Publication Ethics
JCISS (Discourse: Journal of Critical Inquiry and Social Studies) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, and responsible scholarly conduct. All parties involved in the publication process—including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to adhere to ethical principles that promote transparency, accountability, fairness, and the advancement of knowledge.
This statement serves as the ethical framework governing all editorial and publishing activities of JCISS and is informed by internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing ethics, including the principles promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Responsibilities of Authors
Originality and Academic Integrity
Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts are original works and have not been previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal, conference proceeding, or publication outlet.
All sources, ideas, data, and words derived from the work of others must be appropriately acknowledged through proper citation and referencing.
Plagiarism in any form, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited.
Accuracy of Research
Authors are responsible for ensuring that data, analyses, interpretations, and conclusions are presented accurately and honestly.
Fabrication, falsification, manipulation of data, or intentional misrepresentation of research findings constitute serious ethical violations and will result in rejection or retraction.
Authorship
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or writing of the manuscript.
All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript before submission and agree to its publication.
Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.
Submissions that substantially overlap with previously published work must be clearly disclosed and appropriately referenced.
Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the interpretation or presentation of the research.
Any funding sources supporting the research should be clearly identified.
Ethical Research Practices
Research involving human participants, personal data, communities, or sensitive materials should comply with relevant ethical standards and legal requirements.
Where applicable, authors should indicate that appropriate ethical approval and informed consent have been obtained.
Corrections and Retractions
Authors have an obligation to promptly inform the Editorial Team if they discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work.
Authors must cooperate with editors in issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary.
Responsibilities of Editors
Editorial Independence
Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based solely on the scholarly merit, originality, relevance, and quality of submitted manuscripts.
Editorial decisions must not be influenced by commercial interests, institutional affiliations, political considerations, or personal relationships.
Fairness and Impartiality
Editors evaluate manuscripts without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, political beliefs, institutional affiliation, or other personal characteristics of the authors.
Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not disclose information about submissions to unauthorized parties.
Management of Conflicts of Interest
Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest and ensure that editorial decisions remain impartial.
Ethical Oversight
Editors are responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct, plagiarism, unethical research practices, duplicate publication, or other ethical concerns.
Where necessary, editors may request clarification, corrections, retractions, or other appropriate actions.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shared, discussed, or used for personal advantage.
Objectivity and Constructive Evaluation
Reviewers should provide objective, fair, and evidence-based assessments that contribute to improving the quality of the manuscript.
Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.
Timeliness
Reviewers should complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or promptly inform the Editorial Team if they are unable to do so.
Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest and decline review assignments where impartial evaluation cannot be guaranteed.
Reporting Ethical Concerns
Reviewers should notify the Editorial Team if they identify plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, citation manipulation, or other forms of research misconduct.
Responsibilities of the Publisher
Diskursus Institute, as the publisher of JCISS, is committed to supporting editorial independence, maintaining academic integrity, and ensuring the sustainability of the journal.
The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions and supports the implementation of ethical publishing standards throughout all stages of the publication process.
Publication Misconduct
The following actions constitute publication misconduct and may result in manuscript rejection, publication withdrawal, correction, retraction, or other appropriate measures:
- Plagiarism and self-plagiarism;
- Data fabrication or falsification;
- Duplicate or redundant publication;
- Citation manipulation;
- Misrepresentation of authorship;
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest;
- Ethical violations in research involving human participants or sensitive data;
- Any attempt to manipulate the peer-review process.
Complaints and Appeals
Authors who believe that editorial decisions were made unfairly may submit a reasoned appeal to the Editorial Office.
Appeals will be evaluated objectively by the Editor-in-Chief and, when necessary, by members of the Editorial Board who were not involved in the original decision.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
JCISS reserves the right to publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when significant errors, ethical violations, or research misconduct are identified after publication.
Such actions will be undertaken in accordance with established scholarly publishing standards and with due consideration of transparency, fairness, and academic integrity.
Ethical Commitment
JCISS is dedicated to fostering a culture of responsible scholarship, critical inquiry, and intellectual integrity. All participants in the publication process share responsibility for maintaining ethical standards and ensuring that published research contributes positively to the advancement of knowledge and public understanding.
