Editorial Assessment and Peer Review Process

All submissions received by Galatasaray University Journal of Communication (İleti-ş-im) are reviewed first by the Editorial Board and then by (at least) two experts. During the appointment of the experts are taken into account: the academic titles of the author(s) and the reviewers, coherence between the subject of the paper and the research area of the reviewers. The evaluation process by experts is anonymous.

The final decision on the publication or rejection of a paper is made by the Scientific Committee. The remarks of the latter are sent to the author(s) with the experts' reports within approximately four months following the submission date. Accepted manuscripts are scheduled for publication according to the date when they were submitted.

The online plagiarism prevention program iThenticate is also used during the evaluation process. Manuscripts with similarities to other resources or quotations that do not comply with academic norms are automatically eliminated, and their authors are banned from publishing in the following journal issues.

When evaluating a paper, reviewers are asked to provide answers to the following questions:

1. Is the current study original? (Does it present an innovative perspective that differs from previous studies? Does the article convey its contributions to the field in a concrete way? Are the limitations of the study and future suggestions clearly presented?)

2. Is the aim of the study clearly stated in the article?

3. Are the research objectives clearly stated in the article? Are the theoretical framework, and methodological approach presented appropriate, and sufficient to generate comprehensive answers to the identified research objectives?

4. Is there enough mention of previous studies in the article? (Have these studies been cited in different parts of the article, analysis framework, finding and discussion, etc.? Is there an important study that is not mentioned in the article?)

5. How can this work benefit the community, academia, or any other related study? Who can benefit from this study?

6. Does the article's title reflect the study's main problem?

7. Does the summary of the study cover the aim, findings, and conclusion of the study?

8. Does the study structure include concrete titles that we expect to see in a scientific article, such as “Introduction”, “Literature summary”, “Research Questions”, “Method”, “Results”, “Discussion”, and “Conclusion”?

Submission Policies

Submitted papers should be original, not published, or under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Submitted papers should be compiled in the following order: title page, abstract, keywords, main text introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments, declaration of interest statement, and references.

A typical paper for this journal should be no less than 6000 & no more than 9000 words, including abstract, tables, references, and endnotes.

Submitted papers must include abstracts not exceeding 250 words, written in Turkish, English, and French. Abstracts should clearly describe the article's content, purpose, and methodology, indicating the main results.

Submissions should include a title page with author details: the name, affiliation, academic title, and contact information of the author(s). A short biography written in the third person, not exceeding 150 words, and summarizing research areas and main publications of the author(s) should also appear on this page.

Papers should be submitted in Word format, in Times New Roman font, size 12 with 1.5 line spacing. Page numbers should be on the top center. Additional information may be given in auto-numbered footnotes, size 10 with single-line spacing.

Headings should be unnumbered, bold with the first letter capitalized. All the headings should be indented 1.25 cm, and subheadings should be in italics.

Figures and tables should be numbered, properly placed in the text, and have titles on the top. Figures should be high quality.

Short quotations should be enclosed in double quotation marks in the text, and if quotation marks are needed in the quotation, single quotation marks should be used. Quotations exceeding 40 words should be set out as a separate block indented 1.25 cm (with no extra indent on the first line), without any quotation marks, and with single-line spacing. While quoting, omissions of words and sentences from the original text should be indicated with an ellipsis in brackets (...).

The titles of books, journals, newspapers, movies, and programs should be in italics in the text. Numbers can be given consistently in figures or in words. In texts written in Turkish, when indicating date, the day must be followed by the month.

In papers written in English, any spelling style is acceptable so long as it is consistent within the manuscript.

The authors are solely responsible for their articles. The opinions expressed in the articles published are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of İleti-ş-im.

The journal has no article processing charges (APCs) or submission charges.

The copyright of the accepted articles belongs to the author(s). No fee is paid to the author.

AI Statement
Author(s) must indicate which artificial intelligence tools they used while writing their articles (including version information) in the Artificial Intelligence Usage Statement section before the references.

References Guidelines

In-text references and bibliographies of all submitted papers should follow the APA Editorial Style specified by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

All in-text references should include the last name of the author and year of publication followed by page numbers when directly quoting the author’s words (Barthes, 1975, p. 104). 

For joint authors, both last names should be given (Lipovetsky and Charles, 2004); for three or more authors, the first author’s last name should be followed by et. al. (Jenkins et al., 2009). The references should be separated when citing multiple sources with a semicolon (Alemdar, 1999; Oskay, 1994).

More than one reference from the same author in the same year must be identified by the letters “a, b, c” (Cassetti, 2011a), and these letters should be consistent with the list of references at the end.

Depending on whether the name of the author cited is mentioned or not in the text, secondary citations should be given as follows: (as cited in Elsaesser, 2004, p. 82) or (Musser, as cited in Elsaesser, 2004, p. 82)

The list of references should include only the sources cited in the text. Regardless of the type of source, all sources must be listed first alphabetically by author last names and then chronologically.

Various examples of works cited in APA format can be found at this link: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines

Galatasaray University Journal of Communication İleti-ş-im is an academic journal where articles written in Turkish, French, or English are published after a double-blind refereeing process. The journal is published by Galatasaray University Faculty of Communication and the ownership status is held by the faculty dean in the name of the Faculty of Communication. İleti-ş-im is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal.

At İleti-ş-im, we are committed to promoting the unrestricted dissemination of knowledge. We firmly believe that providing immediate open access to our research content enhances global knowledge exchange. Accordingly, we follow the principles outlined in the Budapest Open Access Initiative, ensuring that our articles are freely accessible to the public. Our "open access" approach grants users the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles published in our journal. By embracing open access, we aim to facilitate wider readership, foster collaborative research, and encourage the advancement of scholarship in the field of communication sciences.

1. Editorial policies

1.1 Peer review policy
At İleti-ş-im, we recognize the critical role of peer review in maintaining the quality and integrity of scholarly research. Peer review is a crucial evaluation process that ensures the validity, originality, and significance of the manuscripts we consider for publication. As an essential part of our commitment to academic excellence, we follow a rigorous peer review process to uphold the highest standards in communication sciences.

All manuscripts are reviewed initially by the Editors, and only those papers that meet the journal's editorial standards, and fit within the aims and scope of the journal will be sent to two or more reviewers for evaluation.

Double-Blind Peer Review: We employ a double-blind peer review system, which ensures anonymity for both the authors and reviewers. This process minimizes potential biases and safeguards the integrity of the review process. Authors' identities are concealed from reviewers, and vice versa, to ensure impartial evaluations and fair consideration of each submission.

Reviewer Selection: Our editorial team selects qualified reviewers with expertise in the relevant subject areas to conduct thorough evaluations of the submitted manuscripts. Reviewers are chosen based on their scholarly contributions, reputation, and demonstrated competence in their respective fields.

Peer Review Process: Each submitted manuscript is evaluated on (1) the originality of its contribution to the field; (2) the soundness of its theory and methodology given the topic; (3) the coherence of its analysis; (4) its ability to communicate to readers. The normal turn-around time for evaluation of manuscripts is four to six months from the date of receipt.

Reviewer Responsibilities: Reviewers play a crucial role in the publication process and are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely feedback on the submissions assigned to them. They should assess the manuscripts' scientific rigor, methodological soundness, theoretical contributions, and ethical considerations. Reviewers are also encouraged to offer suggestions for improvement and, if necessary, recommend revisions.

Reviewer Reports: Reviewers are requested to submit their reports within the stipulated time frame, indicating their recommendation for acceptance, revision, or rejection. The editorial team will consider reviewers' comments, critiques, and recommendations in making a decision on the manuscript.

Author Response and Revision: Upon completion of the peer review process, authors are provided with reviewers' comments and are given the opportunity to respond to each point raised. Authors must address the reviewers' concerns and suggestions comprehensively and transparently. Revised manuscripts may undergo further evaluation if deemed necessary.

Editorial Decision: The editorial decision is based on the reviewers' assessments, the authors' responses, and the alignment of the manuscript with the journal's scope and quality standards. The final decision may include acceptance, minor or major revisions, or rejection. The editorial team communicates decisions to the authors promptly and respectfully.

Confidentiality and Ethical Considerations: Reviewers must treat all submissions with strict confidentiality, refraining from discussing the content with anyone outside the peer review process. Likewise, authors should ensure that their submissions comply with ethical standards and do not contain any plagiarized or unethical content.

As a journal committed to continuous improvement, we encourage feedback from authors and reviewers regarding our peer review process. By engaging in regular self-assessment, we strive to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our peer review system to serve the academic community better.

1.2. Editorial Responsibilities

At İleti-ş-im, the editors conduct a thorough evaluation of each submission in accordance with the Ethical Principles and Publication Policy of the journal (İleti-ş-im follows the instructions of the Journal of Publications Ethics Committee (Committee Publication Ethics – COPE). The editors are solely responsible for determining whether a submission meets the required standards and contributes to the scholarly literature. The acceptance or rejection of submissions is at the discretion of the editors. They carefully assess each submission's adherence to intellectual property rights, scientific ethics, and its potential contribution to the field.

Editors act independently of any institutions or organizations, ensuring impartiality in the selection of submissions for the reviewing process. The editors prioritize the public interest when choosing articles to advance to the peer review stage. Editors are bound by strict confidentiality. They must not disclose submitted works to anyone other than the reviewers, editorial board, and authors involved in the evaluation process.

By adhering to these editorial evaluation and review policies, İleti-ş-im upholds the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and fairness in the publication process.

Special issue editors also accept the Ethical Principles and Editorial Policy of the journal of Communication in preparing the issues for which they are responsible.

1.3. Authorship

All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. For manuscripts with multiple authors, each author is required to specify their individual contributions to the research.

All authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the work. They must also disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research outcomes or interpretations.

In cases where individuals have contributed significantly but do not meet the criteria for authorship, they should be acknowledged appropriately in the manuscript.

Authors should avoid the use of sexist, othering, and discriminatory language.

Funding Information: Authors are required to provide details of any funding or financial support received for the research. This includes grants, sponsorships, or any other sources of financial support that contributed to the study.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: All authors must disclose any potential conflicting interests related to the research or its publication.

Corresponding Author: One author should be designated as the corresponding author, responsible for communication with the editorial team during the submission and review process.

Changes to Authorship: Any changes to the authorship list, including additions, deletions, or changes in author order, must be discussed and agreed upon by all authors before manuscript acceptance. Post-publication changes to the authorship list are subject to approval by the journal's editorial board.

2. Publishing Policies

İleti-ş-im is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors.

In İleti-ş-im, the process of evaluating submissions and publishing is continuous. For this reason, no deadline is set for the submission of articles for each issue, except for special thematic issues. If the manuscripts are considered suitable after the preliminary evaluation, they are submitted to the referee process and those whose referee process is positive are submitted to the evaluation of the Editorial Board, taking into account the relevant period number (December and June). Articles that do not reach the decision process are kept on hold to be published in the next issue of the next period.

Data Usage Rights and Permissions: Authors must document the usage rights and necessary permissions for the data employed in their studies. If requested, they should be prepared to submit evidence of consent obtained from research participants.

Ethics Committee Approval:
Authors must obtain approval from the ethics committee in the following cases:
• Research involving data collection from participants using qualitative or quantitative approaches, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, and experiments.
• Studies involving humans or animals for experimental or scientific purposes, including clinical and animal studies.
• Retrospective studies in compliance with personal data protection laws.

Ethics committee approval is not required for review articles.

Informed Consent: Authors must explicitly state that they have acquired informed consent forms from research participants, ensuring their voluntary participation and understanding of the study's objectives and procedures.

Third-Party Permissions: Authors must obtain explicit permission for the use of any third-party properties, including scales, questionnaires, photographs, and other materials used in the research.

Copyright Compliance: Authors must comply with copyright regulations for the use of intellectual and artistic works, giving proper attribution and citing the original sources.

Copyright Regulations: Before submitting a manuscript, İleti-ş-im requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Copyright Transfer Form. With this form, the author retains copyright in the work but grants İleti-ş-im to publish.

Honesty and Transparency: Authors must ensure the accuracy and integrity of their research. Any discrepancies or errors discovered after publication must be promptly communicated to the journal's editorial team for necessary corrections or retractions.

Plagiarism and Research Misconduct: Authors must avoid plagiarism and research misconduct. All sources used in the study must be properly cited, and the research must be conducted with integrity and adherence to academic standards. In articles produced from theses, the similarity rate cannot exceed 20%, provided that this situation is specified. In research articles, articles with a similarity rate exceeding 10% are returned to the author and the evaluation process is terminated. In the report, the similarity rate of the articles to a single source cannot be 4% and above. Even if the similarity rate is below 10%, the evaluation process of the articles with problems is terminated. For the texts in the evaluation process, a similarity report is regularly obtained until the end of the publication process, and the necessary controls are provided. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

Data Sharing and Archiving: Authors are encouraged to share their research data to promote transparency and reproducibility. Data should be properly archived and made available upon request.

Open Access: İleti-ş-im is an “open access” journal. See more at about the journal.

3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Galatasaray University Journal of Communication, İleti-ş-im, recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) tools possess the potential to refine academic output and resolve linguistic or expressive challenges, provided they are utilized responsibly and in alignment with established ethical frameworks. This AI policy is designed to guarantee transparency, safeguard ethical integrity, and ensure that scholarly contributions remain both original and comprehensive within the academic literature.

İleti-ş-im remains committed to monitoring the evolution of AI technologies and will periodically revise these guidelines to reflect technological advancements and emerging ethical standards.

The following principles have been adopted to guide authors, editors, and reviewers in the use of these tools:

3.1. For Authors:
Author(s) are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of the articles they submit. This responsibility includes reviewing the outputs of artificial intelligence tools and verifying their accuracy.

Under no circumstances can artificial intelligence be listed as the author or co-author of an article.

Author(s) are also responsible for checking the terms of use of the artificial intelligence tools they use, preventing the illegal and unethical dissemination of sensitive data such as copyrighted images and personal data, and controlling where and how the data they upload to artificial intelligence is used and what rights they grant. Authors must also check for factual errors and possible biases.

AI Statement:
Author(s) must indicate which artificial intelligence tools they used while writing their articles (including version information) in the Artificial Intelligence Usage Statement section before the references.

Example:
“The author(s) used (name of tool or service) during the preparation of this article for purposes such as translating from different languages, improving expressions, and making the narrative more fluent. The author(s) carefully reviewed and edited the content and assume full responsibility for the content of the article.”

If artificial intelligence was not used: It is sufficient to write “Artificial intelligence was not used in the preparation of this article.”

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Research:
If the author(s) have used artificial intelligence tools at any stage of the research, they must clearly and thoroughly state this in the methods section.

Artificial Intelligence in Visual Data Production:
Visuals generated using artificial intelligence are accepted provided that they serve an explanatory purpose and their accuracy has been verified. The source of the visuals must clearly indicate the artificial intelligence tool or service used, including the specific version. Scientific claims may not be substantiated solely by visuals produced using artificial intelligence; such claims must be verifiable and supported by empirical data.

3.2. For Reviewers:
Reviewers should not upload the entire article or any part of it to artificial intelligence tools, as doing so may compromise the confidentiality and privacy of the submission.

Reviewers are personally responsible for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of their evaluations.

Reviewers are encouraged to inform the editors if they suspect the use of artificial intelligence in the articles they evaluate that has not been disclosed by the authors. Such notifications should be based on objective evaluation criteria, and the reasons should be stated clearly and impartially.

3.3. For Editors:

Editors must conduct the article process with strict confidentiality. The content of submitted articles cannot be uploaded in whole or in part to artificial intelligence tools for analysis or summarization.

3.4. Policy to Follow in Case of Violation:
If there is reason to suspect the use of artificial intelligence, the editors may contact the authors and request supporting evidence or clarification, where necessary.

If the use of artificial intelligence tools is not transparently disclosed or if a violation of ethical standards is identified, the article may be rejected during the review process.

If such a violation is identified after publication, appropriate corrective measures may be taken, including the publication of a correction or the retraction of the article.

*AI Statement: During the development of the artificial intelligence policy of the Galatasaray University Journal of Communication, İleti-ş-im, Gemini Pro 3, OpenAI GPT-5.2, and DeepL were utilized to research and compare international policy practices, as well as to improve the clarity and comprehensibility of the text.

4. Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions

At İleti-ş-im, we are committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. Despite rigorous peer review and editorial processes, we recognize that errors or issues may occasionally emerge in published articles. As part of our commitment to transparency and responsible publishing, we have established the following Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions policy:

Corrections: Minor errors, such as typographical errors or formatting inconsistencies, will be corrected and acknowledged promptly. These corrections will be made to the online version of the article, and a note of correction will be added to the published article to inform readers of the changes. In cases where corrections significantly affect the article's meaning, context, or results, an erratum will be published. The erratum will outline the nature of the error, the corrected information, and the date of correction.

Retractions: In instances of serious ethical misconduct, data fabrication, plagiarism, or other severe issues that affect the validity and credibility of a published article, the editorial team will consider issuing a retraction. The retraction will clearly state the reasons for the retraction and will be linked to the original article. Retractions may also occur when there are clear errors or flaws that render the article unreliable or unsound. The retraction notice will provide an explanation for the decision to retract and ensure readers are aware of the circumstances.

Retraction Procedure: The decision to issue a correction or retraction will be made by the editorial team, in consultation with the authors and reviewers, as appropriate. Authors will be given an opportunity to respond to any concerns raised during the evaluation process, and retractions will be conducted with due process and fairness. All retractions and corrections will be prominently displayed on the journal's website and indexed in relevant databases for the benefit of readers and the broader academic community.

Authors' Responsibility: Authors are expected to cooperate fully with the journal's editorial team during the post-publication correction or retraction process. They should promptly respond to any inquiries and provide necessary clarifications.

Reader Involvement: Readers are encouraged to bring any potential concerns about published articles to the attention of the editorial team. We value the vigilance and diligence of our readers in upholding the integrity of the scholarly record.

Removal of Published Content: In extraordinary circumstances, Galatasaray University Journal of Communication retains the right to remove an article, research paper, or other content from our online platforms. The decision to take such action is not taken lightly and is guided by specific criteria covering the following situations.

Content may be subject to removal if it is found to be defamatory, infringing on a third party's intellectual property rights, right to privacy, or other legal rights, or if it is deemed to be unlawful.

The removal of content can be temporary or permanent, contingent upon the nature and gravity of the circumstances. In all cases, we are committed to transparency, ensuring that the reasons for content removal are conveyed clearly to our readers and stakeholders.

While content may be removed, bibliographic metadata, such as the title and author information, will be retained. These details will be accessible along with an explanatory statement, articulating the rationale behind the content's removal.

The journal has no article processing charges or submission charges.