Ethical Principles and Publication Policy
Publication Ethics Principles
Anatolian Journal of Archaeological Research (AJAR) applies strict ethical policies and a double-masked peer review system to ensure the presentation of quality research in scientific publications. The journal adheres to ethical standards in the publication process and is responsible for preventing publication errors. All parties involved in the publication process (authors, readers, researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) must comply with ethical rules. The journal adheres to national and international standards in research and publication ethics. It acts by the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions. Anatolian Journal of Archaeological Research (AJAR) has adopted the International Ethical Publishing Principles published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). It also abides by the decisions of the Turkish Editors' Workshop (Türkiye Editörler Çalıştayı).
- Press Law (National Legislation)
- Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)
- Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics (National Legislation)
- Transparency and Best Practice Principles in Academic Publishing (International Criteria)
- Turkey Editors' Workshop (National Criteria)
Duplicate Publication
Manuscripts submitted to the Anatolian Journal of Archaeological Research should be original research. They should not have been published or submitted for publication in any other journal or book except for oral presentations, posters, or abstract formats. Duplicate publications are not accepted. The editor may return republication attempts without consideration and impose a publication blockage on authors who attempt to republish for a specified period. It may also inform the relevant journal or take any necessary measures.
Submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously
Authors may not submit the same article to more than one journal simultaneously. If the editor notices a possible simultaneous submission, they may contact the other editor(s), return the manuscript, or reject it from consideration. If necessary, it may ban authors from submitting articles for a particular time and contact the institution to which the author is affiliated.
Plagiarism Check
Failure to cite information from other sources with proper attribution is considered plagiarism. AJAR is against all unethical acts of plagiarism and copying. All articles submitted for publication are screened for plagiarism using iThenticate software. The journal accepts a similarity rate below 15%, excluding references, and considers a similarity rate above 25% as high plagiarism. Articles with plagiarism detected are rejected and not evaluated. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the article is retracted, and the relevant institutions are informed.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Authors must declare the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their articles. Scientific data generation-based technologies and generative AI-powered software should only be used in the writing process to improve the readability and language of the article. This software and technologies should be implemented with human oversight and control, and authors should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can produce seemingly authoritative output that may be inaccurate, incomplete, or biased. Authors are ultimately responsible for the content of the work. Since authorship implies responsibilities and tasks unique to and can only be performed by humans, authors should not list AI and AI-enabled technologies as authors or co-authors on their papers or cite them in the text. However, our journal does not currently allow generative AI or AI-enabled technologies such as ChatGPT or similar services by reviewers or editors in the peer review and manuscript evaluation. As this technology is open to development, we may revise this policy. However, for now, articles containing texts produced with AI-supported technologies, including the writing of abstracts, will not be accepted in our journal.
Image Manipulation and Forgery
Deliberate manipulation of images leads to misinterpretation of research results. Therefore, authors are required to avoid manipulations that do not reflect reality.
Correction and Retraction
Authors or readers should notify the journal of significant errors in published articles. The journal may decide to revise or retract the article in accordance with COPE and ICJME guidelines.
Ethical Violation Notifications
Readers may notify us by sending an e-mail to editor@anatolianarch.com when they notice a significant error or inaccuracy in an article published in AJAR or have any complaints about the content (plagiarism, duplicate articles, etc.).
Allegations and Suspicions of Scientific Misconduct
Journal editors take allegations of scientific misconduct seriously. Authors or readers may notify the journal if they suspect a paper contains academic fraud, research misconduct, or publication error. All allegations will be rigorously investigated, regardless of whether the individuals involved are from within or outside the journal. The editors will follow COPE guidelines in such cases.
The journal follows COPE guidelines in response to the following or similar allegations of misconduct:
- Plagiarism
- Allegations about author contributions
- Duplicate submission/publication
- Violations of research standards
- Manipulation of the peer review process
- Inappropriate copying or modification of images
- Requests for change of author
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Grievance Procedure
This procedure applies to complaints about content, procedures, and policies under the responsibility of the Anatolian Journal of Archaeological Research (AJAR) or its associate editors. Complaints are seen as an opportunity to improve the journal's processes and are dealt with promptly, constructively, and courteously.
Complaints can be submitted directly via email to editor@anatolianarch.com, and all submissions are treated confidentially. The Editor evaluates complaints following COPE guidelines.
The complaints process consists of the following steps:
- Complaints are coordinated by a central team and referred to the appropriate persons.
- After initial review, the complaint is forwarded to the relevant editorial or editorial team.
- If the initial response is unsatisfactory, the complaint may be passed to a senior team member.
- If the issue remains unresolved, the Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision.
Appealing the Review Result
Authors have the right to object to the opinions of the Scientific Advisory Board regarding the manuscripts evaluated by the journal. Reasons for objection should be sent by e-mail to editor@anatolianarch.com. The Editorial Board reviews the appeals and responds positively or negatively within one month. New reviewers will be appointed if the objection is accepted, and the review process will be restarted.
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest are situations that may improperly influence the review or publication process of a manuscript. They may arise for financial, academic, professional, or personal reasons.
AJAR editors avoid conflicts of interest for the objective evaluation of manuscripts. If the author of the manuscript has a direct academic or professional relationship with the editor evaluating the manuscript, the evaluation process is carried out by another editor.
Manuscripts written by journal editors and scientific advisory board members are subjected to a double-blind review by at least two internal and two external reviewers. During the review process, the editors cannot log in to the journal system, and their user accounts are temporarily deactivated.
Editors should not be involved in reviewing manuscripts written by themselves, family members, or close colleagues. All processes are conducted through an independent peer review system, and COPE and ICJME guidelines are applied.
Special Issue Publication Policy
AJAR may publish a special issue once a year, depending on the editorial board's decision. Articles submitted for the special issue go through the following processes:
- Editorial Review - Manuscripts are evaluated for the appropriateness of their topics.
- Style and Spelling Check - Articles are reviewed for compliance with the journal's spelling rules.
- Similarity Screening - Articles are subjected to software-based screening to prevent plagiarism.
- Peer Review - Articles are subjected to a double-masked peer review.
