Publication Ethics Principles
Publication Ethics can be defined as a self-regulatory mechanism that insists on honesty on behalf of authors, reviewers, and publishers to establish higher editorial processing standards. Ethical standards for publication exist to ensure high-quality scientific publications, foster public trust in scientific findings, and uphold the credibility of people's ideas.
• Honest researchers do not commit plagiarism
• They do not misrepresent sources
• They do not conceal objections they cannot refute
• They do not distort opposing views
• They do not destroy or conceal data

Peer-reviewed studies are those that support and implement the scientific method. At this point, it is of great importance that all parties involved in the publication process (authors, readers and researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) adhere to ethical principles. Imgelem Journal adheres to national and international standards in research and publication ethics. It complies with the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive. Imgelem Journal has adopted the International Ethical Publishing Principles published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). Additionally, it commits to complying with the decisions of the Turkish Editors Workshop.
• Press Law (National Legislation)
• Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (National Legislation)
• Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive (National Legislation)
• Transparency and Best Practices Principles in Academic Publishing (International Criteria)
• Decisions of the Turkish Editors Workshop (National Criteria)

Duplicate Publication
Duplicate publication refers to the publication of the same article or substantially similar articles in multiple journals. The editor returns such articles without review. Subsequently, the editor may impose an embargo on the author attempting duplicate publication for a certain period. The editor may also disclose this situation to the public, perhaps simultaneously with the editor of the previous journal where the article was published, or apply all of these measures together.

Simultaneously submitting the same work to multiple journals
Authors cannot submit the same article to multiple journals simultaneously. If the editor becomes aware of potential simultaneous submission, they reserve the right to consult with other editors who have received the manuscript. Additionally, the editor may return the manuscript without review, reject it without considering the reviews, or make this decision in consultation with other relevant editors. They may also decide not to accept submissions from the authors for a certain period of time. Furthermore, they may write to the authors' employers or implement all of these measures together

Plagiarism Prevention Control
Presenting the ideas, methods, data, applications, writings, figures, or works of others as if they were one's own, either partially or entirely, without proper attribution to the owners, is considered plagiarism.
Imgelem Journal conducts scans to prevent plagiarism for all submitted articles. The works under review are checked for plagiarism using Turnitin & iThenticate software. A similarity rate of less than 20% is expected. However, the primary measure of similarity rate is the author's compliance with citation and referencing rules. Even if the similarity rate appears to be 1%, if proper citation and referencing are not adhered to, plagiarism may still be present. Therefore, citation and referencing rules should be known and carefully applied by the author.
Plagiarism, duplication, false authorship/denied authorship, research/data fabrication, article slicing, slicing for publication, copyright infringement, and hiding conflicts of interest are considered unethical behaviors. All articles that do not adhere to accepted ethical standards are removed from publication. This includes articles that are subsequently found to contain possible violations or inappropriate content after publication.

Forgery
Generating data not based on research, manipulating or altering the presented or published work based on false data, reporting or publishing them, portraying an unperformed study as if it had been conducted. It also involves tampering with research records and obtained data, representing methods, devices, and materials not used in the research as if they were used, not considering data that does not fit the research hypothesis, manipulating data and/or results to fit relevant theories or assumptions, and distorting or shaping research results in line with the interests of the supported individuals and organizations.

Protection of Participants' Personal Data
Imgelem Journal requires that all research involving personal or sensitive data or materials related to human participants, which are not legally public, be subject to formal ethical review.
Addressing Allegations of Research Misconduct Imgelem Journal adheres to COPE's Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Imgelem Journal's editors will take measures to prevent the publication of articles where plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, and other research misconduct have occurred. Under no circumstances will Imgelem Journal's editors knowingly allow such misconduct to take place. Imgelem Journal's editors will follow COPE's guidelines in addressing any allegations of research misconduct related to an article published in their journal.

Ethical Violation Reports
Readers can notify Imgelem Journal by sending an email to imgelem@bilgitoy.org if they notice a significant error or inaccuracy in an article published in Imgelem Journal, or if they have any complaints regarding editorial content (plagiarism, duplicate publications, etc.). We welcome such submissions as they provide us with an opportunity to improve, and we will respond promptly and constructively.

Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern
Editors may consider publishing a correction if minor errors that do not affect the findings, interpretations, and conclusions of the published article are identified. When major errors or violations that invalidate the findings and conclusions are found, editors should consider retracting the article. If there is a possibility of research or publication misconduct by the authors; if there is evidence that the findings are not reliable and the authors' institutions have not investigated the matter, or if a possible investigation seems unjust or inconclusive, editors should consider issuing an expression of concern. COPE and ICJME guidelines are followed regarding correction, retraction, or expression of concern.

Publication of Studies Based on Surveys and Interviews
Imgelem Journal adopts the principles outlined in the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) "Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" and "Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers" to establish ethical assurance in scientific publishing. Accordingly, the following points should be adhered to in studies submitted to the journal:
1) For research conducted in all fields requiring ethical approval, ethical approval must be obtained (this approval should be documented and stated in the article).
2) In studies requiring ethical approval, information about the approval (committee name, date, and number) should be included in the methods section and additionally on one of the first/last pages of the article; in case reports, information should be provided in the article about obtaining informed voluntary consent/assent forms.

Special Issue Publication Policy
Upon request of the Editorial Board, a special issue may be published once a year in our journal. The submitted articles for inclusion in the special issue undergo initial editorial review. Subsequently, they are evaluated for compliance with the journal's writing guidelines and undergo similarity checks to prevent plagiarism. Following these stages, they proceed to peer review using a double-blind review model.

Editorial Confidentiality Obligation
The editors of Imgelem Journal treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents; this means that they will not disclose information about a manuscript to anyone without the authors' permission. During the manuscript review process, the following individuals may have access to the manuscripts: Editors, Reviewers, Editorial Board Members. The only circumstance under which details about a manuscript may be communicated to a third party without the authors' permission is if the editor suspects serious research misconduct.

Scientific Misconduct Allegations-Suspicions
There are various definitions of scientific misconduct. Imgelem Journal addresses these issues on a case-by-case basis while following the guidance established by major publication ethics institutions. Editors are obligated to take action if they suspect or receive an allegation of misconduct. This duty encompasses both published and unpublished articles. Editors should not simply reject articles that raise concerns about potential misconduct. They are ethically obligated to pursue cases alleged as misconduct. Editors should follow COPE flowcharts when appropriate. Editors should first request a response from individuals suspected of misconduct. If unsatisfied with the response, they should request an investigation from the relevant employer or institution. Editors should make every reasonable effort to ensure an appropriate investigation into alleged misconduct is conducted; failing which, they should persist in seeking a resolution to the issue. This is a laborious but crucial task.
Imgelem Journal adheres to COPE's Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Imgelem Journal's editors will take measures to prevent the publication of articles where plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, and other research misconduct have occurred. Under no circumstances will Imgelem Journal, or its editors, knowingly permit such misconduct to occur. Imgelem Journal's editors will follow COPE's guidelines in addressing any allegations of research misconduct related to an article published in their journal.
Reviewers should inform the Editor if they suspect research or publication misconduct.
The Editor is responsible for carrying out necessary procedures in accordance with COPE recommendations.
Imgelem Journal commits to applying COPE flowcharts when facing allegations of misconduct on the following or similar topics:
• What to do if suspicion arises about redundant publication
• What to do if suspicion arises about plagiarism
• What to do if suspicion arises about fabricated data
• What to do if there is a request for a change of authorship
• What to do if suspicion arises about undisclosed conflicts of interest
• What to do if suspicion arises about unjust or gift authorship
• What to do if there is suspicion of ethical issues in a paper
• What to do if suspicion of ethical violation is directly reported via email, etc.
• What to do if suspicion of ethical violation is announced via social media

Complaint Procedure
This procedure applies to complaints regarding content, procedures, or policies within the responsibility of Imgelem Journal or our editorial team. Complaints can provide an opportunity for improvement and encouragement, and we aim to respond quickly, courteously, and constructively.
Complaints should relate to content, procedures, or policies within the responsibility of Imgelem Journal or our editorial team. Complaints should be sent directly to imgelem@bilgitoy.org via email and will be treated confidentially. The Editor responds to complaints promptly. The Editor follows the procedure outlined in the COPE flowchart regarding complaints.
Complaints are reviewed by a relevant member of the editorial team, and if unresolved, the following processes are followed:
• If the initial response is deemed inadequate, the complainant may request that their complaint be forwarded to a more senior member of the journal.
• If the complainant remains unsatisfied, complaints may be directed to the Chief Editor.
• A full response will be provided ideally within two weeks.
COPE publishes a code of conduct for editors of scientific journals. This will facilitate the resolution of disputes between editors, journals, and publishers, but complaints can only be referred here after exhausting the journal's own complaint procedures.

Appeal Process
We welcome serious appeals regarding evaluations made by editors and reviewers. If you believe that your article was rejected because we misunderstood its scientific content, please send an appeal message to our editorial team at imgelem@bilgitoy.org. Please refrain from attempting to submit a revised version of your article at this stage. If, after reading your appeal letter, we understand that your appeal is justified, we may invite you to submit a revised version of your article. This will then undergo the external peer review process again. Please include as much detail as possible in your appeal letter. Lastly, we can only consider one appeal per article, so please take the time and effort to clearly articulate your appeal in detail - you have one chance, so make it count. We have found that prolonged deliberation over rejected articles is generally unsatisfactory for both authors and editors, so we do not process multiple appeals for the same work.

Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest arises when professional judgment regarding a primary interest could be influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain or personal competition). We believe that in order to make the best decision on how to handle an article, we need to know authors' competing interests, and if we publish the article, readers should also be aware of them.
Conflicts of interest are any financial or other interests that could lead to a person being compromised in their work, significantly bias their objectivity, or provide an unfair advantage to any individual or organization. All sources of financial support received for the conduct of the research and the preparation of the article should be disclosed, as well as the role of sponsors in the study. If there is no funding source, this should also be stated. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that need to be disclosed include consultancy, salary receipt, and grants. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed at the earliest possible stage.
Imgelem Journal has a defined process for handling submissions from editors, staff, or members of the editorial board to ensure unbiased review. Such submissions are initially directed to other journals. If this is not possible, the submitter's role in the journal is suspended. These submissions undergo a double-blind review process.
Editors should not be involved in decisions regarding articles written by themselves or their family members. Additionally, such a study should be subject to all regular procedures of the journal. Editors should adhere to the ICMJE guidelines regarding the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest by authors and reviewers.

Research Ethics Principles
• Imgelem Journal upholds the highest standards of research ethics and adopts the following internationally recognized research ethics principles. The ethical compliance of articles is the responsibility of the authors.
• Principles of integrity, quality, and transparency should be ensured in the design, review, and conduct of research.
• The research team and participants should be fully informed about the purpose, methods, and potential uses of the research; the requirements of participation; and any risks involved.
• The confidentiality of information provided by research participants and the anonymity of respondents should be ensured. Research should be designed to protect the autonomy and dignity of participants.
• Research participants should volunteer to participate in the study and should not be under any coercion.
• Harm to participants should be avoided. Research should be planned to minimize risks to participants.
• Transparency regarding research independence should be maintained; any conflicts of interest should be disclosed.
• In experimental studies involving human subjects, written informed consent should be obtained from participants who decide to participate in the research. The approval of a legal guardian should be obtained for children, wards, or those with certified mental illness.
• If the study will be conducted in any institution or organization, approval should be obtained from that institution or organization.
• In studies involving human subjects, the "methods" section should indicate that "informed consent" was obtained from participants and that ethical approval was obtained from the institution where the study was conducted.