the aim of contributing to the development of intelligent and sensible students. İLEM hopes to inspire various groups both in Turkey and abroad in this way.

İLEM commits that no advertising revenue, reprints, or other commercial income will influence or exert any influence on the decisions of the editorial board. However, when it is deemed beneficial to the editors, the İVT Secretary communicates with other journals and/or publishers. Finally, ILEM works closely with other publishers and industry associations to ensure best practices in matters of ethics, errors, and retractions, and offers privileged official evaluation and consulting services when needed.

If any ethical concerns arise regarding a published or under review work, the editor can be contacted immediately via the email address at editor@insanvetoplum.org for further information.