Publication ethics
Editorial Confidentiality Obligation
The editors of the Eastern Studies scientific-theoretical journal treat all submitted articles as confidential documents. This means that they will not disclose any information about an article to anyone without the authors' explicit permission. During the manuscript review process, access to the manuscripts is limited to the following individuals: Editors, Reviewers, and Editorial Board Members. The only exception to this confidentiality policy is when the editor suspects serious research misconduct. In such cases, details of the manuscript may be communicated to a third party without the authors' permission.
Allegations - Suspicions of Scientific Misconduct
There are various definitions of scientific misconduct. At the Journal of Eastern Studies, we address such issues on a case-by-case basis, adhering to the guidelines established by publication ethics bodies. If the editor suspects or identifies an ethical violation, they are obligated to take appropriate action. This responsibility applies to both published and unpublished articles. The editor should not simply reject articles that raise concerns about potential misconduct; instead, they are ethically required to investigate such allegations. The editor should consult COPE flowcharts where applicable. Initially, the editor should seek a response from those suspected of misconduct. If the response is unsatisfactory, the editor should request an investigation by the relevant employer or organization. It is the editor’s duty to ensure that all reasonable efforts are made to conduct a proper investigation into the alleged misconduct. Should these efforts fail, the editor must persist in seeking a resolution to the issue. While this process can be laborious, it is a crucial responsibility.
The Journal of Eastern Studies adheres to COPE's Ethical Toolkit for a Successful Editorial (https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.12). The editors take proactive measures to prevent the publication of articles involving plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, or any other form of research misconduct. Under no circumstances will the editors knowingly allow such misconduct to occur. If allegations of research misconduct related to a published article are brought to the editors' attention, they will address the issue in accordance with COPE's guidelines. Reviewers are also expected to inform the editor if they suspect any research or publication misconduct. The editor is responsible for taking appropriate action based on COPE recommendations. The Journal of Eastern Studies is committed to following COPE flowcharts when addressing allegations of misconduct in the following or similar matters.
Complaint Procedure
This procedure applies to complaints regarding content, procedures, or policies under the responsibility of the Journal of Eastern Studies. Complaints provide valuable opportunities for improvement, and we aim to respond promptly, courteously, and constructively.
Complaints should be emailed directly to sherq.arashdirmalari@mail.ru and will be handled confidentially. The editor will address complaints as quickly as possible.
Appeal Process
We welcome serious objections to the evaluations made by our editors and reviewers. If you believe your paper was rejected due to a misunderstanding of its scientific content, please send an appeal letter to our editorial team at sherq.arashdirmalari@mail.ru. At this stage, please do not submit a revised version of your article.
If, after reviewing your appeal, we determine that it is justified, we may invite you to submit a revised version of your manuscript. Your paper will then re-enter the external review process. Please ensure your appeal letter includes as much detail as possible to support your case.
Please note that we can only consider one appeal per article.
Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest arises when professional judgment regarding a primary interest may be influenced by a secondary interest, such as financial gain or personal competition. We believe it is essential to understand the competing interests of authors to make informed decisions about handling an article. Additionally, readers should be aware of these interests if the article is published.
A conflict of interest includes any financial or other interest that could compromise objectivity, create bias, or provide an unfair advantage to any individual or organization. Authors must disclose all sources of financial support received during the research and manuscript preparation, as well as the role of sponsors in the study. If no funding was received, this should also be explicitly stated. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that require disclosure include consultancies, salaries, and grants. Such disclosures should be made at the earliest possible stage.
The Journal of Eastern Studies has established procedures to ensure impartial handling of submissions from editors, staff, or editorial board members. These submissions are first referred to other journals. If this is not feasible, the author is excluded from the journal’s processes, and the submission undergoes a double-blind review.
Editors must not participate in decisions regarding papers they or their family members have authored. Such papers must undergo the journal’s standard review procedures. Editors are expected to follow COPE guidelines on disclosing potential conflicts of interest by authors and reviewers.
Publication Ethics Principles
Publication Ethics can be defined as a self-regulatory mechanism that emphasizes integrity on the part of authors, reviewers, and publishers to uphold high standards in the editorial process. Ethical standards for publication exist to ensure the quality of scientific publications, maintain public trust in scientific findings, and respect the opinions of others.
Honest researchers adhere to the following principles:
They do not plagiarize.
They do not misattribute sources.
They do not conceal objections they cannot refute.
They do not misrepresent opposing views.
They do not destroy or hide data.
Peer-reviewed studies play a critical role in supporting and advancing the scientific method. At this point, it is essential that all parties involved in the publication process—authors, readers, researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors—adhere to ethical principles. The Journal of Eastern Studies is committed to upholding national and international standards of research and publication ethics. The Journal of Eastern Studies has adopted the International Ethical Publishing Principles published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA).
Republishing
Republishing refers to the publication of the same article or substantially similar articles in more than one journal. In such cases, the editor will return the article without review. Following this, the editor may impose an embargo on the author’s submissions for a specified period, announce the issue in the journal where the author previously published (potentially in coordination with the editor of the journal that published the earlier article), or implement a combination of these measures.
Simultaneous submission of the same work to more than one journal
Authors must not submit the same article to multiple journals simultaneously. If the editor becomes aware of a possible simultaneous submission, they reserve the right to consult with the editor(s) of the other journal(s) involved. Additionally, the editor may choose to return the manuscript without review, reject it without considering the reviews, or make this decision in consultation with the other editor(s). The editor may also decide to prohibit submissions from the authors for a specified period, notify the authors' employers, or implement a combination of these measures.
Control to Prevent Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as presenting the ideas, methods, data, practices, writings, figures, or works of others as one’s own, either in whole or in part, without proper attribution in accordance with scientific rules.
The Journal of Eastern Studies screens all submitted articles to prevent plagiarism. Manuscripts are checked using a certain software, and the expected similarity rate is less than 20%.
Unethical behaviors include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, duplication, false authorship or confessed authorship, research or data fabrication, article slicing (salami slicing), copyright infringement, and failure to disclose conflicts of interest. All articles that do not meet accepted ethical standards will be removed from publication. This includes articles with potential irregularities or non-compliances identified after publication.
Forgery
Producing data that is not based on actual research; editing or modifying work using untrue data and subsequently reporting or publishing it; and presenting research that was never conducted as if it had been conducted.
Falsifying research records or data; claiming the use of methods, devices, or materials that were not actually used in the research; disregarding data that do not align with the research hypothesis; manipulating data and/or results to fit a specific theory or assumptions; and distorting or shaping research findings to align with the interests of supporting individuals or organizations.
Protection of Participants' Personal Data
The Journal of Eastern Studies requires that all research involving personal or sensitive data, or materials related to human participants that are not legally publicly available, undergo a formal ethical review.
Addressing Allegations of Research Misconduct
The Journal of Eastern Studies adheres to COPE's Ethical Toolkit for a Successful Editorial. Editors will take proactive measures to prevent the publication of articles involving plagiarism, citation manipulation, data falsification, data fabrication, or any other form of research misconduct. Under no circumstances will editors knowingly allow such misconduct to occur.
If allegations of research misconduct related to a published article are brought to the editors' attention, they will address the issue in accordance with COPE's guidelines for handling allegations. For more information, refer to COPE's guidelines (https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.12).
Ethical Violation Notifications
If readers identify a significant error or inaccuracy in an article published in the Journal of Eastern Studies, or if they have complaints regarding editorial content (such as plagiarism, duplicate articles, etc.), they are encouraged to email us at sherq.arashdirmalari@mail.ru. We welcome such feedback and will respond promptly and constructively, as it provides valuable opportunities for improvement.
Research Ethics
The Journal of Eastern Studies adheres to the highest standards of research ethics and follows the international principles outlined below. Authors are responsible for ensuring their manuscripts comply with these ethical guidelines.
Integrity, Quality, and Transparency: These principles must be upheld in the design, review, and conduct of the research.
Informed Participation: The research team and participants must be fully informed about the research’s purpose, methods, potential uses, and any requirements or risks associated with participation.
Confidentiality: The confidentiality of information provided by research participants and respondents must be maintained. The research design should safeguard the autonomy and dignity of participants.
Voluntary Participation: Research participants must take part voluntarily, free from any form of coercion.
Avoidance of Harm: The research should be planned to avoid harm to participants, ensuring they are not exposed to unnecessary risks.
Independence and Disclosure: Research independence must be clearly stated, and any conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
Informed Consent: For experimental studies involving human subjects, written informed consent must be obtained from participants. For children, individuals under guardianship, or those with confirmed mental illness, consent must be obtained from their legal guardian.
Institutional Approval: If the research is conducted within an institution or organization, approval must be obtained from the relevant body.
Methodological Disclosure: In studies involving human participants, the “Method” section must explicitly state that informed consent was obtained from participants and that ethics committee approval was granted by the institution where the study was conducted.
