Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

 

 

1. Publication Scope and Language Policy

  1. Tefsiriyat publishes academic studies that primarily focus on Qur’anic and tafsīr studies, including research that contributes to Qur’anic interpretation through exegetical theory, hermeneutics, philology, semantics, linguistics, philosophy, sociology, and cultural studies.
  2. Only manuscripts prepared in Turkish, English, or Arabic are accepted for submission.
  3. Submitted manuscripts must be compatible with the journal’s Aims and Scope.

2. Submission and File Format

  1. Manuscripts must be submitted electronically only via the “Submit Article” section on the journal’s website.
  2. All documents and supplementary files must be submitted in Word format (.doc / .docx).
  3. Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the journal’s Author Guidelines and citation and referencing rules.
  4. Manuscripts that do not employ the İSNAD Citation System are returned to the author for formal correction.
  5. Manuscripts exceeding 10,000 words are returned to the author for reduction to the required length.
  6. For indexing and electronic search purposes, manuscripts must include Turkish and English abstracts of 150–250 words and at least five keywords.

3. Originality and Prohibition of Simultaneous Submission

  1. Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under evaluation by another journal.
  2. All authors are deemed to have personally approved the content of the manuscript and its submission to the journal.

4. Copyright, Publishing Rights, and Fee Policy

  1. Copyright remains with the author(s). The journal conducts publication processes in accordance with its publishing policies.
  2. The journal may use professional services for preliminary evaluation, peer review management, editorial assessment, language editing, secretarial work, proofreading, and layout when necessary. No fees are charged to authors at any stage.

5. Authorship Change Policy

  1. After submission, no changes may be made to the authorship without the written consent of all authors, including:
  • removal of an author’s name,
  • addition of a new author,
  • change in the order of authors.

6. Plagiarism, Similarity Screening, and Ethical Violations

  1. The journal checks all submitted manuscripts for plagiarism and ethical violations. The following are considered ethical misconduct:
  • plagiarism and self-plagiarism,
  • duplication / redundant publication,
  • ghost authorship / denied authorship,
  • data fabrication and falsification,
  • salami slicing and segmented publication,
  • copyright infringement,
  • concealment of conflicts of interest.
  1. Manuscripts that pass preliminary screening are subjected to similarity checks using İntihal.net, Turnitin, or iThenticate. A similarity rate of below 20% is expected. Editors may request re-screening at different stages of the process if necessary.
  2. High similarity rates or serious suspicions of ethical misconduct may result in rejection or retraction, either before or after acceptance.

7. Evaluation Model: Double-Blind Peer Review

  1. Following similarity screening, manuscripts deemed appropriate are preliminarily evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief in terms of originality, methodology, scholarly significance, and compatibility with the journal’s scope.
  2. Manuscripts that meet formal requirements are sent to at least two referees, domestic and/or international, under the double-blind peer review system.
  3. Revisions may be requested in line with referee reports. Revised manuscripts may be re-sent to referees when necessary.

8. Publication Decision and Average Timeline

  1. The final publication decision is made by the Editorial Board, based on referee reports and editorial evaluations.
  2. The average time from submission to publication is approximately 10 weeks, depending on workload.

9. DOI and Archiving

  1. All published articles are assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI).
  2. Articles published in Tefsiriyat are digitally archived through the LOCKSS system.

 

PUBLICATION ETHICS STATEMENT

Correction – Retraction – Expression of Concern

  1. Editors may issue corrections for minor errors that do not affect findings or conclusions, and retractions in cases of major errors or violations that invalidate results.
  2. Editors may publish an expression of concern when there are serious doubts regarding research integrity and institutional investigations are absent or inconclusive.
  3. COPE and ICMJE principles are followed in all correction, retraction, and expression of concern procedures.

 

PLAGIARISM ACTION PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION

  1. When plagiarism is suspected, the case is first reviewed by the Ethics Editor, followed by evaluation by the Editorial Board.
  2. The journal requests an explanation from the author(s) within two weeks. If no response is received, the author’s affiliated institution is contacted to investigate the allegation.
  3. In cases where plagiarism is confirmed, the journal applies the following measures:
  • official correspondence with the author’s institution,
  • removal of the full text and deactivation of all related links,
  • inclusion of a plagiarism notice in the article title,
  • deactivation of the author’s account and rejection of all submissions for three years.

 

ETHICS COMMITTEE APPROVAL

  1. Studies requiring ethics committee approval must be submitted with relevant approval documents and disclosures. Issues such as scale permissions, informed consent, and institutional approval must be clearly stated in the manuscript.

 

ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF STAKEHOLDERS

A) Responsibilities of Editors

  1. Editors evaluate manuscripts based solely on scholarly merit and do not consider language, race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, or political views in decision-making.
  2. Editorial independence is fundamental; no political or commercial influence may affect publication decisions.
  3. In accordance with confidentiality principles, process-related information is shared only with the corresponding author, referees, and the Editorial Board.
  4. Editors avoid conflicts of interest and follow COPE flowcharts in cases of ethical concern, applying correction, retraction, or expressions of concern when necessary.

B) Responsibilities of Authors

  1. Authors are responsible for accurate and transparent reporting, data preservation, obtaining ethical approvals, declaring conflicts of interest, and cooperating fully in the peer review process.
  2. Articles derived from theses or conference papers must clearly state this information on the first page in both Turkish and English.
  3. Simultaneous submission, duplicate publication, and scientific misconduct are not acceptable.

C) Responsibilities of Reviewers

  1. Reviewers must adhere to principles of confidentiality, impartiality, and timely reporting, and must immediately inform the editor of any conflict of interest.
  2. Reviewer reports should be constructive, free of personal criticism, and should indicate missing references or potential similarities to other works.

 

DOUBLE-BLIND REVIEW, QUALITY ASSURANCE, AND PERSONAL DATA

  1. Evaluation processes are conducted fairly, impartially, and in a timely manner; violations of the double-blind review system are not permitted.
  2. Editors ensure the protection of personal data and may reject manuscripts where informed consent is not documented.
  3. Errors or inconsistencies that compromise publication integrity must be corrected promptly.

 

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND INSTITUTIONAL MEASURES

  1. In multi-authored works, statements of author contributions, funding/support acknowledgments, and conflict of interest disclosures must be published when applicable.
  2. If members of the journal’s boards publish in the journal, their editorial duties for the relevant issue are suspended; violations of double-blind review are strictly prohibited. Such publications may not exceed one-third of the articles in any single issue.