The scientific journal of Geography and Regional Future Studies follows COPE's Best Practice Guidelines (for Journal Editors, Authors and Reviewers)
Publishing an article in a peer-reviewed scientific journal is an important part of knowledge production. This section shows the quality of work, the use of scientific methods and the direct reflection of the capabilities of the authors and their supporting organizations and institutions. It is therefore critical that knowledge producers consider the ethical behavior which is expected of all parties involved in publishing a paper. The parties involved in the publication include the author(s) of the article, the editor(s) of the journal, the journal staff, the publisher and the sponsoring institution of the author(s) and the journal.
A) Author(s)
• A person is considered the author (or one of the authors) of the article who has all the following four criteria:
1. Have a significant contribution in presenting the research idea or study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation.
2. Have a role in composing the article by writing a draft of the article or reviewing it critically, which will lead to the modification of the scientific content of the article.
3. Read and approve the final article.
4. Accept responsibility for all aspects of the article, including the accuracy and validity of the content mentioned in it.
• The names of all individuals who meet the criteria of authorship of the article must be listed as authors in the authors’ section of the article, even if their collaboration with that center or research team has been terminated for any reason.
• In large researches that were conducted by a research team and the role of the authors in creating the article was very specialized, the contribution and responsibility of each author can be limited to the specialized part related to him. In these cases, the main researcher(s) will determine the person who will be responsible for the entire article.
• The order of the names in the section of the authors of the article is determined based on the level of participation of each person and through their collective agreement. The person who contributed the most to the study and writing of the manuscript will be the first author. It should be noted that the position or scientific level of the authors of the article will not affect the order of the authors' names.
• Authors' disagreement about the order of their names in the article after sending the article to the journal and receiving it, can only be followed up by the corresponding author. The decision in this regard is the responsibility of the editor of the journal.
• Removing the name of the author(s) after submitting the article to the journal can only be followed through the request of the corresponding author. Obtaining the consent of all authors is mandatory and the final decision is made by the editor of the journal.
• The existence of conflict between the authors after submitting the article to the journal should be reported to the editor of the journal in written format. Until the conflict is resolved, the evaluation path of the article is blocked and the author(s) do not have the right to submit the article to another journal. In case of proof of conflict, the issue will be reviewed by the editor based on one of the parts of the Ethical Breach section.
• Adding or removing, or any changes in the order of the authors' names after sending the manuscript to the journal, is considered a conflict of interest, and if it is not presented with a clear reason, it will be dealt with based on the (ethical breach) principle.
• The names of all the people who have made a significant contribution to the implementation of the study by writing the article, but do not meet the criteria for inclusion in the authors section of the article, are given in the acknowledgments section by mentioning the type of contribution.
• The corresponding author is one of the authors of the manuscript who, due to his scientific position and role in the study (for example, the main project manager or the first supervisor of the thesis), is responsible for correspondence and answering the doubts and objections raised about the manuscript or article. The corresponding author is responsible for conveying important comments and correspondence to other authors and regulating relationships between all authors.
• It is incorrect to mention an unrealistic attribution to an institution, center or department that has no role in the main research or in the author's professional activity. This issue can be followed based on the flowchart of the International Organization of Ethics in publishing.
• Authors of scientific-research reports must present an acceptable report of their work and judge its importance impartially. Basic data should be presented in an appropriate way in the article. The article should have enough details and references so that others can cite it. Deceit and expressing inappropriate content on purpose is considered immoral in publishing and cannot be accepted. This issue can be followed based on the flowchart of the International Organization of Ethics in publishing.
• Authors may be requested to submit their article data to the journal. Authors should be ready to make access to data possible and be able to preserve data for years after the publication of the article.
• When an author finds a significant error in his published article, it is his duty to inform the editor or publisher and cooperate with the journal to retract, correct or delete the article.
• If the editor or publisher learns about this issue from a third party, it is the author's duty to cooperate with the editor and provide the required information.
• It is not allowed to improve, blur, move, delete and add parts to images. Brightness, resolution or color level settings are allowed as long as they do not blur the image or remove parts or information from the original image. Manipulation of images for better quality is accepted, but doing this for other purposes is considered immoral in publishing, and necessary measures will be taken regarding this breach.
• The author(s) are obliged to inform the editors of the journal when there is any error or carelessness in their article, take action to correct it, or withdraw the article with the consent of the journal. If the journal detects any negligence in publishing before the authors, it will be dealt with according to the Ethical Breach section of this guide.
• The author(s) are obliged to avoid "unethical publishing and research behavior". If in any of the stages of submitting, reviewing, editing, or publishing an article in a journal or after that, one of the following cases is detected, it is considered unethical research behavior and the journal will have the right to deal with it legally based on the Ethical Breach section.
I) Ethical Breach
Ethical breach is any violation or deviation from accepted ethical principles in writing and publishing scientific-research works, which includes the following examples:
1. Fabricating (falsifying) data or results that are not based on real research,
2. Manipulation of research data and intentional interference,
3. Intellectual or literary plagiarism,
4. Guest/Gift/Ghost authorship or passing off another’s paper as author’s own paper,
• The use of the original or translation of the text published by others in the manuscript should be done according to the following criteria:
1. In case of using a figure, table, questionnaire, or a significant part of the target text or its translation, in the form of utilizing the same text, in addition to placing the text inside the quotation marks and mentioning the source, written permission must be obtained from the intellectual owner of the original text.
2. In case of using the desired text or translating it in the form of quoting, summarizing, concluding, or taking ideas, its source must be mentioned.
• All researchers are obliged to inform the sponsoring institution, the head or the person in charge of the author(s)' place of work or education if they are sure that any breach has occurred.
• The editor can look for the possible occurrence of breach in the received manuscripts, but if he is aware of the possibility of breach, depending on the occurrence of breach, he is obliged to inform the sponsoring institution of the research, the head or the person in charge of the place of work or study of the author(s) by respecting the maximum confidentiality, so that its occurrence can be ascertained or resolved by conducting research and investigation. Research and investigation will be done based on relevant regulations and instructions
• If the editor verifies the breach, he must take one or more of the following actions, depending on the severity of the verified breach:
1. Refusal to publish the manuscript (if the manuscript has not yet been published),
2. Retracting and marking the article in case of publishing and placing a notice on the page of the article,
3. Publication of correction or rebuttal in the next issue of the journal (if published),
4. Avoiding acceptance of the author's future articles for a certain period of time,
5. Removing the previous articles of the author(s) from the website or database of the publication,
6. Notifying the publisher of the journal about the occurrence of breach,
7. Sending the documents to the Research Vice-Chancellor of the Author's University that have committed breach,
8. Sending notification to the Research Ethics Committee of Urmia University,
9. Sending documents to the Research Ethics Committee of the Ministry and following up the matter through the committee.
II) Overlapping Publications
• If a print or electronic paper has already been published or is considered for publishing, it is improper to submit the same manuscript to another journal or to republish it. If the author(s) of a manuscript that is under consideration for publication in a journal, for any reason, decide to submit that manuscript to another journal, they must first notify the first journal of their withdrawal intention in written format and get the confirmation of the first journal. This is possible only until the acceptance of the manuscript for publication in the first journal is announced and with the approval of the first journal.
• The author(s) must inform the editor through a letter, if he is sending a manuscript that contains a significant amount of a published article under review or printed, for consideration for publication as a scientific-research article.
• If an article has already been published in print or electronic form or is under review for publication, sending the translation of the same article in another language for consideration for publication is not prohibited, in case the editors of both journals agree and the readers are clearly informed.
III) Conflict of Interest
Conflict of interest is the presence of any financial or non-financial benefit that may influence the author, reviewer or editor in expressing their honest opinion. The existence of a conflict of interest by itself is not considered an ethical problem for a manuscript.
• The author(s) of a manuscript must clearly declare any conflict of interest that is hidden from the eyes of the audience, in the text or below the manuscript. The contract between the researchers and the financial sponsor of the research should not include any form of prohibiting the declaration of conflict of interest in the resulting manuscript.
• The author(s) must clearly introduce the sources of funding for conducting the research and composing the article.
IV) Privacy and Confidentiality
• Information specifying the personal identity of the subjects, the staff of the research site or any other person other than the authors of the manuscript and the people who are appreciated, should not be included in the text of the manuscript, figures, or any other part, unless the person in question or his legal representative has given written informed consent for the publication of that information.
• The editor, editorial board and reviewers must keep confidential all the details of the review process of the registered article in the system. Except in open review cases, the entire review process must be done without mentioning names. The names of the reviewers should not be disclosed. The reviewers must also keep the information of the articles confidential.
B) Duties of Editor and Editorial Board
• The editor of a peer-reviewed journal is responsible for selecting the articles that will be published in each issue of the journal (in this regard, he works in connection with the community associated with the journal). The credibility of the mentioned work and its importance for the researchers and audience must drive these decisions. The editor may, at the request and guidance of the editorial board or the sponsoring organization of the magazine, follow certain policies and take measures regarding cases such as malpractice, copyright, and plagiarism. In such cases, he may confer with the members of the editorial board or the managers of the sponsoring organization in making a decision.
• The editor must assure his audience that the reviewing will have a fair, impartial and timely process. Research articles must be reviewed by at least two independent and external reviewers, and if needed, the editor can ask for opinions from other experts.
• The editor should choose a reviewer who has expertise in the specialized field related to the article and should try to avoid choosing fake reviewers. The editor must investigate any conflict of interest and sensitively study the issues raised by the reviewers and ensure the impartiality of the reviewer.
• The editor must review the manuscripts regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, citizenship or politics.
• The editor and editorial board must keep confidential any information about the manuscript, the corresponding author, reviewers or potential reviewers.
• Any conflict of interests related to the editor and members of the editorial board must be reported to the publisher. If necessary, the publisher can publish the information.
• The editor or members of the editorial board should not take any action with an article written by themselves, their family members, or their colleagues, or with a case with which they have a private connection. Such an article should be treated like any other ordinary article.
• The editor must take reasonable measures when there are complaints related to ethics in publication. These measures generally include contact with the corresponding author and, if needed, institutions and fellow researchers of the article.
• The editor must protect the articles published in the journal by reviewing the reports of misconduct in the publication (regarding research, publication, reviewing and the performance of the editorial board) in consultation with the publisher or sponsoring organization.
C) Duties of Reviewers
• Peer review helps the editor in making decisions and the author in improving the article. Peer reviewing is an essential component of scientific relations and is of great importance.
• If any reviewer feels that he is not qualified to review an article entrusted to him, he must inform the editor and excuse himself from the review process.
• Any manuscript sent to the reviewers must be kept confidential. It should not be disclosed to anyone else except with the editor's permission.
• Reviews must be carried out impartially. Criticism of the author is not accepted. Reviewers must express their opinions clearly and with evidence. Any insult to the author(s) is considered a violation and can be referred to the Research Ethics Committee of the Ministry.
• The reviewers must know the relevant materials that are not mentioned in the text of the article. The reviewers should also consider any similarities and overlaps between the manuscript and pre-printed articles and report to the editor if found.
• The unpublished content of a manuscript should not be used in the reviewer's article without the author's consent. The information and ideas obtained during the review should be kept confidential and should not be used for personal use.