Code of Ethics
THESE PROVISIONS COMPLY WITH COPE PRINCIPLES ON TRANSPARENCY, BEST PRACTICE, AND THE COPE CODE OF CONDUCT.
Responsibilities of the Editorial Board in Implementing Academic and Editorial Ethical Standards
The Editorial Board of AUBD Journals ensures that the ethical standards of scientific publications are maintained and takes all reasonable measures to identify and prevent the publication of works involving research misconduct, including, but not limited to, plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data fabrication. The Editorial Board is committed to retracting and correcting articles when necessary. Manuscripts submitted for publication in AUB – Law Series are evaluated for accuracy, adherence to ethical standards, and research utility.
Publication Decisions
The Editorial Board will decide, based on the submitted abstracts, which articles will be published in each issue. The Editorial Board may consult with the Scientific Council as part of the decision-making process. The Editorial Board checks articles to prevent copyright infringement and plagiarism. Once accepted, the Editorial Board should not reverse a publication decision unless serious issues regarding the material are identified.
Fairness
The Editorial Board evaluates manuscripts for their scientific content, regardless of the authors' nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, or political philosophy. The Editorial Board's decision to accept or reject a work for publication should be based solely on the work's importance, originality, clarity, and the study's relevance to the journal's scope.
Confidentiality
The Editorial Board, the Scientific Committee, and any other individuals involved in the editorial process will not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript. Editors will ensure that submitted materials remain confidential during their review.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in the editor's own research without the author's consent. The Editorial Board and its decisions are entirely independent of the journal's publisher.
Procedures for Managing Unethical Behavior
Unethical scientific conduct can be identified and brought to the attention of the editorial office at any time by any interested party. Anyone informing the Editorial Board about such conduct should provide sufficient information and evidence for an investigation to be conducted. If plagiarism is found, the Editorial Board will contact the author for a response to the accusations. In cases of proven plagiarism or no response / inadequate response, the work will be retracted, and a statement from the Editorial Board will be inserted in its place in the relevant journal issue.
Reviewers' Responsibilities
Contribution to Editorial Improvements
Reviewers' recommendations will be forwarded to the authors by the Editorial Board for the purpose of improving the manuscripts.
Promptness
If a reviewer feels unqualified to analyze a manuscript or knows that a prompt review will not be possible, he/she should inform the Editorial Board and withdraw from the review process.
Confidentiality
Reviewers must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript. Submitted materials remain confidential during the review process.
Standards of Objectivity
Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.
Reviewers must express their views clearly and with supporting arguments.
Acknowledgement of Sources and Identification of Possible Plagiarism
Reviewers should identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors.
Statements, observations, or arguments reported by reviewers should be accompanied by a relevant citation. The reviewer must also draw the attention of the Editorial Board to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and any other published work of which they have personal knowledge.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials in a submitted manuscript must not be used in the reviewer's own research without the author's consent. Privileged information or ideas obtained through the review process must remain confidential and not be used for personal gain.
Reviewers should not consider manuscripts where they have conflicts of interest of any nature with any of the authors.
Authors' Obligations
Originality and Plagiarism
Authorship of a manuscript must be limited to those who have contributed to its preparation. Authors must ensure that all such individuals are listed as co-authors and have approved the final version of the manuscript. It is forbidden to name as an author anyone other than a person involved in the manuscript's preparation.
Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works and have cited sources appropriately. Authors who have submitted plagiarized material will not be published. If plagiarism is detected after publication, the Editorial Board will contact the author for a response to the accusations. In cases of proven plagiarism or no response/inadequate response, the work will be retracted, and a statement from the Editorial Board will be inserted in its place in the relevant journal issue.
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publications
Submitted materials cannot constitute previously published works. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is prohibited.
Citation of Sources
Citing all relevant sources is mandatory.
Authorship of the Work
Authorship must be limited to those who have contributed to the conception and writing of the respective manuscript. Those who have made significant contributions should be included as co-authors. If there are other individuals who have contributed to certain substantial aspects of the manuscript without contributing to its conception and writing, they should be acknowledged as contributors. Co-authors must ensure that all other authors have been included, that no person who is not a co-author is mentioned, and that all co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission for publication.
Conflicts of Interest
All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other conflict of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of the manuscript. If the manuscript was produced with financial support, its source must be disclosed.
Fundamental Errors in the Manuscript
Should an author discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their own work, they are obliged to promptly notify the Editorial Board and collaborate with them to correct or retract the work.
Where scientific misconduct is detected, the Editorial Board will apply the guidelines proposed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE – https://publicationethics.org/).