Ethics and Malpractice Statement

1. Ethical Principles

The International Journal of Didactical Studies (IJODS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal upholds ethical principles that promote transparency, fairness, accountability, and trust throughout the scholarly publishing process.

IJODS follows internationally recognized ethical standards and best practices and takes guidance from the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to IJODS must ensure that:

The submitted work is original, has not been previously published, and is not under consideration elsewhere.
All sources are appropriately cited, and the manuscript does not contain plagiarism, including self-plagiarism.
Data presented in the manuscript are accurate, honestly reported, and have not been fabricated, falsified, or inappropriately manipulated.
All individuals who made a significant scholarly contribution are listed as authors, and all listed authors approve the final version of the manuscript.
Authors accept collective responsibility for the content of the submitted and published work.
Any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest are clearly disclosed.
Necessary ethical approvals, permissions, or informed consent have been obtained where applicable.
All sources of financial support or funding related to the research are fully disclosed, and the role of the funding body, if any, is clearly stated.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors of IJODS are responsible for:

Evaluating manuscripts solely on academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s aims and scope.
Ensuring that the peer-review process is conducted in a fair, unbiased, and confidential manner.
Maintaining editorial independence from commercial, institutional, or personal interests.
Taking appropriate action in cases of suspected ethical misconduct, including plagiarism, data manipulation, or unethical research practices.
Ensuring that corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern are issued when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

Conduct reviews objectively, constructively, and confidentially.
Evaluate manuscripts based on scholarly quality, methodological rigor, and relevance.
Identify relevant published work that has not been cited.
Notify the editor of any substantial similarity between the manuscript under review and other published work.
Declare any conflicts of interest that could influence their evaluation.
Refrain from using unpublished material for personal advantage.

5. Peer Review Integrity

All submissions to IJODS undergo a double-blind peer-review process, ensuring that the identities of authors and reviewers remain confidential. Editorial decisions are based on reviewers’ evaluations and the journal’s academic standards.

In cases of conflicting reviewer recommendations, additional reviewers may be consulted. The final decision regarding publication rests with the editorial team.

6. Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests

IJODS requires all participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, and editors—to disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research, its interpretation, or the editorial evaluation of a manuscript.

Individuals with identified conflicts may be excluded from the review or decision-making process to ensure impartiality.

All disclosed conflicts of interest are evaluated and managed by the editorial team under the direction of the Editor-in-Chief, with the aim of preserving the integrity, transparency, and fairness of the peer-review and publication process.

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may be considered an ethical concern and may result in editorial action in accordance with the journal’s Publication Ethics.

7. Ethical Misconduct

IJODS considers ethical misconduct to be any action that undermines the integrity of the scholarly record. The following practices are regarded as serious violations of publication ethics.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, involves presenting another person’s work, ideas, or expressions as one’s own without proper acknowledgment. All submissions may be screened for plagiarism, and manuscripts containing plagiarized material will be rejected.

Data Fabrication and Falsification

The fabrication, falsification, or selective manipulation of research data is considered a severe ethical breach. Manuscripts found to contain manipulated or unreliable data may be rejected or retracted.

Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal or publishing substantially similar content without proper disclosure is unethical and unacceptable.

Fabricated or Unverifiable References

Authors are ethically responsible for ensuring that all references cited in their manuscripts are accurate, authentic, and based on sources that genuinely exist and have been consulted. The inclusion of fabricated, incorrect, or non-existent references constitutes a serious breach of publication ethics.

Undisclosed or Unethical Use of Artificial Intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence (AI)–assisted tools does not exempt authors from responsibility for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their work. Undisclosed or unethical use of AI tools—including the generation of content, data, or references without verification—is considered ethical misconduct and is handled in accordance with the journal’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy.

8. Data Sharing and Reproducibility

IJODS supports transparency and reproducibility in research. Authors may be requested to provide access to the data underlying their findings for editorial or review purposes. Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to include data availability statements and to ensure that reported results can be verified and reproduced.

9. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

Post-publication concerns raised by readers or authors are reviewed by the editorial team in line with the journal’s ethical procedures. The journal is committed to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record. When errors or ethical issues are identified after publication, IJODS may publish:

Corrections to address honest errors,
Retractions for invalid or unethical research,
Expressions of concern when issues require further investigation.

All such actions follow editorial review and ethical assessment.

10. Appeals and Complaints

Authors have the right to submit a reasoned appeal against editorial decisions. Appeals are reviewed by the editorial team and, where appropriate, additional reviewers.

Complaints regarding editorial processes, peer review, or ethical matters are handled confidentially and fairly.

Complaints and appeals are handled by the editorial team under the direction of the Editor-in-Chief, following ethical assessment.

11. Withdrawal of Manuscripts

Authors who wish to withdraw their manuscript during the review process must formally notify the editorial office. Withdrawals after acceptance are subject to editorial consideration.

12. Intellectual Property and Licensing

Issues related to copyright ownership, licensing terms, and reuse of published content are governed by the journal’s Copyright and Licensing Policy, which is described in detail in the Author Guidelines. Intellectual property issues are handled in accordance with applicable copyright and licensing policies.

13. Ethical Oversight

IJODS is committed to continuous ethical oversight and regularly reviews its editorial policies to align with evolving best practices in scholarly publishing.

14. Compliance Statement

By submitting a manuscript to IJODS, authors acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to abide by the journal’s ethical policies and publication standards.