Publication Principles
QUANTRADE adheres to both national and international standards in research and publication ethics. The journal complies with the Press Law, the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, and the Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics of Higher Education Institutions. It embraces the International Principles of Ethical Publishing published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA).
Furthermore, the journal is committed to following the decisions taken at the Editors’ Workshop of Turkey.
Relevant Regulatory References:
• Press Law (Basın Kanunu)
• Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (Fikir ve Sanat Eserleri Kanunu)
• Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive (YÖK)
• Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing
• Editors' Workshop Decisions (Turkey)
Plagiarism Check and Ethical Oversight Procedures
• QUANTRADE checks all submitted manuscripts for potential plagiarism. Articles that pass preliminary review are scanned using iThenticate software. If plagiarism or self-plagiarism is detected, authors are immediately informed. Editors reserve the right to conduct plagiarism checks at any stage of the review or production process. A high similarity index may lead to rejection either before or even after acceptance. The acceptable similarity threshold is expected to be below 20%.
• The publication processes in QUANTRADE aim to support the objective and reputable dissemination of knowledge. These processes directly reflect the quality of the authors' research and the credibility of the supporting institutions. Peer-reviewed articles are essential in embodying and supporting scientific methodology. Therefore, it is crucial that all stakeholders in the process—including authors, readers, researchers, reviewers, editors, and publishers—adhere to ethical standards.
• As part of its ethical publication policy, QUANTRADE expects all parties to uphold the following ethical responsibilities:
The ethical duties and responsibilities listed below are based on the guidelines and policies made publicly available by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (see: COPE Guidelines; COPE Flowcharts in Turkish).
If manipulation, falsification, or fabrication of data is detected in any manuscript, the case will be formally reported to the author’s affiliated institution, and the manuscript will be rejected. Based on editorial and/or peer reviewer feedback, QUANTRADE reserves the right to request the raw data files related to the analyses in the manuscript.
If the manuscript has been derived from a book chapter, unpublished conference paper, master’s thesis, or doctoral dissertation, this must be explicitly stated on the first page of the article in both Turkish and English.
• In the case of articles derived from a paper presented at a conference, the author must submit a signed declaration stating that “This study has not been published previously and will not be submitted elsewhere for publication.” Duplicate or multiple publications constitute ethical misconduct. According to the TÜBİTAK Research Ethics Committee, duplicate publication is defined as submitting or publishing the same research findings in more than one journal.
Publication Ethics Statement
The journal respects intellectual property and aims to protect and promote the originality of its authors’ work. Submissions containing plagiarized content violate the journal's standards of quality, research integrity, and innovation. Therefore, all authors submitting to the journal are expected to comply with ethical standards and avoid all forms of plagiarism.
If plagiarism is suspected in a submitted or published manuscript, the case is first reviewed by the Ethics Editor. The manuscript is then referred to the Editorial Board for further examination. Subsequently, the journal contacts the author(s) and requests an explanation within two weeks. If no response is received within this period, the journal may contact the author's affiliated institution and request an official investigation into the allegation.
Plagiarism Action Plan and Measures Taken by the Journal
For published articles found to contain plagiarized content, the following strict measures will be applied:
1. The journal will immediately contact the author’s institution and request official action regarding the misconduct.
2. The PDF version of the article will be removed from the journal’s website, and all access links to the full text will be disabled. A label such as “Retracted Due to Plagiarism” will be added to the article title.
3. The author’s account will be deactivated, and any future submissions by the author will be rejected for a period of three (3) years, regardless of the content.
All submissions are screened using the iThenticate plagiarism detection software. If plagiarism or self-plagiarism is detected, authors will be notified. Editors may conduct additional similarity checks at any point in the evaluation or production process. A similarity rate above 20% may result in rejection, even after acceptance.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
Editors may consider publishing a correction notice if minor errors are found in a published article that do not affect the findings, interpretations, or conclusions.
If major errors or violations are detected that invalidate the research findings or conclusions, editors will consider issuing a retraction.
If there is a suspicion of research or publication misconduct, and there is evidence suggesting that the findings are unreliable, or if the authors’ institution has not conducted a proper investigation—or if a possible investigation appears to be biased or inconclusive—the editors may publish an expression of concern.
In all such cases, the journal follows the guidelines provided by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors).
Publication of Survey- and Interview-Based Studies
QUANTRADE adheres to the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors as well as the Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers, both developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). In this context, authors submitting studies involving surveys or interviews are expected to comply with the following requirements:
1. Ethics committee approval must be obtained for all research requiring ethical clearance in any scientific field. This approval should be clearly stated on the first page of the manuscript, and the ethics approval document must be uploaded to the submission system (DergiPark) as part of the submission process.
2. In studies requiring ethics committee approval, the ethics committee name, approval date, and approval number must be included in the Methodology section. For case reports, there must be a statement in the manuscript confirming that informed consent was obtained from participants.
3. All research involving human subjects (participants, samples, or data) must be conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Special Issue Publication Policy
At the request of the Editorial Board, QUANTRADE may publish a special issue once per year. Articles submitted for inclusion in a special issue are first subjected to editorial pre-review. Subsequently, the articles are reviewed for compliance with the journal’s formatting guidelines and undergo plagiarism screening using similarity detection software.
After these preliminary steps, submissions are evaluated through a double-blind peer-review process.
Types of Scientific Misconduct
The following actions are considered violations of scientific research and publication ethics:
• Plagiarism: Presenting another person’s ideas, methods, data, applications, writings, figures, or works—partially or completely—as one's own without proper citation in accordance with academic standards.
• Fabrication: Producing data that does not originate from actual research, or modifying, altering, or reporting non-existent data in submitted or published studies, including fabricating entire studies.
• Falsification: Distorting research records and data; claiming the use of methods, tools, or materials that were not actually employed; excluding data that do not support the research hypothesis; manipulating results to fit theories or assumptions; or shaping findings to align with the interests of funders or institutions.
• Duplicate Publication: Submitting or publishing multiple works with identical research findings and presenting them as separate studies for purposes such as academic promotion or associate professorship evaluation.
• Salami Publishing: Dividing a single study’s results into multiple inappropriate parts and publishing them separately, without cross-referencing, to increase publication count—especially in academic evaluations.
• Unjustified Authorship: Including individuals who did not contribute to the research as authors, excluding those who did, altering the order of authors without justification, removing contributors at later stages, or including influential individuals solely for prestige without contribution.
Other Types of Ethical Violations
1. Failing to acknowledge supporting individuals, institutions, or organizations in publications resulting from funded research.
2. Using unpublished theses or studies without the author's permission.
3. Disregarding ethical principles in research involving humans or animals; failing to respect patient rights in publications.
4. Violating applicable laws and regulations in biomedical or clinical studies involving human participants.
5. Sharing information from a manuscript under review with others without the author’s explicit permission.
6. Misusing resources, facilities, or equipment allocated for scientific research.
7. Making groundless, malicious, or deliberate allegations of ethical misconduct.
8. Publishing data obtained through surveys or attitude research conducted without informed consent or without institutional approval.
9. Harming animal welfare or ecological balance in research or experimentation.
10. Failing to obtain written permission from authorized bodies before beginning research or experimentation.
11. Conducting research in violation of national or international agreements signed by Türkiye.
12. Failing to inform or warn relevant parties about possible harmful applications during research.
13. Failing to use data and information obtained from individuals or institutions in accordance with granted permissions; violating confidentiality.
14. Providing false or misleading statements regarding scientific publications or research in academic promotion or appointments.
(Based on Article 4 of the YÖK Directive on Scientific Research and Publication Ethics)
Responsibilities of Stakeholders
Readers and stakeholders may report significant errors or violations of research and publication ethics found in QUANTRADE publications by emailing quantrade@quantrade.com. These reports are welcomed as opportunities for improvement and will be responded to promptly and constructively.
a) Responsibilities of Editors
QUANTRADE’s editors and associate editors adhere to the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and follow COPE Flowcharts in cases involving suspected publication ethics violations. Their main ethical responsibilities include:
Impartiality and Editorial Independence
Editors assess manuscripts solely based on scholarly merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, or political views. No outside institution may influence editorial decisions. Editors ensure that each issue of the journal contributes meaningfully to the field.
Independence
The editorial team (Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors) maintains independence from the publisher. All editorial decisions are made free from external influence based on written agreements between the editorial team and the publisher.
Confidentiality
Editors do not disclose any manuscript-related information to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and editorial board members. The journal applies a double-blind peer-review process and maintains reviewer anonymity.
Transparency and Conflict of Interest
Editors do not use unpublished manuscript content for their own research without the author’s written consent and must avoid conflicts of interest in decisions related to submissions.
Publication Decision
Editors are responsible for deciding which articles to publish, based on reviewer comments, originality, significance, and scientific validity. They ensure that at least two peer reviewers evaluate each manuscript.
Ethical Concerns
Editors act promptly on ethical concerns related to submitted or published works. Even long after publication, any report of unethical conduct will be investigated. If necessary, corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern will be issued in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Cooperation with Editorial Boards
Editors ensure that advisory board members are informed about journal policies and assess articles independently. Editors maintain regular contact with the board and consult them regarding editorial policy and journal development.
b) Responsibilities of Authors
Reporting Standards
Authors of original research must ensure that the work is accurately presented, and the significance of the research is discussed objectively. Manuscripts should include sufficient detail and references to allow replication.
Data Access and Retention
Authors are expected to retain raw data and provide access to such data upon request by the editor for the purposes of editorial review.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must submit entirely original work. If they have used the work or words of others, appropriate citations must be provided. Plagiarism in any form is unethical and unacceptable. All authors are required to provide a similarity report upon submission.
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Submissions
Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Submitting the same research to multiple journals at the same time constitutes unethical publishing behavior.
Authorship of the Paper
Only individuals who meet the authorship criteria should be listed as authors. These criteria include:
(i) substantial contributions to conception, design, data collection, or analysis;
(ii) drafting the work or critically revising it for intellectual content;
(iii) final approval of the version to be published.
The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included and that they have all approved the final version.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose all financial support for the study (including grant or project numbers, if applicable) and any conflicts of interest, ideally at the time of submission.
Participation in the Review Process
Authors must participate in the peer-review process, respond to editorial requests for data, clarification, ethical approval, or copyright permissions, and submit revisions by the specified deadline.
Fundamental Errors in Published Work
If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must notify the editor promptly and cooperate to either issue an erratum or retract the article.
c) Responsibilities of Reviewers
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions and may offer suggestions to authors for improving the manuscript. They should point out relevant missing sources, data, or citations.
Promptness
If a reviewer feels unqualified to assess a manuscript or cannot provide a timely review, they should notify the editor and decline the review promptly.
Confidentiality
All manuscripts received for review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not share or discuss the manuscript with others unless authorized by the editor. This also applies to those who decline the review invitation.
Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively and criticisms should be constructive. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.
Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant, uncited sources. They should also notify the editor of any substantial similarity between the reviewed manuscript and any other published or submitted paper.
Conflicts of Interest
Any conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the editor. Reviewers must not review manuscripts with which they have personal or professional conflicts.
Double-Blind Peer Review Process
Editors are responsible for implementing the journal’s Double-Blind Peer Review Policy, ensuring that all manuscripts are reviewed fairly, objectively, and promptly.
Quality Assurance
Editors are responsible for ensuring that each article published in the journal complies with journal policies and international standards.
Protection of Personal Data
Editors are responsible for ensuring the protection of personal data related to individuals or visual materials included in manuscripts. If informed consent cannot be documented, the submission must be rejected. Editors are also responsible for protecting the privacy of authors, reviewers, and readers.
Precautions Against Misconduct and Abuse
Editors are responsible for taking preventive measures against any form of misconduct or abuse. This includes carefully investigating any complaints or allegations and ensuring that objective, transparent, and documented procedures are followed. Editors are also accountable for sharing their findings with relevant parties when necessary.
Ensuring Academic Publishing Integrity
Editors must promptly correct errors, inconsistencies, or misleading content in published articles. Maintaining the accuracy and credibility of published scientific information is a core responsibility.
Protection of Intellectual Property Rights
Editors are responsible for protecting the intellectual property rights of all published articles. In the event of a violation, the journal defends both the rights of the journal and of the authors. Editors must take all necessary measures to ensure that the content published in the journal does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of other publications.
Constructive Attitude and Openness to Debate
Editors must consider constructive and well-reasoned critiques of published work and respond to them respectfully. Authors of criticized articles should be granted the right to reply. Editors should not dismiss or exclude studies based solely on negative results.
Complaints
Editors are responsible for carefully evaluating and responding to complaints from authors, reviewers, or readers in an informative and transparent manner.
Conflicts of Interest
Editors must ensure that conflicts of interest between authors, reviewers, and editors do not influence editorial decisions. For multi-authored articles, a contribution declaration, conflict of interest statement, and acknowledgments (if any) must be included once peer review is complete. Authors are also required to submit a conflict of interest form to the system after review.
If members of the editorial board publish in the journal, their editorial duties for that issue are suspended. Under no circumstances is the double-blind review process to be violated. Publications from editorial members may not exceed one-third of the total number of articles in an issue.
Research Involving Children, Adolescents, and Vulnerable or Legally Incompetent Participants
Children are entitled to equal dignity and value as all human beings. Research involving children and adolescents is important for understanding their unique physiology, health, and disability-related needs. However, researchers working in this field must recognize the need for additional protections to ensure participants’ safety and emotional and psychological well-being.
For participants who are unable to provide legally valid informed consent, written consent must be obtained from a parent or legal guardian. The legal age of consent is determined by the laws of the participant’s country and generally ranges between 16 and 18 years.
A statement confirming that informed consent was obtained must be included in the manuscript. If oral consent was obtained instead of written consent, this must be clearly stated along with justification.
In accordance with the Nuremberg Code and the Belmont Report, informed consent must be given voluntarily and without coercion.
The journal places great importance on protecting the rights, safety, and welfare of participants in studies involving children or individuals with limited decision-making capacity. The following international ethical guidelines serve as the basis for evaluating such studies:
• Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association)
• ERIC Guidelines (UNICEF & Childwatch)
• CIOMS Guidelines
• Belmont Report
• Nuremberg Code
All research must give due attention to:
• Obtaining written informed consent from a legal representative
• Obtaining assent from children appropriate to their age and developmental level
• Protecting participant confidentiality and data security
• Minimizing risk of harm and maximizing potential benefit
Journal Publication Policy
1. QUANTRADE is published by Tolga ULUSOY (Kastamonu, Türkiye).
2. Authors must comply with the journal’s submission guidelines to ensure a fair and scientific review process.
3. Submitted manuscripts must not have been previously published or be under consideration by another journal. Simultaneous submission without notifying QUANTRADE will result in rejection of the manuscript and a permanent submission ban for the author.
4. The journal publishes original articles, book reviews, and studies presented at symposiums or congresses in the social sciences related to people and society.
5. Only one article per author may be published in a single issue.
6. QUANTRADE is a peer-reviewed academic journal published twice a year (June and December).
7. All submissions are first evaluated by the Editorial Board for compliance with journal policies. See: [Turkish Article Template] and [English Article Template].
8. Manuscripts not formatted according to the APA Citation Style Guide (http://www.tk.org.tr/APA/apa_2.pdf) will be returned to the author for correction. If deemed suitable, they are sent to at least two peer reviewers. Reviewer identities are kept confidential, and reports are stored for five years. In cases of one positive and one negative report, the article may be sent to a third reviewer, or the Editorial Board may make a final decision based on the reports.
9. The primary language of the journal is Turkish, but articles written in English, German, French, or Russian may also be accepted. Manuscripts not written in Latin script must include Turkish and English titles and abstracts, and a reference list written in Latin characters.
10. Articles must include: an English title, an abstract (250–300 words), 5–8 keywords, and a reference list formatted in APA citation style.
11. Only articles receiving two positive peer-review reports will be published. In the case of conflicting reviews, a third reviewer will be assigned. The final decision will be based on the third report.
12. All articles are screened using plagiarism detection software to ensure originality.
13. The journal follows an open access policy, offering free public access to its contents.
14. Upon publication, the journal is distributed to national and international libraries and indexing services within one month.
15. QUANTRADE charges an article processing fee regardless of the acceptance or rejection of the manuscript.
16. Copyright remains with the authors of published articles.
17. Submissions must fill a significant gap in the field or offer a critical review with new and noteworthy perspectives.
18. Author details (title, name, institutional affiliation, ORCID, email) must not appear on the manuscript. If the article is based on a thesis or academic event, this must be clearly stated.
19. Authors are fully responsible for grammar, punctuation, clarity, and linguistic accuracy.
20. The journal reserves the right to accept, reject, or request revisions to any submitted manuscript. Legal responsibility for published content rests with the author. Submission implies acceptance of all publication policies. Manuscripts not complying with these principles will not be considered.