Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

The Turkish Music Journal (TM) follows, accepts, and applies internationally recognized publishing ethical principles in all its processes. Based particularly on the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the journal team (publisher, editors, reviewers, etc.) is responsible for educating themselves, participating in discussions, sharing experiences, and setting good practices. TM has defined its ethical statements on the basis of the COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Editors, Best Practice Guidelines, and Core Practices. These ethical principles must be followed by all stakeholders of TM (publisher, editors, reviewers, authors). The journal has the responsibility to regularly update its ethical principles and publication policies. All stakeholders are obliged to be informed of and comply with updated principles and policies.

Ethical Principles of the Turkish Music Journal

  • Plagiarism and copyright: All forms of plagiarism are prevented. In music research, copyrights of works are protected, and unauthorized use or alteration is prohibited.

  • Ethical approval: In studies involving human participants, Ethics Committee Approval is mandatory. In necessary cases, permission and declarations regarding the use of works are required from authors.

  • Self-citation and authorship: Authors’ self-citation rates must be kept at a reasonable level. Unethical practices such as “ghost authorship” are not allowed.

  • Editorial impartiality: Editors do not take into account authors’ academic promotion or obligations. Only the scientific merit of the article is considered.

  • Transparency and data sharing: Research data are examined when necessary; transparency is essential.

  • Independent peer review: The double-blind review system is rigorously applied. Reviewer reports are recorded in OJS.

  • Communication: Editors do not communicate directly with authors outside the article process. All communication is conducted through the official channels of the journal.

  • Ethical cooperation: In cases of ethical violations, cooperation is established with the authors’ institutions. When necessary, opinions are sought from international ethics organizations.

  • Ethics committee: The TM Ethics Committee, chaired by the Editor-in-Chief, acts as the advisory and decision-making body on ethical issues.

  • Copyright and works of art: Works used in music research must be protected, and compliance with copyright laws of relevant countries is mandatory.

  • Conflict of interest: Editors, reviewers, and authors are obliged to declare conflicts of interest.

  • Education and awareness: All stakeholders are informed about ethical principles and commitments are obtained.

  • Independence: The journal does not consider commercial concerns in sponsorship or collaboration processes; it adheres strictly to ethical principles.

Plagiarism Policy

Definition: Plagiarism is the use of another person’s ideas, methods, data, or expressions without proper attribution. Self-plagiarism is the reuse of an author’s previous publication partially or fully without citation.

Types:
– Complete Plagiarism: Copying previously published content exactly.
– Partial Plagiarism: Presenting phrases taken from different sources without citation, even if rephrased.
– Self-Plagiarism: Republishing substantial portions of one’s previous work.

TM’s Measures: All articles are scanned for similarity using software such as Turnitin/iThenticate. A similarity rate above 15% is not accepted; such articles are rejected during editorial pre-review. If plagiarism is detected after publication, the process is handled by the Editor-in-Chief and the TM Ethics Committee (TEB) in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Process:
– Suspicion and Notification: If an editor or reviewer suspects plagiarism, the case is referred to TEB.
– Author’s Response: The author is asked to provide an explanation within two weeks. If no response is received or the explanation is found insufficient, the matter is shared with the author’s institution.
– Ethics Committee Report: TEB prepares a report with evidence and submits it to the Editor-in-Chief.
– Decision: If a violation is confirmed, a retraction notice is published, the phrase “Plagiarized Article” is added with reference to the original source, the PDF is watermarked “RETRACTED” and links are disabled, the author(s) receive a 3-year publication ban, and the affiliated institutions are officially notified.

Principle: The Turkish Music Journal respects intellectual and artistic property. All acts of plagiarism are evaluated and resolved transparently according to COPE flowcharts.

Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of All TM Stakeholders in Editorial Processes

This section has been prepared considering scientific knowledge on ethical issues, editorial experience, and practices in academic publishing of leading indexing services such as Scopus and Web of Science. We confirm that all our stakeholders, including authors, reviewers, and editors, will adhere to the ethical principles they declare and agree upon.

Duties of the Publisher
The Turkish Music Journal (TM) is an open access journal, and Genç Bilge Publishing Ltd. (Turkey) is defined as its publisher. Editorial processes are conducted under this publisher. The publisher organizes all information on the TM website, publication policies, and ethical statements in accordance with COPE’s Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. The publisher undertakes to publish all accepted articles under open access and the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. The publisher does not interfere with editorial processes and decisions, respecting the independence of the editorial team. The publisher cooperates with relevant institutions during ethical reviews and investigations. The publisher guarantees full compliance with TM’s publication policies.

Duties of Authors
Authors must act with honesty and transparency. They must declare originality, contributions, and funding. They must not submit the same work to more than one journal simultaneously or republish previously published work. Authors must not attempt to influence the review process by contacting editorial board members. Issues regarding the process should be shared directly with the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Editor, or Associate Editor. Authors must comply with TM’s policies and the Author Guidelines before submission. Articles derived from graduate theses must be supervised responsibly by the thesis advisor. Authors must provide access to data when requested and ensure transparency. They must provide similarity reports using Turnitin/iThenticate, not paraphrasing software. Authorship must be limited to significant contributors, others acknowledged appropriately. Research involving human participants requires Ethics Committee Approval, with decision date and number stated. Authors must declare conflicts of interest. After publication, errors must be reported immediately for correction or retraction.

Duties of Editors
Editors bear full ethical responsibility for all submissions. They must review similarity reports personally, ensure impartiality, base decisions only on academic merit, maintain confidentiality, declare conflicts of interest, and reassign manuscripts if necessary. Editors actively participate in investigations with institutions and may investigate even past publications. If an editor submits an article, the process is managed by another editor. Editors must follow COPE guidance and international training such as Web of Science Academy.

Duties of Reviewers
Reviewers play a critical role in article development and editorial decision-making. They must hold at least a doctoral degree. If unqualified, they must inform the editor. They must maintain confidentiality, use respectful and constructive language, provide clear arguments, fill in review forms thoroughly, check citations, and remain impartial. Reviewers must manage time properly and not delay the journal workflow.