Article Evaluation Policy (Double-Blind Peer Review) and Publication Process

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The Turkish Journal of Archaeological Sciences publishes original research articles in Turkish or English.

1. Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere. All authors must approve the submission.

2. Submitted manuscripts undergo preliminary review, plagiarism screening, peer review, and language editing.

3. Manuscripts that do not pass the preliminary review are returned to the author(s) and are not reconsidered within the same publication period. Those that pass proceed to the double-blind peer review, evaluated by at least two reviewers.

4. The Editors evaluate manuscripts based on scientific content, methodology, significance, and the journal scope. Manuscripts passing this stage are assigned to associate editors for preliminary assessment.

5. Associate editors ensure manuscripts comply with journal principles, including plagiarism screening and adherence to formatting guidelines.

6. Editors and associate editors verify compliance with ethical standards, subject relevance, formatting, references, image quality, and copyright permissions. Approved manuscripts are sent for double-blind peer review.

7. The journal’s peer review process maintains fairness and objectivity, free from biases based on nationality, gender, or other factors. Reviewers must have a doctoral degree and a strong research background.

8. The reviewers complete evaluation forms and provide recommendations: accept without changes, accept with minor revisions, request major revisions and resubmission, or reject. If both reviewers recommend minor revisions, and the revised version is approved, the manuscript is accepted. If major revisions are required, the manuscript may be reassessed before final decision. If there is one positive and one negative review, a third reviewer is consulted. The final decision rests with the Editors. Editorial decisions are final and can only be appealed under COPE guidelines.

9. Reviewers must use respectful, professional, and scientific language. Disrespectful or unscientific comments will prompt a revision request. Reviews must be completed within the assigned timeframe.

10. After final editing, accepted manuscripts undergo thematic or chronological organization before inclusion in the journal.

11. Typesetting is conducted according to journal layout guidelines.

12. The final PDF version is sent to the authors for review and approval. Authors must confirm that the manuscript adheres to the journal’s ethical standards and accept full responsibility for their work.

13. The Editorial Board makes the final publication decision after reviewing revisions.

14. Once this process is finalized, DOI numbers are assigned to the articles.

15. Following DOI assignment, the printing stage begins, completing the publication process.

 

Editor Responsibilities

1. The Editor evaluates manuscripts based solely on scientific merit, without bias toward authors’ ethnicity, gender, nationality, or beliefs.

2. The Editor ensures a fair, confidential double-blind peer review process.

3. Manuscripts remain confidential before publication. Reviewers and editorial board members must not discuss them with third parties. If necessary, reviewer evaluations may be shared between reviewers by the Editor for clarification.

4. The Editor ensures journal quality, including corrections and retractions when necessary.

5. The Editor prevents conflicts of interest and has full authority in reviewer assignments and publication decisions.

 

Reviewer Responsibilities

1. Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest regarding the research, authors, or funding sources. Reviews must be objective.

2. Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and report any copyright infringement or plagiarism to the Editor.

3. Reviewers who feel unqualified to evaluate a manuscript or unable to complete their evaluation on time should notify the Editor and withdraw.

 

Author Responsibilities

1. All authors must have made significant contributions to the manuscript in terms of conceptualization, design, data collection and interpretation, data analysis, or research and writing. All co-authors must approve the final version and share responsibility for its content.

2. Authors must ensure that all images comply with copyright regulations or obtain necessary permissions. The journal reserves the right to retract or restrict access to articles with unresolved copyright or ethical issues. Any such actions will follow COPE guidelines.

3. The corresponding author is responsible for journal communication, revisions, post-publication inquiries, and compliance with the journal’s ethical and copyright policies. Changes to authorship after submission will not be considered.

 

Revision Process

If revisions are requested, the review reports are sent to the authors. The authors must make necessary revisions promptly, highlighting them for clarity, and submit the updated manuscript to the Editors.

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Turkish Language Editing: Turkish manuscripts passing peer review are reviewed by the Turkish Language Editor, who may request corrections. 

Foreign Language Editing: English manuscripts passing peer review are reviewed by the English Language Editor, who may request corrections.

 

Typesetting, Layout, and Proofreading Process

Approved manuscripts undergo typesetting and layout formatting, followed by a final proofreading before final publication.

 

DOI Assignment

Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique identifier that provides a permanent link to the official and original version of an electronically published article. The Turkish Journal of Archaeological Sciences assigns DOI numbers to all accepted scientific articles at the end of the publication process, ensuring the article’s official recording in the digital environment.