Peer Review Process
(Download TOJET Peer Review PDF)
The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology (TOJET) employs a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the academic quality, relevance, and originality of submitted manuscripts. The review process is structured as follows:
Stage 1: Initial Submission:
Upon submission to the journal, the article undergoes an initial plagiarism screening using the iThenticate ai software, a widely recognized plagiarism detection software and a citation manipulation/boosting review using an AI prompt created for this purpose. The submitted manuscript is uploaded to iThenticate ai. The software scans the text for similarities with existing sources, including published journal articles, books, theses, websites, and other academic databases.
Preliminary Evaluation Based on Similarity Report:
· The editorial team carefully reviews the similarity report generated by iThenticate ai.
· If the similarity index is within acceptable limits and no signs of unethical citation practices or potential plagiarism are detected, the article is approved for peer review.
· If the similarity is too high or problematic sections are found (e.g., copy-pasted text without proper citation), the manuscript is rejected or returned to the author for revision even before the review process begins.
Citation Manipulation/Boosting Review: As part of the initial submission, the references and citations fare examined for possible “citation boosting” or “citation manipulation.”. This will not be tolerated by TOJET. (See Appendix A: Citation Manipulation and Boosting, below.)
Stage 2: Initial Editorial Screening:
Upon successful completion of the plagiarism and citation boosting review, each
manuscript undergoes an initial screening by the editorial team to assess its
adherence with American Psychological Association (APA) publication standards,
alignment with the scope of the journal, adherence to submission guidelines, and
basic academic quality. Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria may be
desk-rejected without external review.
Stage 3: Peer Review:
Upon successful review by the editors, the manuscript moves to the Associate Editor for peer review tasking. TOJET follows a double-blind review policy, meaning that the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed throughout the review process. The Peer Review Process consists of two or more distinguished scholars with recognized expertise in educational technology and related disciplines. Manuscript evaluation criteria include presentation clarity, methodological rigor, standards for originality, academic and scientific standards, theoretical and practical contribution and relevance to the field of educational technology. Failure to address any of the criteria will result in a rejection of the manuscript. This process continues independently of the plagiarism check.
Upon completion of the reviews, peer reviewers complete an evaluation report with a recommendation for rejecting, revising or accepting the manuscript. The report consists of a Review Form and reviewer notes used to verify the results of the review and to maintain a record of the statements from the reviewer. The final report details feedback and recommendations for the acceptance, revision or rejection of the manuscript. The report is returned to the Associate Editor once the review is complete.
Recommendations for manuscript rejections are sent directly to the Editor and Chief, who will send a letter of rejection to the author. Recommendations for revising or approval are forwarded to the Associate Editor for further action.
Stage 4: Pre-publication stage:
Manuscripts recommended for publication are submitted for a pre-publication review. This consists of a Second iThenticate ai plagiarism check. This step ensures that no new plagiarized content has been added during the revision process and ensures the final version still adheres to ethical standards. If the second check reveals plagiarized content, the editorial team thoroughly investigates the issue. Once confirmed, an official notification is sent via email to all listed authors, detailing the plagiarism findings and the decision taken. The manuscript is officially rejected; article is withdrawn from the publication process. and the authors are informed that it will not be published. A detailed report is prepared by the editorial office., listed authors are notified via email regarding the findings and a formal notification of rejection due to plagiarism is issued. Instances of confirmed plagiarism are documented internally. Authors found to have violated ethical standards may be subject to additional screening or restrictions in future submissions. A record of the incident is maintained internally by the editorial board to prevent future submissions from the same authors from being processed without careful screening.
Stage 5: Editorial Decision:
Based on the reviewers’ reports, the editor makes one of the following decisions: accept, revise (minor or major), or reject. In the case of conflicting reviews, the editor may assign a third reviewer or consult with the editorial board before making a final decision.
· Revision and Resubmission: If revisions are requested, authors are expected to respond to reviewers' comments in a detailed revision report and submit the revised manuscript within the specified timeline. The revised manuscript may be sent back to the original reviewers for re-evaluation.
· Final Decision and Publication: Following acceptance, the manuscript undergoes final formatting and proofreading before publication in the upcoming issue of TOJET. Authors receive a pre-publication version for final approval.
Publication Ethics Statement
The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology (TOJET) adheres to the highest standards of ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. Our editorial policies align with international best practices, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Below are TOJET’s formal policies regarding publication ethics and practices:
Authorship and Contributorship
· All listed authors must have made a substantial contribution to the research and the preparation of the manuscript.
· Authors must agree on the order of authorship prior to submission.
· One corresponding author must be designated at the time of submission. This individual is responsible for all communications with the journal and must:
o Ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript.
o Coordinate responses and revisions during the peer-review and editorial process.
o Handle all post-publication communication on behalf of all authors.
· TOJET does not allow citation manipulation such as ghost authorship, gift authorship, or unauthorized co-authorship under any circumstances.
Complaints and Appeals
· TOJET is committed to addressing complaints and appeals fairly and transparently.
· Complaint/Appeal Procedure:
o All complaints must be submitted via email to: Prof. Dr. Aytekin ISMAN – isman@sakarya.edu.tr
o The Editor-in-Chief will acknowledge the complaint within 5 business days.
o A preliminary review will be conducted to determine the nature of the issue.
o If necessary, the case will be referred to the Editorial Board or an Ethics Review Panel.
o The complainant will receive a formal response within 30 days.
· Complaints may concern review process delays, editorial decisions, ethical issues, or author conduct.
Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests
· Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including:
o Financial relationships.
o Institutional affiliations.
o Personal or professional ties that may influence objectivity.
o Conflicts must be disclosed at the time of submission or review. TOJET reserves the rightto withdraw an article if an undisclosed
o Conflict is discovered post-publication.
Data Sharing and Replication of Research
· TOJET encourages authors to provide access to datasets, research instruments, and supplementary materials that allow others to replicate or verify the study’s findings.
· Authors may include data availability statements in their manuscripts.
· When applicable, data should be deposited in reputable repositories and cited appropriately.
· TOJET supports research transparency and welcomes replication studies.
Ethical Oversight
· All research involving human participants, personal data, or sensitive topics must adhere to recognized ethical standards.
· Authors are required to confirm that they have obtained ethical approval from a relevant institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee.
· Informed consent must be documented where applicable.
· The editorial team may request proof of ethical approval at any stage.
· TOJET has an internal ethics committee (Ethics Review Panel) that assists in evaluating ethical concerns.
Intellectual Property
· TOJET respects and protects intellectual property rights.
· All content published in TOJET is protected under Creative Commons Attribution Licenses (CC BY).
· TOJET owns the copyright to author's work and grants TOJET the right to publish, archive, and distribute the article.
· Any form of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, will result in rejection or retraction of the article.
· TOJET uses plagiarism detection software (iThenticate ai) to screen all submissions.
Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections
· TOJET provides a formal process for handling post-publication issues, including:
o Corrections: Minor errors may be corrected in the online version of the article and noted in an editorial correction.
o Retractions: Serious ethical breaches or scientific errors may result in article retraction, with a notice clearly posted on the journal’s website.
o Commentaries or Letters: Readers may submit scholarly responses, which will be reviewed and published at the discretion of the editorial board.
Revision Timeframe:
· Authors are typically given 2 to 4 weeks to submit revisions.
· Revised manuscripts undergo a second round of peer review, focusing on the changes made and the adequacy of the author’s response to reviewer comments.
· Failure to submit revisions within the stated period may result in withdrawal of the manuscript.
Note: The journal maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism in all forms. Authors are strongly advised to ensure that all sources are properly cited and that their work complies with international standards of academic honesty.
For further questions regarding publication ethics or policy clarification,
please contact:
Prof. Dr. Aytekin ISMAN
Editor-in-Chief of TOJET
isman@sakarya.edu.tr
Appendix A: Citation manipulation and boosting
Citation manipulation is any practice that artificially inflates citation counts or misrepresents the influence of a scholarly work. According to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), manipulative citation is "characterized by behaviors intended to inflate citation counts for personal gain, such as excessive self-citation of an authors’ own work, excessive citation to the journal publishing the citing article, or excessive citation between journals in a coordinated manner." Citation manipulation erodes public trust and distorts the scholarly record (COPE, 2025).
Types of Citation Boosting:
1) Excessive self-citations: Self-citation is appropriate in many situations, such as to ensure research continuity, self-citations included with the purpose of inflating one's scholarly impact may indicate manipulation.
2) Coercive citations: Coercive citations occur when editors or peer-reviewers request that authors include unnecessary references to their own work or to articles published in the journal, sometimes in exchange for publication.
3) Ghost citations: Ghost citations are references to non-existent papers. They are often attributed to the use of generative AI, such as ChatGPT (see AI use on Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statements).
4) Citation Collusion: Citation cartels refer to groups of researchers or journals who collude to increase citations to each other’s papers.
5) Avoid Citation Manipulation by: Citing for relevance; Diversify citations; Be transparent; Use citation management tools.
6) (Information found at: https://guides.library.sc.edu/navigating-research-fraud/citation-manipulation (May,2025)
7) COPE Council. COPE Discussion Document: Citation Manipulation. July 2019. https//dio.org/10.24218/cope.219.3.3)
TOJET is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, transparency, and fairness throughout the review process.