Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics
Publication Ethics in Al-Fath Journal for Educational and Psychological Research
Al-Fath Journal for Educational and Psychological Research, published by the College of Basic Education, University of Diyala, is committed to the highest standards of integrity and transparency in scholarly publishing, as well as to the general principles of research and publication ethics. The journal aims to provide fair and equal opportunities for all researchers. Submitted manuscripts are evaluated on the basis of their scholarly merit, originality, methodological soundness, quality of presentation, and relevance to the journal’s scope and author guidelines, without discrimination based on gender, race, nationality, religious affiliation, social background, intellectual or political orientation, or institutional affiliation.
The journal affirms that adherence to publication ethics is a shared responsibility among authors, reviewers, the Editorial Board, and the publisher. The journal’s ethical policies are guided by the general principles of scholarly publication ethics and are aligned with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the requirements of high-quality academic publishing.

First: Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief, in cooperation with the Editorial Board, supervises the editorial and peer-review processes of the journal and is responsible for ensuring the implementation of publication policies and ethics. The responsibilities include:

1. Making appropriate editorial decisions regarding submitted manuscripts, including acceptance, revision, or rejection, based on initial screening, reviewers’ reports, and approved scientific criteria.
2 . Ensuring the confidentiality of peer-review procedures, editorial correspondence, and data related to authors and reviewers.
3 . Selecting appropriate reviewers according to the manuscript’s subject and the reviewers’ scientific expertise, while avoiding conflicts of interest as far as possible.
4 . Maintaining editorial independence and preventing any financial, personal, or institutional considerations from influencing acceptance or rejection decisions.
5 . Handling complaints, appeals, and allegations of research misconduct or unethical publication practices seriously.

Second: Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The journal has an Editorial Board composed of members with relevant expertise and scholarly competence. Their names and institutional affiliations are published on the journal’s website. The Editorial Board is responsible for:
1 . Cooperating with the Editor-in-Chief in developing the journal’s policy and improving its scientific and editorial quality.
2 . Assessing submitted manuscripts in terms of their relevance to the journal’s scope and author guidelines before peer review.
3 . Nominating qualified reviewers suitable for the subject of the manuscript.
4 . Maintaining the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and all information related to authors and reviewers.
5 . Disclosing any potential conflict of interest and recusing themselves from handling any manuscript where a direct or indirect relationship exists with an author or the manuscript’s subject.
6 . Ensuring fair and professional handling of all authors and submitted manuscripts.

Third: Authors’ Responsibilities
Authors are required to:
1 . Submit original scholarly manuscripts that have not been previously published and are not under consideration by any other journal or publisher at the same time.
2 . Present data and findings accurately and objectively, without fabrication, falsification, distortion, or concealment of data.
3 . Properly cite and document all sources, references, instruments, and quotations used in the manuscript.
4 . Avoid plagiarism, unauthorized self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, and any form of research misconduct.
5 . Arrange authors’ names according to their actual scholarly contributions, without adding individuals who did not contribute or excluding individuals who made a substantial contribution.

6. Ensure that all authors approve the final version submitted for publication, the order of authorship, and the designation of the corresponding author.
7 . Disclose any potential conflict of interest and acknowledge all sources of funding or support, if any.
8 . Obtain the necessary ethical or official approvals when the research includes field data, interviews, questionnaires, or information related to individuals or institutions.
9 . Respond to reviewers’ and editors’ comments in a scholarly and professional manner, or provide clear scientific justification when certain comments are not adopted.
10 . Promptly notify the journal if a significant error is discovered in the manuscript after submission or publication and cooperate with the Editorial Board to take the appropriate action.

Fourth: Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Peer review is a fundamental pillar of scholarly publishing in the journal. Reviewers are required to:
1 . Evaluate manuscripts objectively and impartially, without personal, institutional, or ideological bias.
2 . Provide clear and constructive scientific reports that help the Editorial Board make appropriate decisions and help authors improve their manuscripts.
3 . Maintain the confidentiality of the reviewed manuscript and avoid discussing or using its data or ideas before publication.
4 . Decline the review invitation if the manuscript falls outside their area of expertise or if they cannot complete the review within the specified timeframe.
5 . Disclose any potential conflict of interest with the authors, the subject of the manuscript, or the authors’ institution.
6 . Alert the Editorial Board if plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, or substantial similarity with other published works is suspected.
7 . Complete the review within the agreed timeframe as far as possible.

Fifth: Plagiarism and Similarity

Plagiarism in all its forms is considered unethical and unacceptable. All manuscripts submitted to the journal are subject to plagiarism and text-similarity screening using Turnitin or any other software approved by the relevant official authorities.

The journal does not rely solely on the numerical similarity percentage when evaluating manuscripts. The Editorial Board reviews the similarity report in terms of the nature, source, extent, documentation, and effect of similarity on the originality of the manuscript. The journal takes into consideration the nature of educational and psychological research, which may include research instruments, scales, or commonly used methodological texts, provided that they are properly cited and do not compromise the originality of the manuscript.

If excessive or unjustified similarity is detected before publication, the journal may return the manuscript to the author for revision or reject it, depending on the nature of the case. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal reserves the right to take the appropriate action, including publishing a correction, issuing an expression of concern, retracting the published article, or notifying the author’s institution when necessary.

Sixth: Duplicate or Simultaneous Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal or publisher at the same time. They must also not submit a manuscript that has been previously published, in whole or in part, without clear disclosure and acceptable scholarly justification. Simultaneous submission or duplicate publication is considered a breach of publication ethics.
A manuscript may not be withdrawn after entering the peer-review process or after acceptance except for a clear and acceptable reason and after submitting an official request to the Editorial Board. Withdrawal requests are handled in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and in a manner that preserves authors’ rights and the integrity of the editorial process.

Seventh: Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools

Authors must disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence tools, if any, in preparing the manuscript, such as for language editing, improving wording, translation, or organizing ideas. Artificial intelligence tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors, because authorship requires scientific, ethical, and legal responsibility that such tools cannot assume.
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy of information, correctness of references, originality of content, and the absence of errors, fabricated references, or unreliable information resulting from the use of such tools.
Reviewers and Editorial Board members must not use artificial intelligence tools to evaluate manuscripts or enter unpublished manuscript texts into such tools if doing so would violate confidentiality, authors’ rights, or the journal’s policies.

Eighth: Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and Editorial Board members must disclose any potential conflict of interest that may affect the objectivity of the research, peer review, or editorial decision, whether financial, professional, academic, institutional, or personal.
If a reviewer or Editorial Board member has a conflict of interest, they must decline handling or reviewing the manuscript, and the manuscript should be assigned to another independent person.

Ninth: Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright of their works published in Al-Fath Journal for Educational and Psychological Research and grant the journal the right of first publication. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, copying, distribution, sharing, and reuse, provided that proper acknowledgment is given to the authors, the article title, the journal name, the original source of publication, and the article link or DOI when available.

Tenth: Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions

The journal is committed to addressing significant errors that may appear after publication in a transparent and professional manner. If an error does not affect the reliability of the findings, a correction or clarification may be published. If plagiarism, fabrication, data manipulation, or a significant error affecting the reliability of the manuscript is confirmed, the journal may issue an expression of concern or retract the published article in accordance with its editorial policies and publication ethics.

Eleventh: Archiving and Content Preservation

The journal maintains an electronic archive of its published issues and articles through its official website and seeks to ensure the preservation and future availability of scholarly content for readers and researchers. The journal also works to develop its digital archiving policies in line with the requirements of high-quality scholarly publishing, indexing databases, and academic accreditation.