Research Ethics Code of International Journal of Costume and Fashion Code of Ethics +

Revised on April 30, 2020

The Korean Society of Costume’s Research Ethics Charter
The Preamble

This Research Ethics Charter stipulates the principles and standards that members of The Korean Society of Costume are required to follow in the course of their research and academic activities through academia- industry cooperation.
Thereby, each member must observe and respect these ethics in order to achieve great academic progress and share his/her research with other members while recognizing the value of others’ research.
Therefore, ethics codes to which the authors, as well as editors and reviewers, are subject are necessary to nurture and develop a culture of ethical research by publishing top-notch academic papers after a process of fair yet strict screening.
To enact and implement such ethics codes, the Research Ethics Committee was established under The Korean Society of Costume.

Declaration of The Korean Society of Costume’s Research Ethics

1. A member makes his/her utmost efforts to enhance his/her academic excellence and to create knowledge and technology to contribute to the development of society.
2. A member contributes to public good and welfare by returning specialized knowledge and new research results to society.
3. A member spares no efforts to educate and nurture talents to lead the future of Korea by teaching them in both academic and social/cultural aspects.
4. A member respects other members as equal human beings and shall not violate others’ due rights.

The Korean Society of Costume’s Research Ethics Codes

Section 1 Researchers’ Ethics

Article 1 Academic Freedom and Social Responsibilities

Researchers in the field of costume studies have the basic rights for freedom of academics and adopt the following attitude and social responsibilities:

1. They shall not discriminate against the academic accomplishments of a group that is different in terms of ideas, religion, age, gender, race, academic background, social position, culture, etc.
2. They shall be willing to revise errors if persuasive evidence against one’s own research is presented.
3. They shall be open to new research subjects, frameworks, and approaches.

Article 2 Reporting of Research Results

1. Researchers shall not artificially alter research data or results.
2. Researchers shall ensure the anonymity of research subjects.
3. In the case where a material error is discovered in published results, the author shall correct the error by appropriately publishing a list of errata, cancellation, or correction.

Article 3 Scope of Research Fraudulence

A fraudulent act refers to fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, unjustified presentation of authorship, and other misconducts, which are included in the research proposal, execution, or presentation, and each term is defined as listed below:

1. “Fabrication” is intentional misrepresentation of research results by making up data.
2. “Falsification” is distortion of research contents or results by artificially altering or deleting research materials, equipment, or processes.
3. “Plagiarism” is "wrongful appropriation" and "stealing and publication" of another author's “thoughts, ideas, research contents and results, etc., or expressions" and the representation of them as one's own original work.
4. “Unjustified presentation of authorship” means either 1) not being recorded as an author or co-author when one has contributed to the study or writing, or 2) being recorded as an author or co-author to show gratitude or respect when one has made little or no contribution to the study or writing.
5. “Other misconducts” include acts or conducts severely deviating from what is generally accepted by the academic society.

Article 4 Publication

1. Authors can only be held responsible and recognized as the author of studies that they have actually conducted or contributed to.
2. The order of authors of a study or other published results should accurately reflect how much each author has contributed to the study regardless of their comparative professional position.
3. The criteria for ‘Authorship’ are as follows. All researchers designated as authors should meet all four criteria for authorship. A researcher who is dissatisfied with any of the criteria shall be recognized as a contributor.

① Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work
② Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content
③ Final approval of the version to be published
④ Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved

Article 5 Repetitive Publication

Authors shall not attempt to submit or publish research that has been published elsewhere, whether in Korea or internationally (including studies that have been accepted for publication or are being reviewed elsewhere), as if they were new studies.

Article 6 Quotations and References

1. Efforts should be made to ensure accurate documentation when quoting from open academic materials, and the source must be revealed for materials that are not considered general knowledge. Academic materials that have been obtained through personal contact can only be quoted upon agreement with the researcher providing the information.
2. Footnotes must be used to mark whether the information is a quote or reference if words are quoted or ideas are referenced from another person's work.

Article 7 Violation of Copyright

Authors shall not use another person’s publications in their papers without the original authors’ agreement or approval. If a researcher or an author violates this clause and any conflict arises therefrom, the researcher or author shall be held responsible.

Article 8 Revisions

Authors should accept the opinions of the reviewers and editors that surface in the reviewing process as much as possible and make efforts to reflect them in the article; in the event that authors do not agree with such opinions, they shall clarify their reasons and grounds in detail and notify the editors and reviewers.

Section 2 Editors’ Ethics

Article 1 Editors shall make a decision on whether a manuscript is published, and shall respect the
character, academic beliefs, and independence of authors.

Article 2 Editors shall handle articles submitted for publication fairly, based solely on the qualitative standards and submission regulations, regardless of the author’s gender, age, position, or personal relationships, and without any prejudice to the author.

Article 3 Editors shall appoint reviewers who are judged to have expert knowledge and the ability to fairly evaluate submissions.

Article 4 Editors shall not reveal information about the author or article to anyone other than the reviewer until a decision has been made to publish the submitted article or paper.

Section 3 Reviewers’ Ethics

Article 1 Reviewers must sincerely review submissions according to submission regulations within the set period of time and report the results of a review to the Editorial Board. If a reviewer thinks that he or she is not the right person to conduct the review, the reviewer shall notify the Editorial Board immediately.

Article 2 Reviewers must review submissions fairly, according to objective standards, regardless of personal academic beliefs or personal relationships with the author. A reviewer cannot deny a submission without providing sufficient evidence, or because an article has a different viewpoint or interpretation from that of the reviewer, and must not review a submission while failing to read it properly. The reviewer's comments should reveal their opinions on the submission, and explain reasons for areas that the reviewer finds needs supplementation.

Article 3 Reviewers shall ensure confidentiality of articles reviewed. Contents from the submission also cannot be quoted before publication of the article in the journal without consent from the author.

Enforcement Guidelines on the Ethics Codes

Article 1 Oath of Ethics

A member of The Korean Society of Costume swears that he/she shall observe the Society’s Ethics Codes.

Article 2 Structure of the Research Ethics Committee

The Research Ethics Committee consists of at least 7 members, including 1 Chairperson, and the members are recommended by the Board of Directors (BOD) and appointed by the Chairperson. The term of the members shall be 3 years and may be renewed. Other details shall be subject to the Ethics Codes of The Korean Society of Costume.

Article 3 Reporting a Breach of Research Ethics Codes

1. A reporter is a person who reports to the Society on fraudulent acts and/or related evidence of which he/she has become aware. The reporter may use any means necessary, reporting verbally, in writing, over the phone, via email, etc., and shall, in principle, make a report under his/her real name.
2. A reporter’s identity shall not be disclosed, and the Society shall make efforts to protect reporters from being disadvantaged or disclosed against their will on the grounds of the reporting per se.
3. Reporters may request information from the Society about the procedure and schedule of the investigation, and the Society shall sincerely respond to such a request.
4. In the event that the reporting is proved to be fabricated or falsified, the reporter shall be held responsible in accordance with the Research Ethics Codes of The Korean Society of Costume.

Article 4 Protection of a Subject’s Rights

1. A subject is a person who has been reported on or recognized by the Society for any fraudulent act, and witnesses or other related persons shall not be considered subjects.
2. The Ethics Committee must not reveal the identity of the member at hand until a final decision is made on a violation of Ethics Regulations by the Ethics Committee; and shall make efforts to restore the reputation of the reported member after he/she is acquitted.
3. The Ethics Committee must give members reported of violating the Ethics Codes sufficient opportunity to speak and defend themselves.
4. The subject may request the Society for information on the procedure and schedule of an investigation, and the Society shall sincerely respond to any such request.

Article 5 Authority of the Research Ethics Committee

The Ethics Committee shall research reported cases of violation of the Ethics Codes, referencing the reporter, the subject, witnesses, other related persons, and evidence; and may suggest appropriate disciplinary action to the BOD if a violation is judged to be true.

Article 6 Investigation and Deliberation of the Research Ethics Committee

The scope of the Committee’s investigation and deliberation includes any and all acts or conducts defined by Article 3 of the Research Ethics Codes. However, violation of copyright shall be excluded from review subjects as the researcher or author shall be held responsible for such behavior.

Article 7 Statute of Limitations

Subjects of reporting and review for violation of the Research Ethics Codes shall be those published within 5 years from the time of reporting.

Article 8 Cooperation on the Committee’s Investigation and Deliberation

Members reported for violation of the Research Ethics Codes have a duty to cooperate with the Ethics Committee in their investigations. Failure to cooperate in the investigation itself shall be regarded as a violation of the Ethics Codes.

Article 9 Procedures and Contents of Disciplinary Action

If a report or suggestion of disciplinary action is made to the Ethics Committee regarding a member, the President must call the BOD and make a final decision on whether disciplinary action should be set. If the BOD decides that the member violated the Ethics Codes, disciplinary actions, i.e., ranging from a warning to suspension of his/her membership, may be applied according to the weight of the act of violation. If required, the decision and disciplinary action may be reported to other institutions or individuals; and online publications may retroactively be deleted.

Article 10 Amendments to the Ethics Codes

Amendments to these Research Ethics Codes are subject to the amendment procedure of The Korean Society of Costume’s Bylaws. In the event that the Ethics Codes are revised, members who have agreed to follow the existing codes shall follow the new codes without any additional signature of agreement.