Manuscripts
The SBF Journal publishes high-quality and original research aligned with its aims and scope. Research articles should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words, including references and notes. Book reviews should not exceed 1,500 words, while chronicles are limited to 2,000 words. Authors may include supplementary materials such as tables, evidence, or illustrations. These can be provided as online supplementary materials and are not included in the word count.

The Editorial Board of Ankara University SBF Journal reviews all submissions. The preliminary review and assessment process is generally completed within one month. Submissions undergo two primary checks at the initial stage:
    • Compliance with the minimum and maximum word limits.
    • Adherence to the journal’s citation and reference style.

Submissions that do not conform to the formal guidelines are rejected outright. The Editorial Board evaluates manuscripts that pass this initial review for their alignment with the journal’s aims, originality, and contribution to the literature. Articles deemed suitable for peer review are assigned to a field editor, who may initiate the peer review process. The Editorial Board has no obligation to provide feedback or explanations to authors of rejected manuscripts.

EDITORIAL PRINCIPLES

Peer Review Principles
The journal operates a two-way blind-review process for all manuscripts. In the first stage, manuscripts are evaluated by the editors and those that are appropriate for the purpose and scope of the journal are sent to the referee. Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two referees within the scope of double blind review. If one referee gives a favourable opinion and one referee gives a negative opinion, the manuscript is sent to a third referee. Referees, as a rule, complete the evaluation process within two months (eight weeks) and provide feedback. The Editorial Board makes the final publication decision by taking into account the referee reports and recommendations.

Responsibilities of Authors
All individuals who contribute to the work are recognized as authors. The order of authorship should reflect the scientific contributions of each individual, regardless of their status. The SBF Journal does not accept manuscripts generated by large language models, generative AI, or other digital tools.

Acknowledgements
Individuals who contributed to the manuscript but are not authors should be acknowledged in a separate “Acknowledgements” section.

Funding
If a manuscript has received financial support, authors are required to disclose this in a dedicated section, specifying the funding source and grant numbers.

Contribution Rate
During the manuscript submission process, the individual contribution rates of all authors should be clearly indicated. No changes to the contribution rates are allowed after the submission is completed.

Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest
Authors are encouraged to disclose any potential or perceived conflicts of interest related to peer review, funding, or other areas. Reviewers must inform the editors if any conflicts of interest exist between themselves and the authors.

Research Data
Research underlying the submitted manuscript should be transparent and reliable. Authors are expected to share their data in an appropriate database or provide a link to the data to disclose any conflicting or overlapping interests related to the peer review process, funding, or other aspects of the research. Reviewers are also advised to inform the editor if they have any potential conflicts of interest with the authors of the manuscript, such as competitive, collaborative, or other professional relationships.

Data Transparency
Research submitted to the SBF Journal must be based on transparent and reliable data. Authors should share their research data in an appropriate database and provide a link to the data if direct sharing is not possible. Proper citation of the data used in the research is required.

Ethics Committee Permission
In our journal, all studies that require ethics committee approval require approval from the relevant committee. Surveys, experiments, observations, clinical and animal studies, and research involving personal data are subject to ethics committee approval. This permission must be clearly stated in the text of the article. Studies without ethical approval are not evaluated. Scientific research on humans and animals must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and ARRIVE guidelines and approval must be obtained from the relevant ethics committee. Studies without ethics committee approval are not evaluated in our journal.

Manuscript Preparation

Authors should anonymize the manuscript files before uploading and should not reveal their identities in self-citations. 

Formatting
Preferred file formats are .doc, .docx, or .rtf. Before submission, manuscripts should be prepared with 1.5 line spacing and margins of 3 cm on the left and right and 5 cm on the top and bottom. Text should use a standard 10- or 12-point font.

Visual Elements
Figures submitted in color will appear in color in the online publication but will be reproduced in grayscale in the printed version.

Supplementary Materials
The SBF Journal does not host supplementary materials online (e.g., datasets, podcasts, videos) alongside the full text.

Citation and Referencing Guidelines

Starting from the June 2025 issue, the SBF Journal has decided to adopt the 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual for quotes, references, and bibliographies. Decimal and thousand separators, as well as date and time formats, should follow the Continental European style.

Footnotes should not be used for citations but for explanatory notes only.

Language and Editing Services
Authors who require assistance with editing, translating, or formatting their manuscripts in Turkish or English to meet the journal’s specifications may seek third-party services before submission.

Submission
The SBF Journal uses DergiPark, the online submission and peer review system managed by TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM. Submissions can be made via the following link: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ausbf.
Important: Before creating a new account, verify whether you already have one. If you have reviewed or submitted articles to the journal in the past year, an account may already exist for you.
For further assistance with the online submission process, refer to the guide available at https://confluence.ulakbim.gov.tr/display/DYM/.

ORCID Integration
As part of its commitment to ethical, transparent, and fair peer review, the SBF Journal supports the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID). ORCID provides researchers with a unique and permanent identifier, distinguishing them even if they share the same name.
Authors are required to link their ORCID IDs during the submission process. Co-authors are also strongly encouraged to link their ORCID IDs to their accounts on the online review platform. Published articles will include the authors’ ORCID IDs in their metadata, enabling accurate attribution and broader accessibility to the authors’ works.

Permissions
Ensure you have obtained the necessary permissions for reproducing any previously published figures, tables, or extensive quotations. This applies to any copyrighted material not authored by you. Securing permissions is essential to avoid copyright infringement during the publication process.

Acceptance and Publication

Publication Process
The assigned editor will keep authors informed about the progress of their manuscript throughout the review and publication stages. Authors are required to upload a response document addressing reviewers’ comments and detailing any revisions or rebuttals.

Early View
Accepted manuscripts that complete the review process may be published online as “early view” (online first) before assignment to an issue. The Editorial Board determines the timing of issue assignments based on thematic and disciplinary balance. Authors’ personal requests regarding publication timing will not be considered.

For further inquiries regarding the submission process, please contact the SBF Journal editorial office.