Hikma: Translation Journal references the code of conduct and good practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for editors of scientific journals.

1. Author Responsibilities

The authors are required to participate in the peer review process. The journal expects all authors to have made significant contributions to the submitted research for evaluation, ensuring that all the data presented in their articles are genuine and authentic. If referees request corrections or changes to the evaluated work, the authors are obligated to make them.

2. Misconduct Statements

2.1. Originality and Plagiarism
Hikma: Translation Journal will not publish articles that are not original. It also condemns plagiarism and fraud, as well as the reworking or paraphrasing of previous works (whether one’s own or others’). Its editorial policy ensures originality through the use of the Turnitin plagiarism detection software. Such cases will result in the rejection of submissions, and if detected in already published articles, they will be removed from our website.

If an author submits a fully or partially plagiarised or self-plagiarised article, they will not be allowed to submit a new one for six years. In case of recurrence, they will be permanently excluded from publishing in Hikma: Translation Journal.

Authors must guarantee the originality of all content in their manuscript and must properly cite any content taken from other sources.

The Editorial Team of Hikma: Translation Journal declares that its policy on the use of generative artificial intelligence in academic and scientific literature strictly follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). For more information, please refer to the section Policies on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

2.2. Data Access and Transparency: Authors must provide the research data (including raw data for review) supporting their study to comply with the Journal's open-access policy. Additionally, they must ensure public access to such data and maintain it for a minimum of five years after publication.

2.3. Conflicts of Interest: All manuscripts submitted to the journal must explicitly disclose any relationships that may be considered potential conflicts of interest.

2.4. Measures in Case of Misconduct: The journal will withdraw an article if misconduct is detected, and the authors do not offer a satisfactory solution. An explanation of the decision is included on the article's first page. Allegations of unethical conduct will be initially discussed with the corresponding authors. If the discussion persists, the matter will be referred to the author's institution and funding bodies for investigation and judgment.

3. Retraction and Correction Policies
Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and veracity of the data provided in their publications. If they identify substantial errors in their work, they must inform the Editors-in-Chief of Hikma: Translation Journal to initiate the appropriate correction and/or retraction process.

Furthermore, both the publisher and the editorial team reserve the right to withdraw articles suspected of plagiarism, fraud, or violations of ethical principles in publishing. All decisions regarding corrections and retractions will adhere to the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and will be clearly recorded in the journal.

4. Ethical Statement on Research Involving Human Subjects

Hikma: Translation Journal requires that research involving human subjects, personal data, or human tissues adhere to the Declaration of Helsinki (1975, revised in 2013). Authors must obtain prior approval from an Institutional Ethics Committee or equivalent, confirming that the study complies with current national and international ethical guidelines. Manuscripts must clearly include the project identification code, date of approval, and the name of the relevant ethics committee.

Example: "The study was conducted under the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of XXX (Project identification code) on [date of approval]."

For non-interventional studies (surveys, questionnaires, or social media research), participants must be informed about anonymity, the purpose of the study, the use of their data, and any associated risks. If ethical approval is not required according to local or national legislation, authors must explicitly specify this exemption, mentioning the committee or relevant legislation.

5. Informed Consent Statement

Manuscripts involving human participants must include a statement on informed consent. In specific circumstances, verbal consent will be acceptable if clearly justified within the manuscript and provided alongside the script used during the review phase.

When manuscripts contain identifiable personal information (photos, videos, specific data), written informed consent from participants (or legal guardians) must be obtained beforehand. Upon manuscript submission, authors must include a blank version of the form used to request this permission, excluding actual names or signatures.

Personal data must be anonymized as thoroughly as possible, avoiding the specification of non-essential details (exact age, ethnicity, profession, etc.). Editors reserve the right to reject submissions not complying with these requirements and may request additional documentation if necessary.

Example: "Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study"; "Informed consent is not required according to local legislation [specify local regulation]"; "Verbal informed consent was obtained due to [clearly justify the reason]"; "Informed consent for publication of identifiable data was obtained.

6. Double-Blind Peer Review and Referee Responsibilities

Blind peer reviews for Hikma: Translation Journal will be objective, and referees must have no conflicts of interest with the research, authors, and/or research funders. Referees should indicate the relevant published works that are not cited and treat the reviewed articles confidentially.

7. Editorial Responsibilities

Journal editors assume the full responsibility and authority to reject or accept an article. Editors confirm that they have no conflicts of interest with the articles they reject or accept and will only accept an article when certain of its authenticity. In the presence of errors, editors will encourage the publication of corrections or retractions while preserving the anonymity of the contributors.

8. Editorial Ethics Issues

Editorial ethics will be monitored and protected by the journal’s Editorial Board through observation of guidelines for non-accepted articles and maintaining the integrity of the academic record. The journal is always willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when necessary, and never publish plagiarised or fraudulent data.