Publication Ethics

Summary

By submitting an article to MEDAAD, authors confirm their agreement with the journal’s policies and affirm that their submission adheres to the publication ethics outlined below. The journal upholds the highest ethical standards in media and journalism research, following international guidelines to ensure transparency, integrity, and responsible scholarship.

Content:

• Standards of Reporting
• Data Sharing
• Ethical Considerations and Consent
• Misconduct
• Corrections and Retractions
• Duplicate Publication
• Text Recycling
• Peer Review
• Confidentiality
• Competing Interests
• Authorship

Ethical Considerations and Permission

MEDAAD follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and ensures that all research, particularly involving human participants, media sources, and journalistic investigations, meets ethical standards. Authors submitting studies that include human subjects (e.g., interviews, surveys, ethnographic studies) must provide:

• The name of the ethics committee or institutional review board (if applicable).
• An approval reference number/ID.
• A statement confirming that participants provided informed consent before participating.
• Assurance that research follows ethical standards for media and journalism, including considerations of privacy, consent, and editorial integrity.

Research that involves public figures, social media data, or public domain media must follow ethical guidelines regarding fair use, privacy concerns, and non-defamatory reporting. If editors determine that a study violates ethical guidelines, they may reject the submission and consult the relevant ethical committee.

Retrospective Ethical Clearance

Studies that fail to obtain ethical clearance before commencing research generally cannot be granted approval retrospectively. Editors retain the discretion to reject such submissions.

Consent and Confidentiality in Journalism and Media Research

For research involving interviews, documentary evidence, or investigative journalism, informed consent must be obtained whenever identifiable individuals are featured. Exceptions may apply if:

• The information is publicly available and serves the public interest.
• The subject of the study is a public figure or institution with relevance to journalistic discourse.

For case studies involving private individuals, appropriate anonymization is required if direct consent cannot be obtained. Journalists and researchers should seek consent from next of kin when publishing information about deceased individuals.

Research on Media Representations and Digital Data

Research using media content analysis, social media data, or digital platforms must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Social media data should be collected and used in accordance with platform policies and user privacy rights.
• Studies should anonymize user-generated content unless the content is publicly accessible and legally reproducible.
• Copyrighted media (e.g., films, news footage, proprietary articles) must be cited and used under fair use principles.

Trial Registration (For Media and Interdisciplinary Studies)

While clinical trial registration is not applicable to most media and journalism studies, interdisciplinary research involving experimental methodologies (e.g., behavioral studies on media consumption, audience engagement trials) should be transparently documented. Any experimental study should provide a research registration number if applicable.

Guidelines for Reporting

Authors should adhere to the EQUATOR Network guidelines or equivalent standards relevant to their study type. This ensures clarity in media research methodology, data presentation, and journalistic reporting.

Statistical and Methodological Rigor

Studies must transparently describe data collection tools, coding methodologies, and statistical techniques used in media analysis. Peer reviewers and editors may consult methodological experts to assess the validity of research approaches.

Data Sharing

Authors must publicly share datasets where feasible, particularly in:

• Content analysis research (e.g., coded datasets for media discourse studies).
• Survey-based journalism studies, where anonymized responses may be made available.

Clinical data sharing policies do not apply to this journal unless relevant to interdisciplinary work involving health communication.

Conflicting Interests in Media Research

Authors must disclose any political, corporate, or ideological conflicts of interest that could influence the integrity of their work. In media studies, competing interests may include:

• Political affiliations that may bias journalistic reporting.
• Funding from media corporations that could impact research objectivity.
• Advertiser influence in journalism-related publications.

Financial conflicts of interest should also be declared, including:

• Funding from media organizations.
• Sponsorships related to journalism or media enterprises.

Authorship Criteria for Media Research

MEDAAD follows ICMJE authorship guidelines, adapted for media and journalism studies. Authorship is granted to those who contribute to:

• Conceptualization, investigative research, or media analysis.
• Critical writing, editing, and synthesis of journalistic narratives.
• Accountability for the final work, including ethical considerations in reporting.

Contributions limited to technical assistance, funding acquisition, or administrative roles should be acknowledged separately rather than listed as authors.

Plagiarism and Text Recycling

MEDAAD follows COPE guidelines on plagiarism and uses Turnitin to detect unoriginal content. However, in journalistic writing and media research, self-referencing of past investigative work is permissible under these conditions:

• The original work is cited appropriately.
• There is significant new analysis or added context.
• The reuse does not mislead readers into believing the content is new.

Peer Review Process

MEDAAD employs a double-blind peer-review process for research articles and media analysis. Opinion and commentary pieces undergo editorial review but may not require external peer review.

Peer-Review Policy Adjustments for Media Research

• Authors may suggest potential peer reviewers, but editors retain the final decision.
• Reviewers must declare conflicts of interest, particularly regarding media ownership, political biases, or affiliations with the authors' institutions.

Confidentiality and Ethical Journalism Standards

Editors and reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. Information obtained through peer review cannot be used for personal or competitive advantage.

Publication Misconduct and Retractions

MEDAAD follows COPE procedures for addressing:

• Plagiarism or fabricated content.
• Misrepresentation of sources in journalism research.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest affecting research integrity.

Corrections and retractions will be issued in cases where published work is found to contain significant errors or ethical breaches. Retractions will be publicly indexed to maintain research transparency.