ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND POLICIES

Fee - Charges
The Journal of Inonu Liver Transplantation Institute (The Journal) assesses NO submission fee, publication fee (article processing charges - APC), or page charges.

Publication Ethics

The Journal applies standards throughout the publication process to further our goal of sharing high-quality, objective, reliable, and useful information. We implement these processes to ensure appropriate support for our authors and their institutions, as well as our readers. It is crucial that all of the stakeholders in the process (authors, readers and researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors) comply with ethical principles. 
The Journal is an open access publication and follows the guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org). We expect all participants to observe the ethical responsibilities presented below.

Author’s Responsibilities

• Studies submitted for publication must be original works of the author. References to other studies must be cited and/or quoted completely and accurately;  
• Only those who provide a substantial intellectual contribution to the content of the work may be cited as an author. Other contributors may be recognized with acknowledgements at the conclusion of the article;
• Competing interests or relationships that may constitute a conflict of interest must be declared and explained in all studies submitted for publication;  
• Authors must be able to provide documentation showing that they have the right to use the data analyzed, the necessary permissions related to the research, and any appropriate consent;  
• Raw data used in the article must be available and may be requested from the author(s) within the framework of the evaluation process;  
• In the event the author(s) notice an error at any point in the publication process or after publication, they have the obligation to inform the journal editor or publisher and cooperate in appropriate corrective action;  
• Authors may not submit their article for publication to more than one journal simultaneously. Each application must be initiated following the completion of any previous effort. The Journal will not accept previously published articles;  
• Changes in authorship designation (such as adding authors, changing the printed order of the authors, removing an author) once the evaluation process has begun will not be accepted in order to protect all parties involved.

Editor’s Role and Responsibilities

General Duties 

The editor is responsible for everything published in the journal. In the context of this responsibility, editors have the following duties and obligations: 

• Endeavor to meet the needs of readers and authors;  
• Maintain continuous development to improve the quality of the journal;  
• Consistently work to ensure quality;  
• Support freedom of thought;  
• Ensure academic integrity;  
• Prevent business needs from compromising intellectual and ethical standards;  
• Demonstrate clarity and transparency with any necessary corrections or explanations.  

Reader Relationship

The editor is to make publication decisions based on expectations of suitable and desirable material. Studies accepted for publication must be original contributions that benefit the reader, researcher, practitioner, and the literature. In addition, editors are obliged to take into account feedback from readers, researchers, and practitioners, and to provide an informative response. Readers will also be informed of any funding provided to support published research.

Author Relationship

• The decision to accept an article is to be based on the importance, original value, validity, and clarity of expression of the work, and the goals and objectives of the journal;  
• Studies accepted for evaluation and publication will not be withdrawn unless serious problems are identified;  
• The editor will not disregard positive reviewer comments unless there is a serious problem with the study;  
• New editors will not change publishing decisions made by previous editor(s) unless there is a serious problem;  
• A description of the submission and evaluation process is publicly available;  
• Authors are provided with descriptive and informative feedback.  

Reviewer Relationship

• Reviewers are to be selected according to the subject of the study;  
• Information and guidance for the evaluation phase is provided;  
• Any conflicts of interest between authors and reviewers will be disclosed and managed appropriately;  
• Reviewer identity is to be kept confidential to preserve a blind review process;  
• Reviewers are to evaluate the study using unbiased, scientific, and constructive comments. Unkind or unscientific commentary will not be permitted;  
• Reviewers will be evaluated using criteria such as timely response and quality of observations;  
• The pool of reviewers is to be assessed and supplemented regularly to ensure a broad scope of expertise.  

Editorial Board Relationship

The editor works with the members of the editorial board to ensure that they are familiar with journal policies and developments in regular meetings and announcements, and will provide training for new members and assistance to board members during their tenure in their role as a supporter of the journal.

• Editorial board members must be qualified and able to contribute to the journal;  
• Members of the editorial board must evaluate studies impartially and independently;  
• Editorial board members with the appropriate expertise will be given the opportunity to evaluate suitable articles;  
• The editor will maintain regular contact with the editorial board and hold regular meetings regarding the development of editorial policies and other aspects of journal management. 

Relations with the Owner of the Journal and the Publisher

The relationship between the editors and the publisher/journal owner is based on the principle of editorial independence and stipulated by contract.  

Editorial and Blind Review Processes

The editor will apply the publicly defined publication policies created and enforced to ensure a timely and impartial evaluation process for all submissions.

Quality Assurance

The editor is responsible for confirming that the The Journal publishing policies and standards are upheld for all articles.

Protection of Personal Data

The editor is obliged to ensure the protection of personal data related to subjects or images included in published work. Explicit documented consent of the individuals referenced in the research is required before the study will be accepted. The editors is also responsible for protecting the individual data of authors, reviewers, and readers.

Ethics Committee, Human and Animal Rights

The editor is required to ensure that human and animal rights were protected in the studies submitted for publication.

Measures Against Potential Misconduct

The editor must take action against any allegations of possible misconduct. In addition to conducting a rigorous and objective investigation of complaints, the editor is expected to share the findings and conclusions.

Maintaining Academic Publication Integrity

The editor is expected to ensure that any errors, inconsistencies, or misleading statements are corrected quickly and appropriately acknowledged.

Protection of Intellectual Property Rights
The editor is obliged to protect intellectual property and to defend the rights of the journal and author(s). In addition, the editor is to take the necessary measures to prevent any violation of the intellectual property rights of others in journal publications.

Creativity and Openness

• Constructive criticism is to be encouraged;  
• Authors will be given the opportunity to reply to criticism;  
• Negative results will not be a reason for submission denial.   

Complaints 

Editors are to respond to all complaints in a timely and comprehensive manner.

Political and Commercial Concerns

Political or commercial factors will not affect editorial decisions.

Conflicts of Interest

The editor is required to ensure that any conflicts of interest between authors, reviewers, or other editors are disclosed and managed appropriately to provide an independent and impartial process. 

Reviewer’s Ethical Responsibilities

Peer review of research embodies the scientific method, subjecting the work to the rigorous scrutiny of knowledgeable colleagues. The rigor of the review process directly affects the quality of the literature; it provides confidence in an objective and independent evaluation of the published work. The Journal uses a double-blind review process. All comments and the evaluation are transmitted through the journal management system. Reviewers should:

• Only agree to evaluate studies related to their specialty;
• Return reviews within the designated timeframe;  
• Evaluate with impartiality. Nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political beliefs, commercial concerns, or other considerations must not influence the evaluation;   
• Refuse to review any work with a potential conflict of interest and inform the journal editor;  
• Maintain confidentiality of all information. Only the final published version may be used for any purpose;  
• Use thoughtful and constructive language. Hostile or derogatory comments are not acceptable;  
• Report any potentially unethical behavior or content to [email protected] via e-mail.