Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

Tourist Destination (TD) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and follows the guidelines developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Research integrity is essential to academic scholarship, and all parties involved in the publishing process must agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior.

Our detailed policies are organized into dedicated pages, which you can access via the links below:

• For peer evaluation workflow and decisions: Peer Review Evaluation Process and Policy
• For plagiarism screening and similarity thresholds: Plagiarism Screening and Similarity Assessment
• For copyright details, CC licensing, and open access: Copyright, Licensing and Open Access Policy
• For generative AI tool limitations: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy
• For digital preservation and backup protocols: Preservation / Archiving Policy
• For self-archiving permissions and institutional repositories: Repository Policy (Self-Archiving Policy)
• For manuscript withdrawal guidelines: Article Withdrawal Policy
• For editorial independence statements: Editorial Structure and Decision-Making Process
• For erratum, corrigendum, and retraction procedures: Corrections, Retractions and Post-Publication Updates Policy

General Ethical Responsibilities

1. Responsibilities of Editors

• Publication Decisions: The editor is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The editor evaluates manuscripts without regard to race, gender, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
• Confidentiality: The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and the publisher.
• Conflict of Interest: Editors will not use unpublished material described in a submitted manuscript for their own research without the author's express written consent.

2. Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Contribution to Decisions: Any reviewer who feels unqualified to review the manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the process.
• Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others unless authorized by the editor.
• Objectivity Standards: Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

• Reporting Standards: Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance.
• Data Access and Retention: Authors may be asked to provide the raw data of their study for editorial review and must be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time (at least 5 years) after publication.
• Ethics Committee Approval & Two-Stage Protocol: For studies involving human or animal subjects, formal approval from an Ethics Committee must be obtained prior to the research, and informed consent must be secured from all participants. To protect author confidentiality during the double-blind peer review process, ethical disclosures follow a strict two-stage model:
  • Initial Submission: Full identifying details (committee name, institution, approval date, and decision/protocol number) must be entered into the submission metadata fields or provided on a separate Title Page only. In the blinded manuscript, authors must include only an anonymized statement (e.g., "[Ethics committee approval was obtained for this study; institutional details and protocol number blinded for peer review]") to prevent premature disclosure of author identity.
  • Post-Acceptance: Once the manuscript is accepted, the complete committee name, affiliated institution, approval date, and decision number must be incorporated into the final publication file.

Other Administrative Policies

Appeal and Complaint Procedures Policy

Tourist Destination implements a transparent appeal and complaint mechanism to protect the rights of all stakeholders. Appeals or complaints should be submitted via email to editor@tourdes.org with clear reasons and evidence. The editorial board will review the complaint and issue a final decision within 45 business days.

Advertising Policy

To maintain editorial independence and scientific integrity, Tourist Destination does not accept or publish any commercial advertisements on its website, within article texts, or on the user interface.

Direct Marketing Policy

The journal communicates call-for-papers announcements, newsletter briefs, or status updates only to subscribers who have explicitly opted in. Users can unsubscribe at any time with a single click.

Publication Schedule

Tourist Destination follows a regular and predictable publication schedule, publishing two issues per year (July and December). Accepted manuscripts may be made available online as early-view (online-first) without waiting for the publication date of the full issue.