Publication ethics

The “Hikmet” Journal adheres to the principles of academic integrity, scientific responsibility, fairness, transparency, and objectivity in the process of accepting, reviewing, and publishing scientific articles.
The editorial policy of the journal is developed in accordance with the ethical standards and recommendations of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), recognized by the international scientific community.
All parties involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, and the editorial board—are required to strictly comply with this ethics policy.

  1. Core Principles of the Ethical Policy

The “Hikmet” Journal:

  • aims to publish research that is scientifically novel and significant, with theoretical or practical relevance in its field;
  • recognizes academic integrity as a fundamental value while respecting scientific diversity of opinion;
  • does not allow discrimination based on nationality, gender, religion, citizenship, position, or political views during the publication process;
  • ensures compliance with ethical norms throughout all stages of the publication process.
  1. Authors’ Ethical Responsibilities

By submitting an article to the “Hikmet” Journal, authors agree to the following obligations:

  • The submitted scientific article must be original, not previously published, and not under consideration elsewhere;
  • Research results must be based on accurate, authentic, and verifiable data;
  • All sources used in the article must be properly cited according to scientific bibliographic standards;
  • Only those who have made a significant scientific contribution to the research should be listed as authors;
  • Any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest must be disclosed openly;
  • If significant scientific errors are discovered after publication, the author must promptly inform the editorial board and take responsibility for corrections.
  1. Peer Review Ethics

All scientific articles in the “Hikmet” Journal are evaluated under a double-blind peer review system. Reviewers are required to:

  • assess the manuscript objectively, fairly, and based on scientific evidence;
  • maintain confidentiality of materials received during the review;
  • decline reviewing if there is a conflict of interest or if the topic is outside their area of expertise;
  • provide comments and recommendations politely and in accordance with scientific ethical standards.
  1. Editorial Board Ethical Responsibilities

The editorial board of the “Hikmet” Journal:

  • makes decisions on acceptance or rejection based solely on scientific quality, relevance, and novelty;
  • ensures full confidentiality of authors and reviewers;
  • maintains fairness and transparency in the review process;
  • takes appropriate measures if plagiarism, data falsification, or other ethical violations are identified;
  • follows COPE recommendations in handling disputes.
  1. Plagiarism and Scientific Misconduct

The “Hikmet” Journal uses software tools to detect plagiarism before publication.
The following are considered serious violations of ethical norms:

  • plagiarism and self-plagiarism;
  • fabrication or deliberate falsification of scientific data;
  • duplicate publication of the same research;
  • false or unsubstantiated authorship.

In such cases:

  • the article will be rejected;
  • a published article may be retracted;
  • editorial sanctions may be applied to the author.
  1. Confidentiality and Personal Data Protection
  • Personal data of authors and reviewers are protected in accordance with applicable law;
  • All information obtained during the review process is strictly confidential;
  • Such data are not shared with third parties and are not published.
  1. Retraction Policy

The “Hikmet” Journal reserves the right to retract an article in the following cases:

  • significant scientific or methodological errors are identified;
  • plagiarism or other ethical violations are confirmed;
  • false or unreliable data are found.

Information on retracted articles is published openly on the journal’s official website.

  1. Handling Ethical Violations
  • All complaints regarding ethics are reviewed fairly, impartially, and thoroughly by the editorial board of the “Hikmet” Journal;
  • Independent experts may be involved if necessary;
  • Decisions made are documented officially and communicated to the relevant parties.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics

  1. Authorship, Responsibility, and Transparency

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not recognized as an author or co-author because it cannot assume legal or ethical responsibility for scientific content.
Text entirely or substantially generated by AI will not be considered a scientific publication.
AI tools may be used, but authors must clearly indicate in the manuscript when, why, and how AI was used, typically in the Methods section. Authors are fully responsible for any content generated with AI assistance.

  1. AI-Generated Visual Materials

Not all AI tools are generative. When existing images or figures are edited, combined, or enhanced using non-generative AI tools, this must be clearly indicated in the figure caption.
If AI-generated images are included, authors must provide a clear description of how and for what purpose they were generated, and the images must be labeled “Generated using Artificial Intelligence”.