Publication Policies and Research Ethics

Introduction

The University of Tabuk Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences (UTJHSS) is committed to the highest standards of quality and academic integrity in publishing scientific research in the humanities and social sciences. These policies aim to ensure transparency, ethics, and compliance with international academic publishing standards in line with the requirements of Scopus and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Section 1: General Publication Conditions

1.1 Language and Originality

• The journal publishes academic research and studies in the humanities and social sciences in both Arabic and English.
• The research must be original and not previously published or under consideration elsewhere.
• The researcher must be a faculty member at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher, except in exceptional cases approved by the Editor-in-Chief.
• Research extracted from academic theses or dissertations (Master’s/PhD) will not be accepted.

1.2 Anonymity and Blind Review

• The names of the author(s) must not appear in the manuscript, footnotes, or references and should be replaced with “the researcher” or “the researchers.”
• All identifying information, including names, qualifications, affiliations, and metadata, must be removed from the main manuscript file.
• Authors must submit an anonymized version of the manuscript free from any indication of the author’s identity or institutional affiliation.

1.3 Author Responsibilities

• Authors bear full responsibility for the content of the submitted manuscript, including data accuracy, originality of results, and language quality.
• Authors must provide a written declaration confirming that the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
• Authors are prohibited from modifying the manuscript after acceptance for publication.

Section 2: Peer Review and Publication Criteria

2.1 Peer Review Process

• The journal adopts a double-blind peer review system in which the identities of authors and reviewers remain anonymous.
• All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening before being sent to at least two specialized reviewers.
• In the event of conflicting reviewer reports, the manuscript is referred to a third reviewer whose decision shall be final.
• The journal uses iThenticate software to detect plagiarism, and manuscripts exceeding a similarity index of 30% without acceptable justification shall not be accepted.

2.2 Research Acceptance Criteria

• The manuscript must demonstrate originality, innovation, and sound scientific methodology.
• The manuscript must be free from linguistic and grammatical errors in both Arabic and English.
• References must follow APA 7 citation style.
• The similarity index must not exceed 30 % according to plagiarism detection software.

2.3 Copyright and Licensing

• Authors retain copyright ownership of their work; however, publishing rights are transferred to the journal upon acceptance.
• Published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), permitting sharing and adaptation with appropriate attribution.
• Republishing the manuscript elsewhere, whether electronically or in print, without written permission from the Editor-in-Chief is prohibited.

Section 3: Research and Publication Ethics

3.1 Author Ethics

• Authors must disclose any conflict of interest that may influence the research outcomes.
• The use of fabricated data or unverified findings is prohibited.
• Authors must provide a Data Availability Statement explaining access to the research data.

3.2 Reviewer Ethics

• Reviewers must maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts.
• Reviewers are prohibited from using any manuscript information for personal purposes.
• Reviewers must provide a detailed evaluation addressing methodology, originality, and accuracy of results.

3.3 Editorial Ethics

• Editors must ensure the independence of editorial decisions based solely on scientific merit.
• Editors are prohibited from disclosing the identities of authors or reviewers.
• Editors must handle complaints and publication ethics violations in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Section 4: Corrections and Retractions

• In cases where significant errors are identified after publication, the journal shall issue a correction notice or retraction notice in accordance with COPE guidelines.
• Authors are prohibited from modifying the published manuscript except in exceptional cases approved by the editorial board.

Section 5: Digital Archiving

• Each published article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to ensure permanent accessibility and citation.
• All journal issues are archived in international digital repositories such as Portico or LOCKSS to ensure long-term preservation and sustainability.