Pub Ethics

Publication Ethics

The Proceedings of the Regional Conference on Community Issues Series (SSIK) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. This statement is based on the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and serves as a guideline for editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher involved in the publication process.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

  • Evaluate submitted manuscripts solely on their academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the scope of the proceedings.
  • Maintain confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and related information.
  • Ensure a fair, objective, and unbiased peer-review process.
  • Make publication decisions based on reviewers' recommendations and scientific quality.
  • Avoid conflicts of interest in handling submitted manuscripts.
  • Take appropriate action when ethical concerns or publication misconduct are identified.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews.
  • Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts under review.
  • Identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.
  • Inform the editor of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or ethical misconduct.
  • Decline the review if a conflict of interest exists.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

  • Submit original work that has not been published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
  • Ensure that all data presented are accurate and honestly reported.
  • Properly acknowledge the work of others through appropriate citations.
  • Include as authors only individuals who have made significant contributions to the research.
  • Disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest.
  • Promptly notify the editor if significant errors are discovered after publication.
  • Obtain all necessary ethical approvals for research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data.

Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

  • Support editorial independence in all publication decisions.
  • Promote ethical publishing practices throughout the publication process.
  • Protect intellectual property rights and copyright.
  • Cooperate in correcting, retracting, or withdrawing articles when necessary.

Publication Misconduct

The proceedings do not tolerate any form of publication misconduct, including but not limited to:

  • Plagiarism
  • Self-plagiarism
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Citation manipulation
  • Improper authorship attribution
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Peer-review manipulation

When ethical misconduct is suspected, the editorial board will conduct an investigation following COPE guidelines. Depending on the severity of the violation, actions may include manuscript rejection, publication correction, article retraction, notification to the authors' institutions, and restrictions on future submissions.

Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, animals, or confidential data must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional regulations. Authors are responsible for obtaining ethical approval from the appropriate ethics committee and informed consent from participants where required.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors may use artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted tools only to improve language quality or readability. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and scientific content of their manuscripts. AI tools must not be listed as authors.