ABOUT THE JOURNAL

Aim of the Journal

IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies (online ISSN: 2757-9549), published by The English Language and Literature Research Association of Turkey (IDEA), is an electronically published, international, double-anonymous peer-reviewed, semi-annual journal for English literary studies.

Being a non-profit and non-governmental organization acting as the only professional platform of scholars in the fields of English studies in Turkey, the IDEA works for the enhancement of critical, literary, and cultural studies in English. Through IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies, IDEA is and will be happy to contribute to high-quality scholarly studies which address the canonical and contemporary issues in literatures and media produced in English.

Focus and Scope

In line with its aims, IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies focuses on studies that

help scholars bring out their professional views on literatures in English,
serve a bridge between theory and practice by contributing directly to literary and cultural studies produced in English,
provide a new platform for British cultural studies,
evaluate the literatures in English in comparison with the Turkish literature within their own contexts,
publish significant scholarly and critical interventions, from several viewpoints, and thereby to influence the agenda in the above-mentioned fields.

Journal Sections

IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies publishes Original Research Articles, Interviews, and Book Reviews.

Studies conducted outside the areas indicated above are out of the scope of IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies, and they are not accepted for review.

Publication Frequency

IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies, an electronically published, international, peer-reviewed journal is published two times a year in April and October.

Indexing

IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies is indexed in the MLA International Bibliography, Asos Indeks, and Google Scholar. IDEAS is also listed in the MLA Directory of Periodicals.

Publication Language

Publication language of IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies is English. Manuscripts must be submitted in English, including abstracts written both in English and Turkish. The submitted manuscript should comply with the grammar rules and related scholarly literature. (Turkish abstracts of accepted articles by non-Turkish authors will be provided by the journal team.)

Submitted final copies are checked by the language editors of IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies. Language editors may request some proofreading in case of insufficiency.

Open Access Policy

IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies adopts open access policy. Open access to information benefits humanity as it improves the global value of information. IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies also supports the Budapest Open Access Initiative that was signed on September 12, 2012. Thus, the open-access policies adopted by the editorial board of IDEAS can be found at http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/boai-10-recommendations.

All articles published in IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies are licensed with "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License". This license entitles all parties to copy, share and redistribute all the articles, data sets, figures and supplementary files published in this journal in data mining, search engines, web sites, blogs and other digital platforms under the condition of providing references. Open access is an approach that eases the interdisciplinary communication and encourages cooperation among different disciplines. IDEAS, therefore, contributes to its own field by providing more access to its articles.

IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies recommends that libraries include the article contents into library catalogue records.

The English Language and Literature Research Association of Turkey (IDEA), publisher of IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies, guarantees that it will not ask for any publication fees from any author, library or reader to access the electronic articles.

Since IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies claims no fees for article review or printing and for access to articles, it has no source of income. Accordingly, the following obligations of the manuscripts submitted to IDEAS lie with the authors:

The studies in IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies are published as full texts in English and abstracts in both English and Turkish.
All articles must be submitted with a similarity report. The similarity score should not be more than 10%.

Privacy Statement

Personal information like names and e-mail addresses submitted to IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies management system will be used exclusively for this journal and the IDEA’s scholarly aims. Such information will not be used for other purposes and will not be shared with third parties.

Sponsorship and Advertising

As part of its publication policies, IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies does not accept sponsorship or advertisements. However, the journal can make announcements on its web page about non-profit scientific and educational events.

Copyright Notice

The manuscripts submitted to IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies for publication should be original studies that were not published before or not submitted to anywhere else for publication.

Authors who submit their studies to IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies should acknowledge that they have to transfer the copyright of their studies to The English Language and Literature Research Association of Turkey (IDEA). The editorial board of the journal is authorized to publish the study. Nonetheless, the following rights are reserved:

Patent rights,
All unregistered rights apart from copyright,
Duplication rights on condition that the study is not sold,
The right to use the whole or parts of the study in the author’s own books or other academic studies on condition that reference is given,
The right to publish the study on personal websites or the open archive of their university on condition that the copyright details are provided.

Those authors who will submit their studies to IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies have to fill in the "Copyright Transfer Form". Wet signature is required. The signed form should first be scanned and then sent to ideas.ejournal@gmail.com after the article acceptance notification.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Double-anonymous peer review is a method used to make sure scientific publications are produced with the highest quality. This method is fundamental to the objective review of scientific studies and is preferred by many scientific journals. Reviewer views are determinant in the publication quality of IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies. All manuscripts submitted to IDEAS are anonymously reviewed by at least two reviewers according to the steps below:

Double-Anonymous Peer Review Method

IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies uses the double-anonymous peer review method in the review process of all studies. In this method the identities of the authors and reviewers are confidential.

Pre-Review Process

The studies submitted to IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies are reviewed by the editor first. At this stage, the studies which are not related with the journal's aim and scope, weak in terms of language and wording, lack originality, contain critical scientific mistakes and do not meet the publishing criteria are rejected. The authors of such studies are informed in four weeks following the submission date. The studies deemed acceptable, on the other hand, are assigned to reviewers.

Assigning Reviewers

Reviewers are assigned according to the content of the studies and their subject of expertise. The editor who reviews the study recommends two reviewers, based on their subject of expertise, from the reviewer pool of IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies or a new reviewer related with the subject of study addressed in the article. The recommendations are then evaluated, and the studies are passed on to the reviewers who are obligated to guarantee that they will not share any document or detail about the study they review.

Reviewer Reports

In general, the reviewer reports are based on the originality of the studies, methods, ethical considerations, consistent presentation of the findings and results and analyses of the studies with respect to literature.

Reviewing Process

Reviewers are given four weeks for review. It is compulsory for the authors to complete the editing of their work within three weeks according to the rules stated in "Guidelines". Reviewers may ask multiple editing of a study if they deem necessary.

Review Result

The editor evaluates the review by reviewers within two weeks at the latest, and, as a result of this evaluation, the editor informs the author(s) about the decision regarding the study.

How long does the Publication Review Process last?

It is anticipated that the publication review process of the studies submitted to IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies will be completed in 2-6 months. However, the period during which editors or reviewers ask the author(s) to do editing and the author(s) complete the editing is not included in this time frame.

Appeals

The author(s) retains the right to appeal against the reports produced by the editorial and scientific boards upon the completion of the review process at IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies. The author(s) should send their reasons for appeal in a scientific manner and by showing references to ideas.ejournal@gmail.com. The appeal will be examined by the editorial board within one month the latest (the editor and reviewers of the manuscript may be asked to share their opinions about the appeal) and the author(s) will be informed of any positive or negative result. If the result is positive, the editorial board assigns new reviewers that have expertise in the subject of the manuscript and re-starts the review process.

ETHICS POLICY

Publication Ethics

The publication process at IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies is the basis of the improvement and dissemination of information objectively and respectfully. Therefore, the procedures in this process improves the quality of the studies. Peer-reviewed studies are the ones that support and materialize the scientific method. At this point, it is of utmost importance that all parties included in the publication process (authors, readers and researchers, publisher, reviewers and editors) comply with the standards of ethical considerations. IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies expects all parties to hold the following ethical responsibilities.

The following ethical duties and responsibilities are written in light of the guides and policies made by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

The authors who submit their manuscripts to IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:

Author(s) must submit original studies to the journal. If they utilize or use other studies, they must make the in-text and end-text references accurately and completely.
People who have not contributed to the study at the intellectual level should not be indicated as an author.
If the manuscripts submitted to be published are subject of conflicting interests or relations, these must be explained.
Author(s) bears the responsibility to inform the editor of the journal or publisher if they happen to notice a mistake in their study which is in early release or publication process and to cooperate with the editors during the correction or withdrawal process.
Authors cannot submit their studies to multiple journals simultaneously. Each submission can be made only after the previous one is completed. A study published in another journal cannot be submitted to IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies.
Author responsibilities given in a study (e.g.: adding an author, reordering of author names) whose review process has begun cannot be changed.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

The editor and field editors of IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies should hold the following ethical responsibilities that are based on the guides "COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" and "COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" published as open access by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

General Duties and Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for each study published in IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies. In this respect, the editors have the following roles and responsibilities:

Making efforts to meet the demand for knowledge from readers and authors,
Ensuring the continuous development of the journal,
Managing the procedures aimed to improve the quality of the studies published in the journal,
Supporting freedom of expression,
Ensuring academic integrity,
Following the procedures without making concessions on intellectual property rights and ethical standards,
Being transparent and clear in issues that require correction or explanation.

Relationships with Readers

Editors must make decisions taking into consideration the knowledge, skills and expectations of all readers’, researchers’ and practitioners’ need. They must also ensure that the published studies contribute to the literature and be original. Moreover, they must take notice of the feedback received from researchers and practitioners, and provide explanatory and informative feedback.

Relationships with Authors

Editors have the following duties and responsibilities in their relations with authors:

Editors must make positive or negative decisions about the studies’ importance, originality, validity, clarity in wording and suitability with the journal’s aims and objectives.
Editors must accept the studies that are within the scope of the publication into the pre-review process unless there are serious problems with the study.
Editors must not ignore positive suggestions made by reviewers unless there are serious problems with the study.
New editors, unless there are serious issues, must not change the previous editor’s decisions about the studies.
"Peer Review Process" must be published, and editors must prevent possible diversions in the defined processes.
Editors must publish a "Guidelines" that is comprehensive enough in answering queries by authors. This guide must be updated regularly.
Authors should be provided with explanatory and informative feedback.

Relationships with Reviewers

Editors have the following duties and responsibilities in their relations with reviewers:
Editors must

choose reviewers according to the subject of the study,
provide the information and guidance reviewers may need during the review process,
observe whether there are conflicting interests between reviewers and authors,
keep the identities of reviewers confidential in double-anonymous peer review,
encourage the reviewers to review the manuscript in an unbiased, scientific, and objective tone,
evaluate reviewers regularly based on criteria like performance and timing,
develop practices and policies that increase the performance of reviewers,
take necessary steps to update the reviewer pool dynamically,
prevent unkind and unscientific reviews,
make effort to ensure the reviewer pool has a wide range.

Relationships with the Editorial Board

Editors must make sure that the members of the editorial board follow the procedures in accordance with the publication policies and guidelines, and must inform the members about the publication policies and developments. The editors must also train new members of the editorial board and provide the information they need.
Moreover, editors must

ensure that the members of the editorial board review the manuscripts in an unbiased and independent manner.
select the new members of the editorial board from those who can contribute to the journal and are qualified enough.
send manuscripts for review based on the subject of expertise of the editorial board members.
regularly communicate with the editorial board.
arrange regular meetings with the editorial board for the development of publication policies and the journal.

Relationships with the Journal's Owner and Publisher

The relationship between the editors and publisher is based on the principle of the independence of editors. All the decisions made by the editors are independent of the publisher and the owner of the journal as required by the agreement made between editors and publisher.

Editorial and Anonymous Peer Review Processes

Editors are obliged to comply with the policies of "Double-Anonymous Peer Review Process" stated in the journal’s publication policies. Therefore, the editors ensure that each manuscript is reviewed in an unbiased, fair, and timely manner.

Quality Assurance

Editors must make sure that articles in the journal are published in accordance with the publication policies of the journal and international standards.

Protection of Personal Information

Editors are supposed to protect the personal information related with the subjects or visuals in the studies being reviewed, and to reject the study if there is no documentation of the subjects' consent. Furthermore, editors are supposed to protect the personal information of the authors, reviewers, and readers.

Encouraging Ethical Rules and the Protection of Human and Animal Rights

Editors are supposed to protect human and animal rights in the studies being reviewed and must reject the experimental studies which do not have ethical and related committee’s approval about the population given in such studies.

Precautions against Possible Abuse and Malpractice

Editors are supposed to take precautions against possible abuse and malpractice. They must conduct investigations meticulously and objectively in determining and evaluating complaints about such situations. They must also share the results of the investigation.

Ensuring Academic Integrity

Editors must make sure that the mistakes, inconsistencies or misdirections in studies are corrected quickly.

Protection of Intellectual Property Rights

Editors are responsible for protecting the intellectual property rights of all the articles published in the journal and the rights of the journal and author(s) in cases where these rights are violated. Also, editors must take the necessary precautions in order to prevent the content of all published articles from violating the intellectual property rights of other publications.

Constructiveness and Openness to Discussion

Editors must

pay attention to the convincing criticism about studies published in the journal and must have a constructive attitude towards such criticism,
grant the right of reply to the author(s) of the criticized study,
not ignore or exclude the study that includes negative results.

Complaints

Editors must examine the complaints from authors, reviewers or readers and respond to them in an explanatory and enlightening manner.

Political and Economic Apprehensions

Neither the owner of the journal, publisher or any other political or economical factor can influence the independent decision making of the editors.

Conflicting Interests

Editors, acknowledging that there may be conflicting interests between reviewers and other editors, guarantee that the publication process of the manuscripts will be completed in an independent and unbiased manner.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

The fact that all manuscripts are reviewed through "Double-Anonymous Peer Review" has a direct influence on the publication quality. This process ensures confidentiality by an objective and independent review. The review process at IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies is carried out on the principle of double-anonymous peer review. Reviewers do not contact the authors directly. In this process, the reviewer views on the evaluation forms and full texts are assigned to the author(s) by the editor. Therefore, the reviewers doing review work for IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies are supposed to bear the following ethical responsibilities:

Reviewers must

agree to review only in their subject of expertise,
review in an unbiased and confidential manner,
inform the editor of the journal if they think that they encounter any conflict of interests and decline to review the manuscript during the review process,
dispose of the manuscripts they have reviewed in accordance with the principle of confidentiality after the review process. Reviewers can use the final versions of the manuscripts they have reviewed only after publication,
review the manuscript objectively and only in terms of its content and ensure that nationality, gender, religious and political beliefs, and economic apprehension do not influence the review,
review the manuscript in a constructive and kind tone, avoid making personal comments including hostility, slander, and insult,
review the manuscript they have agreed to review on time and in accordance with the ethical rules stated above.

Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

The English Language and Literature Research Association of Turkey (IDEA), the publisher of IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies, is a non-profit civil society organization working for the good of the public. As stated its founding policy, the IDEA publishes IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies to enable the scholarly development of literary and cultural studies in English both at the national level and at the international standards. Therefore, the Board of the IDEA is conscious of the fact that they must observe the ethical responsibilities below and act accordingly:

Editors are responsible for all the processes that the manuscripts submitted to IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies will go through. Within this framework, ignoring the economic or political interests, the decision-makers are the editors.
The publisher undertakes to have an independent editorial decision made.
The publisher protects the intellectual property rights of all the articles published in IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies and holds the responsibility to keep a record of each unpublished article.
The publisher bears all the responsibility to take the precautions against scientific abuse, fraud, and plagiarism.

Unethical Behaviour

Should you encounter any unethical act or content in IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies apart from the ethical responsibilities listed above, please notify the journal by e-mail at ideas.ejournal@gmail.com.

AFTER ACCEPTANCE

At IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies, the accepted manuscripts undergo the processes of plagiarism detection, preparation of bibliography, cross-reference and reference check, layout, and assigning a DOI number.

Since IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies claims no fees for article review or printing and no subscription fees for access to articles, it has no source of income.

Plagiarism Detection

In accordance with its publishing policies, IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies obliges each study that has undergone the "Peer Review Process" to be detected for plagiarism to protect the integrity of the study.

The plagiarism detection is done by Turnitin and iThenticate softwares. The matches found in each study after plagiarism detection are analysed in detail and those matches with correct reference and cross-reference are sorted. In the next step, the mistakes in the remaining matches are determined and reported to the editorial board. The board, then, makes a final decision in the light of the plagiarism detection report. The author(s) may be asked to correct the mistakes listed in the report or the study may be returned to the author(s).

References and Citation Control

Scientific research builds upon previous studies. In new studies, references and attributions to the previous studies are provided within the framework of certain rules. Intentional or unintentional mistakes in scientific studies harm the reliability of the study and publication.

IDEAS: Journal of English Literary Studies, in accordance with its publication ethics, considers it to be an obligation for the accepted studies to have correct and complete references and attributions. Therefore, each study, after acceptance, is checked in terms of bibliography, referencing and attribution.

The full English texts of the accepted studies are processed for bibliography, referencing and attribution check in the following steps:

The bibliography is prepared according to the MLA Referencing Style Guide 8th Edition.
The in-text references of the references given in the bibliography should be in line with rules and regulations, and mistakes are corrected.
Attributions of the in-text references are checked. The author(s) is asked to provide the missing ones, and the incorrect ones are corrected.

For the Turkish abstracts, Turkish rules and regulations of referencing are used, and for the English full texts, English rules and regulations of referencing are used.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ali Çelikel (Editor-in-chief)

Email: ideas.ejournal@gmail.com

Address: Marmara University, Department of English Language and Literature, Istanbul/Türkiye

online ISSN: 2757-9549