Research and Publication Ethics

All the articles that are published with Canon&Culture are expected to uphold the following ethics policies and regulations. Authors may critique other authors’ research articles based on objective criteria. Personal criticisms are to be avoided.

1. Purpose

The policies set forth here pertain to authors’ research ethics and help regulate ethical violations.

2. Scope of ethical violations in research

Violations of research ethics include all of the following acts concerning research proposal, execution, conclusion and presentation.

① Plagiarizing others’ original research content or conclusion without their proper approval or reference.

② Without proper grounds, not acknowledging author’s or translator’s contribution for the research content or conclusion. Or out of personal reasons (favor or courtesy), unlawfully attributing authorship or translator’s authorship to the one who did not contribute as an author or a translator.

③ Plagiarizing author’s own article published elsewhere or reusing the contents of author’s markedly similar article published elsewhere (“recycling fraud”).

④ Violations of research ethics that significantly deviate from an established convention in scholarship to the extent that necessitates the committee’s own investigation or arbitration.

3. Ethics committee

A committee on research ethics (from hereon, “the committee”) is formed to regulate any ethical violations related to the provisions made in No. 2.

4. Organization

The committee constitutes five members (including the chair): the head editors of OT/NT, two editors selected by each head editor, and the secretary of the committee. The chair of the committee is selected from the head editors of OT/NT.

5. Term

The term of the committee lasts until the resolution of the relevant case.

6. Function

The committee investigates the case upon receiving the report of ethical violations on research. It holds deliberations to reach a final decision based on the stated policies and regulations.

7. Deliberation meeting

1) The editor-in-chief summons a committee and becomes its chair.

2) The committee reaches a decision with the presence of a quorum and with a majority vote.

3) The committee’s deliberation meeting is a closed meeting. If necessary, it may allow the attendance of the relevant parties for hearing.

8. Reporting ethical violations of research

Reporters may file a complaint in writing or email using their real names. Relevant evidence must be submitted in writing to the committee.

9. Protecting the reporter’s right

1) The committee must protect the identity of the reporter/s and not disclose the name of the reporter

2) Anyone submitting a fraudulent report, whether filed knowingly or unknowingly, will not have such right of protection. Depending on the severity of the case, the committee can notify the case to the reporter’s affiliate institution.

10. Defendant’s right

The committee should take care to protect the honor and right of the alleged suspect until the investigation on the ethical violations is resolved. If the suspect is proven innocent, the committee must do its best to restore the honor of the defendant.

11. Objections and defenses

The committee must equally ensure the right to the reporter and the defendant for an opportunity to present testimonies, objections and defenses.

12. Duration of investigation, deliberation, and decision

1) The chair must organize a committee and proceed with investigation, deliberation, and decision within six months after the report is received.

2) Reports of the ethical violations that transpired five years before the date of filing complaint will not be considered.

13. Request for attendance and submission of data

1) The committee may request the attendance of the reporter, defendant, witness, and material witness.

2) The committee may request the defendant to submit data for investigation.

14. Disciplinary measures

The following disciplinary measures may be taken once the committee decides that the author of the published article violated research ethics.

① Dismissal of the article

② Prohibition of article submission within a certain period

③ Notification to the relevant superior of the author’s affiliate institution

15. Redeliberation

Request for redeliberation must be made within three months from the date of final decision. The committee must deliberate again within six months from the date of request.

16. Confidentiality

Those who are involved, directly or indirectly, with any aspect of the legal procedures, including the report, investigation, deliberation, decision, and redeliberation must keep the matter confidential and not divulge the related information to an outside party. Only in the cases where proper disclosure is necessary can the committee release the information after a vote.

17. Operating budget

Expenses related to the committee’s operation and investigation may be compensated by assigning a separate budget.

1. The aforementioned regulations are effective as of May 17, 2008.

2. The aforementioned regulations are legally binding upon the approval of the editorial board.