The Journal of Clinical Psychology Research (JCPR) is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards and maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. We adhere to the COPE Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, the ethical guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Turkish Psychologists Association. All stakeholders—authors, reviewers, and editors—are expected to comply with these standards at every stage of the editorial and publication process.

Authorship and Contribution: We require that all authors listed on submitted manuscripts have made significant contributions to the research and its presentation. Authorship disputes are managed according to established procedures, ensuring fairness and transparency. A detailed description of each author’s contributions to the manuscript should be provided to ensure accountability. Common contribution categories include conceptualization, methodology, data analysis, writing, and supervision. Every individual listed as an author must meet the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE - www.icmje.org). The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following four criteria, which are adopted by JCPR:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work
2. Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content
3. Final approval of the version to be published
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Conflicts of Interest: Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, non-financial, or personal relationships or interests that may bias their work. The journal provides clear guidelines for handling conflicts of interest to ensure objectivity and transparency throughout the publication process.

Ethical Oversight: The journal ensures that research involving human participants, animals, sensitive data, or biological material complies with recognized ethical standards. Authors must provide appropriate ethical approvals and consents where applicable. The name of the committee and the approval/reference number/date should be provided when submitting the manuscript to the journal.

Informed Consent: The journal requires that authors confirm that all human participants involved in their research have provided informed consent before the study's initiation. This includes ensuring that participants were fully informed about the research's purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits, and that their participation was voluntary. For research involving vulnerable populations or minors, appropriate consent from guardians or legal representatives must be obtained. Authors must include a statement in their manuscript affirming that informed consent was acquired in compliance with ethical standards and relevant regulations.

Intellectual Property: The journal respects the intellectual property rights of authors, ensuring that their work is properly attributed. It actively combats plagiarism and will take corrective actions, including issuing retractions or corrections if intellectual property violations are discovered.

Handling Allegations of Research Misconduct: The journal follows a strict protocol for dealing with allegations of research misconduct, including but not limited to data fabrication, plagiarism, and citation manipulation. All allegations are investigated thoroughly and appropriate corrective actions, including retractions or corrections, will be taken as necessary.

Data Availability and Reproducibility: Authors are encouraged to share data, methodology, and materials related to their research to promote reproducibility. The journal supports data availability statements and encourages authors to deposit datasets in publicly accessible repositories.

Funding Disclosure: Authors are required to disclose all sources of financial support for their research, including grants, institutional funding, and sponsorships. This transparency ensures that readers are aware of potential influences or conflicts of interest. Authors must provide a detailed statement outlining any financial contributions that have supported the research, and they should confirm that the funding body had no involvement in the study’s design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or publication process unless explicitly stated.

Trial Registration: For studies involving clinical trials, the journal requires that trials be registered in a publicly accessible trial registry before participant recruitment. Authors must provide the trial registration number and name of the registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov) in their manuscript. This ensures transparency in the conduct of clinical trials and allows for independent verification of the study’s protocol and outcomes, in line with international guidelines such as the CONSORT Statement.

Corrections and Retractions: If errors, ethical breaches, or research misconduct are identified in published work, the journal will issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, as appropriate. The integrity of the scholarly record is a priority, and all corrections will be made in a timely manner.

Post-publication Discussions: The journal supports ongoing scholarly discourse and encourages post-publication discussions and corrections. Readers may submit concerns or additional insights regarding published papers, which will be reviewed by the editorial board.

Complaints and Appeals: The journal provides a clear mechanism for authors, reviewers, and readers to raise complaints and appeals regarding editorial decisions. Complaints are handled promptly and fairly by the editorial board, following established policies.

In summary, authors must adhere to the following principles before submitting a manuscript:

• Submissions must be original and not previously published in any form or language, in whole or in part, unless the manuscript represents a substantial extension of prior work.
• Manuscripts must not be submitted to more than one journal simultaneously.
• Authors are solely responsible for the content and opinions expressed in their work.
• Salami publication (splitting one study into multiple submissions) is not permitted.
• Data and results must be reported honestly, clearly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation.
• Plagiarism, including the uncredited use of data, text, or theories developed by others, is strictly prohibited. All sources must be properly cited.
• All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript before submission and are responsible for the accuracy of the findings.
• The order of authors should be finalized before submission. Requests for changes to authorship must be justified in writing and are not permitted after manuscript acceptance.
• Authors must retain research data for at least five (5) years following publication and provide access to the data upon request if required for verification.
• Any potential conflicts of interest (e.g., financial support from institutions or sponsors) must be fully disclosed.
• Where human participants are involved, informed consent must be obtained and documented. A statement confirming informed consent should be included in the manuscript.
• Reviewers and editors are expected to reject submissions that violate ethical standards and may withdraw published articles if misconduct is identified. Withdrawn articles will remain online with an appropriate notice indicating the reason.
• Published articles must be cited accurately and appropriately. Individuals or institutions misrepresenting content from JCPR publications may be held legally accountable.