Dear EASP members,

Please find below a news update(1) on Turkey’s increasing ban on academics:

Yesterday, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) issued a warning letter to all scientific journals – including international journals – listed under the Turkish Academic Network and Information Center (ULAKBİM). The letter asks journals to reconsider the composition of their boards and to take measures if they include academics who have been dismissed or lashed off. Shortly, TÜBİTAK tries to ensure that the dismissed academics are removed from the scientific publishing field as well. The warning letter reads as follows:

Civil servants who were associated with FETÖ/PDY and other terrorist organizations were dismissed from their positions during the State of Emergency, which has been declared based on the attempted coup d’état on July 15.

Under these circumstances, there is a need to spread the information about the chief editors, editors, co-editors and review board members of journals that are listed (or to-be-listed) under ULAKBİM Turkish Index Data Sources or which benefit from ULAKBİM DergiPark service. It is of utmost importance to reconsider the composition of the journal editing boards and to take measures if academics who have been dismissed or suspended are currently fulfilling any positions in these journals. The responsibility lies with the journals, and the deputy directorate of ULAKBİM Cahit Arf Information Center should be informed about any change.

For your information,
Regards,
ULAKBİM director
Mehmet Mirat SATOĞLU

1 http://sendika16.org/2017/03/heads-up-for-a-flash-news-update-on-turkeys-increasing-ban-on-academic/