Publication Ethics and Malpractice

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The journal Research in Education and Rehabilitation (RER) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. All parties involved in the publishing process — authors, reviewers, and editors — must adhere to the ethical behavior standards outlined below. The journal follows the guidelines and best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties of Editors

  • Editors evaluate manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit, originality, relevance to the journal’s scope, and clarity.

  • The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision on acceptance or rejection, taking into consideration the reviewers' recommendations, the scientific and ethical quality of the manuscript, and the journal's editorial policies.

  • Editors must not use unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research without the author's written consent.

  • The editorial team will take reasonable responsive measures when ethical complaints are presented concerning a submitted or published paper.

Duties of Authors

  • Authors must ensure that their work is original and that any sources used are properly cited.

  • All listed authors must have made a substantial contribution to the work and must approve the final version of the manuscript. Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged. Guest, gift, and ghost authorship are not permitted.

  • Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.

  • If significant errors are discovered after publication, authors must promptly notify the editorial team and cooperate in the correction or retraction process.

  • Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflict of interest that may influence their manuscript.

Duties of Reviewers

  • Reviewers assist the editors in evaluating manuscripts and provide recommendations that support editorial decision-making.

  • Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents and not use information from them for personal advantage.

  • Reviewers should provide objective and constructive feedback.

  • Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline to review if they are unqualified or have a competing interest.

Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with applicable ethical standards and relevant institutional and national regulations. Where required, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate institutional ethics committee or review board and provide information about the approval in the manuscript. Informed consent must be obtained from participants or, where applicable, from their parents or legal guardians. Authors are responsible for protecting participants' privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity.

Dealing with Misconduct

  • Suspected misconduct will be investigated following COPE guidelines.

  • Proven misconduct may result in correction, retraction, or other appropriate actions.

Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

The journal will issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. Such actions will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines and will be clearly linked to the original published article.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, and readers may submit complaints or appeals concerning editorial decisions, publication ethics, or the journal's procedures to the Editorial Office. Complaints and appeals will be considered objectively and, where appropriate, by an editor or member of the Editorial Board who was not involved in the original decision.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI

Research in Education and Rehabilitation recognizes the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools in scholarly writing and research workflows.

The journal allows the responsible use of AI-assisted tools (e.g., language editing, grammar checking, or readability improvement), provided that:

- the use of such tools does not replace the authors’ intellectual contribution;
- authors retain full responsibility for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of the manuscript;
- AI tools are not listed as authors;
- the use of AI does not result in plagiarism, data fabrication, or manipulation of research results.

All submissions must comply with the journal’s Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement. The editorial board reserves the right to request clarification regarding the use of AI tools during the editorial and peer-review process.

Revenue Sources

Research in Education and Rehabilitation is a non-profit, open-access journal published by the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, University of Tuzla.

The journal does not charge any article processing charges (APCs), submission fees, or publication fees.
The journal does not generate revenue from subscriptions, reprints, or commercial activities.
Any institutional support received does not influence editorial decision-making, peer review, or acceptance of manuscripts.

Advertising Policy

Research in Education and Rehabilitation does not accept advertising in any form, including online, print, or sponsored content.

Editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by commercial interests.
No advertisements are displayed alongside published content.

Direct Marketing

Research in Education and Rehabilitation does not engage in aggressive or misleading direct marketing practices.

Any communication with authors, reviewers, or readers is conducted solely for scholarly, informational, and editorial purposes, such as calls for papers or publication announcements.
All information provided about the journal is accurate, transparent, and not misleading.