Publication Ethics & Malpractice

Edutech Research is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all necessary measures to prevent malpractice in scholarly publishing. The journal's ethical framework is grounded in the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers. All parties involved in the publication process — authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher — are expected to comply with these standards.

Editors' Responsibilities

The editors of Edutech Research are responsible for making fair, independent, and timely decisions on all submitted manuscripts. Editors must:

Evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal's scope, without regard to the authors' race, gender, nationality, religion, or institutional affiliation.
Maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and their content until a final publication decision has been made.
Disclose and manage any conflicts of interest arising in relation to submitted manuscripts.
Ensure that the peer-review process is conducted fairly, transparently, and in a timely manner.
Investigate allegations of ethical misconduct thoroughly and take appropriate action, including rejection, retraction, or formal notification of the authors' affiliated institutions.
Protect the integrity of the scholarly record by issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Reviewers play a central role in maintaining the quality and integrity of scholarly publishing. Reviewers must:

Conduct evaluations objectively, providing constructive and evidence-based feedback.
Maintain strict confidentiality regarding the content of manuscripts under review and refrain from using unpublished information for personal or professional gain.
Declare any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts in which such conflicts exist.
Complete reviews within the specified timeframe and notify the editorial office promptly if they are unable to do so.
Refrain from contacting authors directly without the knowledge of the editorial office.

Authors' Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to Edutech Research must adhere to the following ethical principles:

Submitted work must be original and must not have been previously published or be under simultaneous consideration for publication elsewhere.
All sources of data, text, figures, and ideas must be properly cited and acknowledged.
Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the work. Guest authorship, gift authorship, and ghost authorship are strictly prohibited.
Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest, including financial support, institutional affiliations, or personal relationships that may influence the research.
All sources of funding must be acknowledged in the manuscript.
Studies involving human or animal subjects must have received appropriate ethical approval from a recognized ethics committee, and this must be explicitly stated in the manuscript.
Authors must notify the editorial office immediately upon discovering errors or inaccuracies in their submitted or published work and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions as necessary.

Publisher's Responsibilities

Edutech Research, published by Necmettin Erbakan University Press (NEU PRESS), operates as a non-profit academic publication committed to the principles of impartiality, independence, and ethical responsibility. The publisher:

Supports editors in making independent, unbiased decisions free from commercial or institutional influence.
Ensures that advertising, reprint, or other commercial revenue has no impact on editorial decisions.
Cooperates with editors to investigate and respond to allegations of misconduct in a timely and appropriate manner.
Maintains clear policies on intellectual property, copyright, and open access in compliance with internationally recognized standards.

Plagiarism and Misconduct

Edutech Research has a zero-tolerance policy toward intentional plagiarism and research misconduct. All submitted manuscripts are screened for originality prior to peer review. Detailed definitions of plagiarism, associated consequences, and author responsibilities are set out in the journal's Plagiarism Policy.

Ethics Committee Approval

Ethics committee approval is required for the following types of studies:

Research involving quantitative or qualitative data collection from human participants
Studies involving human or animal subjects
Clinical and retrospective studies conducted in accordance with data protection regulations

The ethics committee approval number, the name of the approving committee, and the date of approval must be clearly stated in the manuscript. For case reports, informed consent must be obtained from all participants. Permissions for the use of scales, questionnaires, surveys, or images owned by third parties must be secured and acknowledged. Ethics committee approval is not required for review articles; however, all submissions must comply with research and publication ethics standards.

Retraction and Correction Policy

Edutech Research is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. In cases where errors, ethical violations, or misconduct are identified in published articles, the journal will take appropriate corrective action in accordance with COPE guidelines.

The following actions may be taken depending on the nature and severity of the issue:

Correction (Erratum): A correction notice will be issued when a published article contains a minor error that does not affect the overall findings, conclusions, or integrity of the study. The correction will be clearly linked to the original article.
Retraction: An article will be retracted if it contains major errors or flaws that invalidate its findings, has been found to involve plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, or duplicate publication, or has been published without the necessary ethical approvals. A retraction notice will be published on the journal's website and clearly linked to the original article. The retracted article will be retained online and marked as retracted.
Expression of Concern: An expression of concern may be issued when an investigation into alleged misconduct is ongoing and there is a need to alert readers to potential concerns regarding the reliability of the published work.

Requests for corrections or retractions may be initiated by the authors, reviewers, editors, or readers. All such requests will be investigated thoroughly and impartially. Authors will be given the opportunity to respond before any corrective action is taken. The editorial board's decision on corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern is final.

Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

Edutech Research welcomes post-publication discussions that contribute to the advancement of scholarly knowledge. Readers, researchers, and practitioners who identify errors, inconsistencies, or have substantive comments regarding a published article are encouraged to contact the editorial office at [email protected].

All post-publication correspondence will be reviewed by the editorial board. Where appropriate, the editorial board may invite the original authors to respond. Substantive post-publication comments and author responses may be published as letters to the editor or appended to the original article at the discretion of the editorial board.

Reporting Ethical Violations

Any suspected ethical misconduct identified in manuscripts under review, in early view, or already published should be reported to the editorial office at [email protected]. All reports will be treated confidentially and investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines. The editorial board reserves the right to reject manuscripts, request corrections, or retract published articles in cases of confirmed ethical violations.