Publication Ethics
The journal agrees to act in accordance with the journal's open access policy, COPE criteria (Committee on Publication Ethics, COPE-Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors). If plagiarism, fabricated data, deliberate modification of data is detected in the articles submitted to the journal, the article will not be accepted, if it is in the publication process, it will be rejected, withdrawn, the authors will be asked to prove the data (analysis file, picture, experiment video, etc.), and if the ethical violation is confirmed, this situation will be officially notified to the author / s institution.
a. Ethical Responsibilities of the Editor(s)
1. The editor(s) has the responsibility of blind reviewing the manuscript submitted to the journal for publication, referring the manuscript back to the referees for second and third round evaluation, and acting in accordance with the ethical policies of the journal.
2. Editor(s) have the responsibility to detect unethical and unscientific behaviors such as plagiarism detection, data theft, deliberate modification of data. If necessary, they have the responsibility to ask the authors for proof of data (analysis file, picture, experiment video, etc.).
3. The editor(s) are responsible for keeping records of the similarity rate, copyright agreement, ethics committee report and e-mails with the author(s).
4. The editor(s) follow a transparent policy to ensure that the journal complies with scientific ethical principles, taking into account negative situations and complaints about the journal. They publicly announce the situations that require information on the journal's website.
5. When referee(s) use an aggressive, negative, offensive, insulting, humiliating and belittling style in their evaluations, the editor(s) has the responsibility to intervene and warn the referee(s) to use an academic style, to be positive, constructive and motivating.
b. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
1. Blind refereeing is applied for the articles sent by the editor(s) to the referees for evaluation. Referees cannot contact the author(s) directly.
2. While evaluating the article, the referees should do so in accordance with the principles of scientific ethics, impartiality and confidentiality.
3. Referee evaluations should not be made in an aggressive, negative, offensive, insulting and condescending language, but should be done in an academic style, in a level, respectful, positive and motivating manner.
4. Referees have the responsibility to notify the editor(s) when they detect unethical and unscientific behaviors such as plagiarism detection, data theft, deliberate modification of data.
5. Referees who accept the evaluation of the manuscript undertake to evaluate the manuscript within the time given to them. Referees who are unable to complete the evaluation of the article within the given period have the right to extend the article evaluation period.
c. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
1. With the signing of the copyright transfer form by the author(s), they accept and declare that all responsibility for their articles belongs to them, and they accept and declare their responsibility for ethical and scientific issues that may arise with the publication of their articles.
2. The author(s) declare with the copyright transfer form that the article they have submitted has not been published anywhere else and that they have not submitted it to more than one journal at the same time.
3. Author/s should write and cite their articles in accordance with scientific and ethical principles.
4. Author(s) should not engage in unethical and unscientific behaviors such as plagiarism, data theft, deliberate modification of data. 5. When the editor(s) request proof of data (analysis file, picture, experiment video, etc.) from the authors, they have the responsibility to submit them.
d. AI Policy
The International Journal of Excellent Leadership (IJEL) acknowledges the potential benefits and risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in academic research and writing. Authors are required to disclose any use of AI tools in the preparation of their manuscripts. AI tools may only be used to support language editing or technical assistance, not to generate original content, data, or analysis. The corresponding author is fully responsible for the integrity and accuracy of the submitted manuscript.
e. Plagiarism Screening Policy
All manuscripts submitted to the International Journal of Excellent Leadership (IJEL) are checked for similarity prior to the peer-review process. IJEL uses professional plagiarism detection software, including Turnitin and iThenticate, to verify the originality of submissions.
f. Similarity Policy
g. Responsibility
Authorship Diversity & Anti-Endogeny Policy
IJEL is committed to maintaining author diversity and limiting endogeny. The journal accepts submissions from all countries and institutions, and prioritizes international representation.
To ensure editorial independence and diversity of authorship:
No more than 25% of the articles per volume will be authored by researchers from the same institution as the Editor-in-Chief or the editorial board.
Double-blind peer review prevents reviewers from knowing authors’ identities or affiliations.
Guest editors may be invited to manage special issues, with independent reviewers assigned.
Articles authored by the editorial board are not allowed to be published in IJEL.
In cases where endogeny risk increases, the journal actively prioritizes external submissions during the editorial selection process.
IJEL monitors authorship distribution annually and reports any corrective actions when necessary to ensure diversity, transparency, and academic neutrality.