Academic Ethics and Review Guidelines

Academic Ethics Guidelines for Contributors

1. Compliance and Anonymity: Contributors must comply with the Journal’s submission guidelines. To ensure an impartial review process, electronic manuscript files must not contain any information that could identify the author(s).
2. Co-authorship: For manuscripts with two or more authors, all authors must jointly sign the Copyright Authorization Form. The submitting author is responsible for notifying all co-authors of the submission and obtaining their consent prior to submission.
3. Originality and Copyright: Authors must guarantee that the manuscript has not been published, submitted, or distributed elsewhere in any form. If the manuscript includes copyrighted material belonging to others, authors must obtain permission from the copyright holders or ensure that such use complies with academic “fair use” regulations. All sources must be clearly and appropriately cited.
4. Academic Integrity: Authors are responsible for ensuring that their work complies with applicable laws and accepted academic standards. The Journal does not tolerate falsification, plagiarism (including self-plagiarism), or any other form of academic misconduct. Manuscripts found to violate these principles will be rejected; if already published, a formal retraction will be issued.
5. Multiple Submissions: Simultaneous or multiple submissions are strictly prohibited. Authors found to be in violation will be held legally responsible and barred from submitting to the Journal for a period of two years. This prohibition includes “salami slicing” (the submission of substantially similar content under different titles) and concurrent submission of the same manuscript to other publications.
6. Reproduction Rights: To protect the Journal’s interests, authors must obtain prior written permission from the Journal before reprinting, republishing, translating, or reproducing their published articles in any form.

Editorial Administration

1. Non-commercial Status: As the Journal is funded by the Ministry of Education, commercial advertisements and publications intended for commercial purposes are not accepted.
2. Third-party Reproduction: Any third party wishing to reprint, republish, translate, or reproduce articles published in this Journal must obtain prior written permission from the Journal. 
3. Manuscript Withdrawal: Requests for manuscript withdrawal must be submitted in writing and must include a stated reason. Authors who withdraw their manuscript during the peer-review process or after acceptance will be barred from submitting to the Journal for one year.
4. Confidentiality: Executive Editors are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all information related to authors and reviewers.
5. Conflict of Interest: If an Executive Editor is also a contributor, they must recuse themselves from all processes related to their submission, including file handling and participation in editorial discussions. The Editor-in-Chief will appoint an alternate editor to oversee the manuscript.
6. Handling Ethical Violations: Ethical issues will be addressed by the Editorial Board. All reports of misconduct will be handled with fairness, professionalism, and confidentiality. The identities of whistleblowers acting in good faith will be strictly protected.

Peer Review Guidelines

Formal Review (Initial Screening)

1. Upon receipt of a manuscript, the Assistant Editor will assign a reference number, prepare an anonymized version of the manuscript, and establish a dedicated file.
2. The Assistant Editor will conduct a formal review, followed by a preliminary screening by the Editor-in-Chief. Manuscripts that are excessively brief, fail to comply with APA style, or clearly do not meet the Journal’s academic standards will be rejected. The Editor-in-Chief will draft the reasons for rejection, and the Assistant Editor will issue the notification to the author(s).

Substantive Review (Peer Review)

1. Manuscripts that pass the formal review and meet the Journal’s academic standards will proceed to the substantive review stage. The Editorial Board will recommend experts in the relevant field to conduct a double-blind peer review.
2. The Editor-in-Chief will invite reviewers, and the Assistant Editor will distribute the anonymized manuscript to those who accept the invitation.
3. Each manuscript will be reviewed by at least two anonymous experts. Decisions regarding revision, acceptance, or rejection will be based on the reviewers’ evaluations.
4. If the initial review recommendations are consistent, the Editor-in-Chief may render a decision directly.
5. If the reviewers’ opinions diverge substantially, the manuscript will be sent to a third anonymous reviewer. The Editorial Board will then make a final decision based on academic rigor and the Journal’s scope and objectives.