Ethical Principles

Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief and Scientific Editors:

1. In response to the authors’ commitment not to submit their articles to another journal for evaluation, the journal commits to determining the article's status within six months and informing the authors of the outcome.
2. Scientific editors must keep all discussions regarding submitted articles strictly confidential.
3. The Editor-in-Chief makes decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of an article based on reviewers' opinions and the editorial board's recommendations.
4. Scientific editors must maintain the anonymity of reviewers during the evaluation process.
5. Scientific editors should avoid conflicts of interest.
6. Scientific editors are required to uphold scientific integrity and strive to meet the readers’ academic needs.
7. Scientific editors should identify potential plagiarism, fraud, and misconduct and, where necessary, issue corrections, explanations, retractions, or apologies.
8. Neither the Editor-in-Chief nor the scientific editors should disclose information about submitted articles to anyone outside the editorial board.
9. Unpublished manuscripts should not be used by editors or board members for personal purposes.
10. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for decisions regarding the publication of submitted articles.
11. Ensuring that articles align with the journal's policies is part of the Editor-in-Chief's responsibilities.
12. Articles should be evaluated solely based on their content, without discrimination based on the authors' race, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, or political orientation.
13. The journal employs a double-blind peer review process, ensuring mutual anonymity between authors and reviewers.
14. The Editor-in-Chief, editorial board members, and the executive manager are expected to maintain an updated database of expert reviewers in the fields of architecture and urban planning.
15. The editorial board must carefully select qualified reviewers based on their expertise, experience, and ethical commitment. Reasonable requests by authors to exclude specific reviewers should be respected where possible.
16. The Editor-in-Chief is obligated to investigate allegations of ethical or research misconduct reported by reviewers or others and take decisive action if necessary.
17. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for promptly retracting published articles found to involve ethical misconduct and informing readers and relevant indexing authorities.

Responsibilities of Reviewers:

1. Selected reviewers are expected to collaborate with scientific editors by evaluating submitted articles within the assigned deadline.
2. Reviewers should be responsible, punctual, unbiased, and professional, providing clear feedback regarding the article’s suitability for publication.
3. Reviewers must maintain confidentiality regarding the content of submitted manuscripts.
4. Reviewers should not use the content of submitted articles for personal purposes.
5. Reviewers are prohibited from directly contacting authors; all communications should be through the journal office.
6. Feedback provided by reviewers should be professional, evidence-based, and free from personal bias, clearly stating the reasons for their decisions.
7. Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and consult with the Editor-in-Chief if such issues arise.
8. If reviewers identify similarities or overlaps between the reviewed article and other published work, they should inform the Editor-in-Chief.
9. Confidential ideas or information obtained during the review process should not be used for personal benefit.
10. If a reviewer feels unqualified to evaluate an article or is unable to complete the review on time, they should withdraw promptly.
11. Reviewers are responsible for checking that cited references are complete and accurate.
12. Reviewers should notify the journal promptly if they accept or decline to review an article. In case of declination, they are encouraged to suggest alternative reviewers.
13. Reviewers must not impose their personal preferences for revisions on the authors when the manuscript is otherwise acceptable.
14. Reviewers may not delegate the review of a manuscript to others without the Editor-in-Chief's permission. Any contributors to the review process should be acknowledged and documented.

Responsibilities of Authors:

1. Before submission, authors must familiarize themselves with the journal's publishing policies. After final acceptance, no changes to the order, number, corresponding author, or affiliations of the authors are allowed.
2. Submitted manuscripts must represent the authors' original work, with appropriate citations for external sources.
3. All individuals who have significantly contributed to the research should be credited as co-authors or acknowledged as collaborators.
4. The corresponding author must ensure the inclusion of all legitimate contributors and confirm the accuracy of author affiliations.
5. In manuscripts based on theses or dissertations, the order of authors should respect academic conventions, listing the student first, followed by supervisors and advisors.
6. Authors must verify that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript before submission.
7. Manuscripts should not have been published or be under review elsewhere.
8. Authors must grant the journal permission to edit their articles for clarity and readability.
9. Authors should disclose any funding sources supporting the research.
10. Authors must complete and sign an ethical commitment form.
11. In open-access journals, authors retain ownership of their articles but allow public access, including downloading, printing, and sharing.
12. Authors are required to notify the journal promptly if significant errors are identified in their published work.
13. Authors must ensure proper citation and permission for any content borrowed from other sources. Direct quotes should be clearly marked.
14. Articles must include sufficient detail and references to allow replication. Falsified or fabricated data are strictly prohibited.
15. Authors may be required to provide raw data or supplementary materials for verification purposes.

Responsibilities of the Publisher:

1. The publisher is committed to safeguarding academic and research records.
2. The publisher ensures adherence to ethical principles by editors, the editorial board, and reviewers.
3. The publisher regularly screens submissions for plagiarism and other forms of misconduct.
4. The publisher is responsible for implementing corrections, explanations, or retractions when necessary.
5. The publisher addresses confirmed misconduct decisively.

Ethical Violations:

1. Plagiarism: Unauthorized use of another person’s work or ideas. Even reusing one’s own previously published material without citation is considered unethical.
2. Fabrication: Reporting results from research that was never conducted.
3. Falsification: Manipulating research data or misrepresenting others’ findings.
4. Simultaneous Submission: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals.
5. Duplicate Submission: Publishing multiple articles based on the same research findings.