Publication Ethics and Policies

Nesir: Journal of Literary Studies acts with a commitment to ethical integrity and scientific responsibility in academic publishing. Upholding the free circulation of knowledge, intellectual pluralism, and academic honesty, Nesir considers itself accountable to the scholarly community for both the quality of its content and the transparency and reliability of its editorial processes.

Our journal adopts as a core reference the “Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing,” published by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals), OASPA (Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association), and WAME (World Association of Medical Editors). The guidelines established by these organizations have been formally adopted to guarantee institutional adherence to openness, impartiality, and accountability throughout all publishing processes.

In addition, Nesir supports the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) declaration, which defines the ethical principles of open access publishing and is regarded as a landmark document in this field. In this context, the journal recognizes its responsibility to produce academic knowledge and make it publicly accessible.

Nesir considers the following commitments as core principles of its ethics policy:

Ensuring transparency and accountability in all editorial processes;
Defining and protecting the ethical responsibilities of all stakeholders (authors, reviewers, editors, readers);
Guaranteeing the scientific integrity of every published work;
Embracing open access as a democratic right to universal access to scientific knowledge;
Conducting all procedures concerning ethical breaches in compliance with national and international standards.

In this framework, the journal fully adopts and applies the ethical behavior standards recommended by COPE in all publishing processes. In order to foster trust-based scholarly engagement among authors, reviewers, editors, and readers, all submissions to Nesir must adhere to the ethical principles and responsibilities described in detail below.

Research and Publication Ethics

Nesir: Journal of Literary Studies is firmly committed to integrity, transparency, and academic responsibility in scientific research and publishing. In this framework, accuracy and reliability are essential at every stage of the research process; every submitted manuscript is assessed not only in terms of content but also for ethical integrity through a rigorous review mechanism.

Scientific Integrity and Ethical Misconduct

The following practices are considered unethical and are treated as serious publication violations:

Plagiarism: Using another researcher’s expressions, ideas, data, or findings in whole or in part without appropriate citation.
Fabrication: Creating and presenting data, sources, citations, or findings that do not actually exist.
Falsification: Manipulating, omitting, or selectively presenting research data in a way that misrepresents results.
Redundant/Duplicate Publication: Publishing the same work in more than one place without significant differences or presenting previously published work as new.
Unjustified Authorship: Including individuals as authors who have not contributed (gift authorship), excluding those who have contributed (ghost authorship), or assigning authorship solely based on reputation (guest authorship).
Lack of Ethical Approval: Failing to obtain mandatory ethics committee approval for research requiring it or providing misleading documentation.

Investigation and Sanction Process

In case of any suspicion or report of such misconduct, the editorial board of Nesir initiates a systematic assessment process in accordance with the Flowcharts and Guidelines published by the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).

In this process:

Written explanations are requested from all relevant parties (authors, reviewers, editors).
Based on the findings, the manuscript may be rejected or retracted.
Where necessary, relevant institutions are informed, or legal action is taken depending on the seriousness of the breach.
All steps are documented and securely archived in the journal’s records, following the principle of transparency.

Our journal recognizes that such violations undermine individual and institutional trust and therefore maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding breaches of research and publication ethics.

Author's Responsibilities

Nesir: Journal of Literary Studies considers authorship not only as the production of a text but also as a domain of obligation within the framework of academic ethics and public trust. Therefore, authors bear primary responsibility for the scientific validity and ethical integrity of the work they submit.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship rights are granted exclusively to individuals who meet all of the following criteria:

Have made a significant intellectual contribution to the theoretical framework, methodology, or analysis of the study;
Have actively participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it;
Have approved the final version of the text for publication;
Agree to take personal responsibility for all aspects of the work.

Listing individuals who do not meet these criteria as authors (gift authorship) or excluding those who do (ghost authorship) constitutes a serious ethical violation.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Responsibility for the work lies solely with human contributors. Only individuals can be identified as authors.
If any AI tool was used in preparing the work, this must be transparently disclosed. The name, version, and scope of the AI contribution (e.g., language editing, text generation, idea development) must be clearly indicated in the Acknowledgments section.
Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and compliance with ethical standards of all content in the manuscript, including sections produced with the assistance of AI. Accordingly, any ethical violations arising from AI use remain solely the authors’ responsibility.

Originality and Transparency

Authors should submit only original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration elsewhere. Use of others’ work must be properly cited.

Previously published data or content may be used only with explicit citation and, where necessary, appropriate permissions.
If the text includes content based on translations or secondary sources, this must be clearly stated.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any personal, academic, institutional, or financial relationships that could affect the evaluation or publication of the manuscript.

All funding, sponsorship, or consultancy support must be clearly indicated.
Potential conflicts of interest may be assessed by the editors if deemed to affect the objectivity of the submission.

Data Sharing and Transparency

Authors should be prepared to share any datasets, analysis notes, visual materials, or digital appendices used in the research to ensure the reproducibility and verifiability of their findings.

Where data sharing is required, it is recommended that authors make the data publicly accessible.
If there are data that cannot be shared (due to ethical, copyright, or confidentiality reasons), this must be explained and justified.

If any breach of these responsibilities is identified, the editorial board of Nesir will implement ethical violation procedures and, if necessary, inform the relevant institution.

Editorial Responsibilities

The editors of Nesir: Journal of Literary Studies recognize that editorial work entails ethical oversight, process management, and the scientific representation of scholarship. In this regard, the editorial process is a guarantee of scholarly fairness and academic integrity.

Impartiality and Scientific Independence

Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts solely on their scholarly merit, without regard to authors’ identity, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnic origin, or worldview.

They are responsible for conducting an evaluation process free from any prejudice or external influence.
Publication decisions are based solely on the work’s originality, methodological rigor, contribution to the field, and academic coherence.

Management of the Review Process

Editors ensure that the peer review process is conducted in compliance with the double-blind review principle. In this framework:

Reviewers are assigned based on their expertise relevant to the submission.
The confidentiality of authors’ and reviewers’ identities is rigorously maintained.
The review process is carried out transparently and traceably in alignment with open access and publication policies.

Handling Suspicions of Ethical Violations

If any suspicion of unethical behavior arises, editors promptly take appropriate steps in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Instances of plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship misuse, or conflicts of interest are investigated independently and with full documentation.
Where necessary, the manuscript is rejected, retracted, or reported to the relevant institution.
Editors assume a mediating role in resolving potential ethical or academic disputes between authors and reviewers and maintain thorough records of the process.

Implementing Publication Ethics Principles and Policies

The editorial board ensures that the journal’s adopted ethical standards (COPE Code of Conduct, BOAI, WAME) are communicated clearly to authors and reviewers, regularly updated, and consistently applied in practice.

Editorial responsibility is understood as a public duty requiring a high level of accountability to sustain a culture of research integrity.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Nesir: Journal of Literary Studies believes that the review process is fundamentally based on ethical responsibility and academic sensitivity. For this reason, peer review is regarded as a collective contribution to the construction of the scholarly community.

Confidentiality and Trust

Reviewers are obliged to keep the manuscripts they receive and all information related to the review process strictly confidential.

The manuscript may only be read for the purpose of review and for the reviewer’s own scholarly use.
Review reports must never be shared with third parties, and no personal archiving of the manuscript or its content is permitted.
In line with the double-blind review principle, any information acquired about the author’s identity must not be used or disclosed.

Impartiality and Lack of Bias

Reviewers must assess manuscripts without being influenced by personal beliefs, ideological inclinations, institutional competition, or assumptions about the author.

Differences of opinion about academic debates should not be used as grounds for negative judgment.
The author’s institution, ethnicity, gender, age, academic seniority, or country should not affect the assessment process.

Constructive and Reasoned Feedback

Reviews should include clear, justified, and constructive suggestions aimed at improving the manuscript.

Criticisms should be expressed on an academic basis, not in a personal tone.
Suggested corrections should be explicitly stated and supported with references where appropriate.
The review process should serve as an example of academic solidarity that contributes to the author’s development.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Reviewers may use AI-based tools (e.g., automatic summarization, reporting) during the review process. However, such tools do not absolve reviewers of their responsibility to make decisions and provide reasoning independently. Reviewers are responsible for ensuring the originality of their comments and upholding ethical obligations.

Conflict of Interest and Disclosure

Reviewers must disclose any potential conflict of interest (personal, academic, financial, or professional) regarding the manuscript to the editorial team and withdraw from the review process if necessary.

Prior contribution to part of the same research, previous collaboration with the author, or having published similar work in competing venues are examples of potential conflicts.
In case of doubt, reviewers are expected to recuse themselves to preserve impartiality.

Contribution to the Academic Process

Peer review is a scholarly public duty. Providing careful, thoughtful input to the review process is essential to maintaining the quality and continuity of the academic community.