Ethical Guidelines

Research Ethics Regulations

Article 1 (Purpose)
These regulations establish the ethical obligations that members of the Korean Association of Private Tutoring Studies (hereinafter referred to as the "Association") shall observe in carrying out the Association's activities and research, with the aim of reflecting such obligations in the activities of the Association and the personal conduct of its members.

Article 2 (Research Integrity)

1. Researchers shall be honest in the generation of research ideas, the conduct of research, and the derivation of research results.

2. Researchers shall ensure that research misconduct does not occur.

3. Researchers shall respect the intellectual property rights of others and shall not infringe upon them.

4. Researchers shall conduct conscientious research and contribute to the development of society.

Article 3 (Prohibition of Research Misconduct)

1. "Research misconduct" refers to acts that compromise the integrity of research, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate authorship attribution, and redundant use of materials, committed intentionally or through gross negligence during the proposal, conduct, or reporting of research, irrespective of the research purpose.

2. "Fabrication" refers to the act of creating false research data or results and recording or reporting them.

3. "Falsification" refers to the act of altering or omitting research-related materials, processes, or results in a manner inconsistent with the facts, thereby preventing the research record from being accurately represented.

4. "Plagiarism" refers to the appropriation of another person's ideas, research processes, or research results without proper attribution.

5. "Duplicate publication" refers to the publication of an article with substantially identical content in two or more academic journals.

6. "Redundant use of materials" refers to the republication of one's previously published materials or research results without proper authorization or citation.

Article 4 (Definition of Research Improprieties)

1. Tacit approval, abetting, or concealment of research misconduct

2. Infringement on the rights and interests of research subjects

3. Acquisition of research materials without proper justification

4. Conducting and publishing two or more research projects with substantially identical content without proper authorization

5. Reusing one's previous works without disclosing the original source

6. Making false statements regarding one's academic background, career, qualifications, research achievements, or results

7. Intentionally obstructing investigations into research misconduct allegations, whether against oneself or others, or causing harm to a whistleblower

8. Other acts recognized as improprieties by the Research Ethics Committee

Article 5 (Research Subjects)
Researchers shall bear the following responsibilities toward research subjects:

1. Ensure the voluntary nature of research subjects' participation.

2. Provide sufficient explanation regarding the purpose and methods of the research, expected effects, potential risks, possible inconveniences, and the benefits and harms arising from participation, and obtain informed consent.

3. Immediately suspend the research if unforeseen risks arise to research subjects.

4. Guarantee the freedom of research subjects to withdraw from participation at any time.

5. Respect the privacy of research subjects and maintain the confidentiality of personal information.

Article 6 (Scope of Application)
These regulations apply to all researchers participating in research activities related to the Association, including presentations at academic conferences hosted by the Association and the submission and publication of manuscripts in the Association's journal The Journal of Private Tutoring Research.

Article 7 (Research Ethics Committee)

1. The Research Ethics Committee shall be chaired ex officio by the President of the Association and shall consist of the Chair of the Research Ethics Committee, the Director of the Research Institute, the Editor-in-Chief, and all members of the Editorial Board.

2. The Committee shall determine whether research misconduct has occurred through transparent and objective review procedures for matters requiring deliberation and investigation.

3. Persons with conflicts of interest related to the matter under investigation shall not be included in the investigation committee.

4. Before commencing the main investigation, the whistleblower shall be informed of the list of investigation committee members, and any reasonable objection raised by the whistleblower regarding the recusal of committee members shall be accepted.

5. The Committee shall be constituted with the attendance of more than half of its members, and decisions shall be made by the consent of more than half of those in attendance.

Article 8 (Functions of the Research Ethics Committee)
The Committee shall deliberate and resolve on the following matters related to the establishment of research ethics in the Association:

1. Matters concerning the prevention of research misconduct

2. Matters concerning the investigation of research misconduct, the processing of results, and follow-up measures

3. Matters concerning education on research ethics compliance and the prevention of misconduct

4. Other matters concerning the establishment of research ethics submitted by the Chair

Article 9 (Operation of the Research Ethics Committee)

1. The Committee shall be convened by the Chair upon the request of the President or when the Chair deems it necessary.

2. The Committee shall be constituted with the attendance of more than half of its registered members, and decisions shall be made by the consent of more than half of those in attendance. The Chair shall be counted toward quorum but shall not have voting rights.

3. Committee members who are involved in the research under review shall not participate in deliberations related to that research.

4. When necessary, non-members may be invited to attend meetings to provide their opinions.

5. Members shall maintain confidentiality regarding all matters related to deliberations, and meetings shall be closed to the public.

6. The Committee shall deliberate and resolve on reported violations of the ethics regulations within 60 days of receipt.

Article 10 (Authority of the Research Ethics Committee)

1. The Committee may require whistleblowers, subjects of investigation, witnesses, and references to appear for testimony during the deliberation process, and subjects of investigation shall comply with such requirements.

2. The Committee may require subjects of investigation to submit relevant materials.

3. The Committee may recommend appropriate disciplinary measures to the head of the relevant institution against those involved in research misconduct.

Article 11 (Protection of the Whistleblower's Rights)

1. Members of the Association or member academic societies shall submit a deliberation request in their real name, accompanied by relevant materials. However, even anonymous reports may be processed as real-name reports if they include written evidence containing the title of the research project, the title of the article, and specific research misconduct.

2. Information regarding the whistleblower's identity shall not be subject to disclosure, and the whistleblower shall be protected from any disadvantage resulting from the report.

3. Whistleblowers may request information about the procedures and schedule following their report, and the Association shall respond to such requests in good faith.

Article 12 (Protection of the Subject of Investigation's Rights)

1. The Committee shall take care not to infringe upon the reputation or rights of the subject of investigation during the verification process.

2. Allegations of research misconduct shall not be disclosed to the public before adjudication. However, this shall not apply when disclosure is deemed substantially necessary through resolution of the Committee.

3. Subjects of investigation may request information about the deliberation procedures and schedule, and the Association shall respond to such requests in good faith.

Article 13 (Investigation of Research Misconduct)

1. The Committee shall investigate the existence of research misconduct when specific reports or substantial suspicions arise.

2. The Chair may conduct a preliminary investigation.

3. The Committee may establish a preliminary investigation committee consisting of three members appointed by the Chair in consultation with the President of the Association to ensure fair and rigorous investigation. The appointed investigation committee may include one external member who is neither a regular nor associate member of the Association.

Article 14 (Authority and Duties of the Committee in Investigations)

1. The Committee may require whistleblowers, subjects of investigation, witnesses, and references to appear and submit materials during the investigation process.

2. If a subject of investigation refuses to appear or submit materials without justifiable reason, the allegations may be presumed to be acknowledged.

3. The Committee may take reasonable measures to prevent the loss, damage, concealment, or falsification of research records or evidence.

Article 15 (Recusal, Exclusion, and Voluntary Recusal)

1. Subjects of investigation or whistleblowers may, upon stating the reason, request the recusal of a Committee member if there are circumstances making it difficult to expect impartiality. If the request is accepted, the member shall be excluded from the relevant investigation.

2. Persons with direct interests in the relevant investigation shall not participate in the deliberation, resolution, or investigation of the matter.

3. Committee members and investigators who determine that the grounds in Paragraph 1 or 2 exist may request voluntary recusal.

4. The Chair may suspend the qualifications of a Committee member with conflicts of interest regarding the relevant investigation.

Article 16 (Procedures for Raising Research Ethics Issues and Preservation of Evidence)

1. Issues related to research ethics may be reported in real name to the President, the Chair of the Ethics Committee, the Editor-in-Chief, or Editorial Board members by oral, written, electronic mail, or other available means.

2. Editorial Board members have a duty to review research misconduct in connection with Association presentations and journal manuscripts, and upon becoming aware of research misconduct, shall consult with the Editor-in-Chief and report to the Research Ethics Committee.

3. Investigation results of research misconduct shall be reported to the Association, and such records shall be retained by the Association for three years from the date of case closure.

4. The Association has a duty to protect whistleblowers from disadvantages such as disciplinary action, discrimination in working conditions, undue pressure, or harm resulting from their report, and shall prepare necessary measures to this end.

5. Information regarding the whistleblower's identity shall not be subject to disclosure. If a whistleblower suffers the disadvantages described in Paragraph 4 due to the report or has their identity exposed against their will, the relevant institution shall bear responsibility.

6. Whistleblowers may request information about the investigation procedures and schedule following their report, and the Committee shall respond to such requests in good faith.

7. Whistleblowers who knew or could have known that their reports were false shall not be subject to protection.

Article 17 (Procedures for Verifying Research Integrity)

1. Verification procedures for research misconduct shall, as a general principle, proceed through the stages of preliminary investigation, main investigation, and adjudication. However, in certain cases, the preliminary and main investigations may be conducted concurrently.

2. The Committee may add procedures it deems necessary in addition to those specified in Paragraph 1.

Article 18 (Initiation of Verification Procedures)

1. Verification procedures shall be initiated when a report of research misconduct related to a research output published in the Association's journal is received, or when research misconduct is recognized by the Editorial Board.

2. Verification procedures shall be initiated within 30 days of receipt or recognition, except in cases involving special circumstances.

Article 19 (Subject of Research Integrity Verification)
As a general principle, research outputs subject to integrity verification shall be those produced within five years of the date of report receipt. Research misconduct occurring prior to this period shall not be subject to verification, regardless of whether a report is filed. However, this shall not apply if the subject of investigation has directly reused such results in subsequent research conducted within the five-year period.

Article 20 (Preliminary Investigation)

1. The preliminary investigation refers to procedures for determining whether further investigation of suspected misconduct is necessary. It shall commence within 30 days of the report's receipt and shall be completed within 60 days of commencement.

2. If, in the preliminary investigation, the subject of investigation fully acknowledges the research misconduct, adjudication may be issued without proceeding to the main investigation.

3. If a decision is made not to conduct a main investigation, specific reasons shall be communicated in writing to the whistleblower within 10 days of the decision.

4. Whistleblowers who disagree with the preliminary investigation results may file an objection with the Committee within 10 days of receiving notification.

Article 21 (Reporting of Preliminary Investigation Results)

1. Preliminary investigation results shall be communicated in writing to the subject of investigation and the whistleblower within 10 days of Committee approval.

2. The preliminary investigation report shall include the following:
(i) The content of the report
(ii) The research misconduct subject to investigation
(iii) The list of Committee investigators
(iv) Whether to conduct the main investigation and the basis for the determination
(v) The role of the subject of investigation in the relevant research and the factual determination of misconduct
(vi) Related evidence and witnesses
(vii) The content of objections or defenses raised by the whistleblower and the subject of investigation and the procedures for handling them

Article 22 (Main Investigation)

1. The main investigation refers to procedures for verifying whether research misconduct has occurred. It shall commence within 10 days of the decision to proceed with the main investigation or the date of objection filing, and shall be completed within 90 days of commencement as a general principle.

2. Before finalizing the results of the main investigation, the Committee shall provide the subject of investigation with an opportunity to rebut and express opinions. If the subject does not respond, this shall be deemed as no objection.

3. The objection or rebuttal raised by the subject of investigation and the results of handling shall be included in the investigation report.

Article 23 (Reporting of Main Investigation Results)

1. Main investigation results shall be communicated in writing to the subject of investigation, the whistleblower, and the Board of Directors of the Association within 10 days of Committee approval.

2. The main investigation report shall include the following:
(i) The content of the report
(ii) The research misconduct subject to investigation
(iii) The list of Committee investigators
(iv) Whether to conduct additional investigation and the basis for the determination
(v) The role of the subject of investigation in the relevant research and the factual determination of misconduct
(vi) Related evidence and witnesses
(vii) The content of objections or defenses raised by the whistleblower and the subject of investigation and the procedures for handling them

Article 24 (Burden of Proof for Research Integrity)

1. The responsibility for proving the existence of research misconduct rests with the Association and the Committee. However, if the subject of investigation intentionally damages or refuses to submit materials requested by the Committee, the responsibility for proving the integrity of the content presumed to be contained in such materials rests with the subject of investigation.

2. The Committee shall guarantee equal opportunities for the whistleblower and the subject of investigation to express opinions, raise objections, and present rebuttals, and shall inform them of the relevant procedures.

Article 25 (Opportunity for Objection and Defense, and Confidentiality)

1. The Research Ethics Committee shall guarantee equal rights and opportunities to express opinions, raise objections, and present defenses to both the complainant and the respondent.

2. Members of the Research Ethics Committee shall not disclose the identity of the respondent to the public until adjudication is rendered.

Article 26 (Adjudication of Research Integrity)

1. Adjudication refers to the procedure of finalizing the results of the main investigation and communicating them in writing to the whistleblower and the subject of investigation.

2. As a general principle, all investigation schedules from the commencement of the preliminary investigation to adjudication shall be completed within six months. However, the Committee may extend the investigation period if it is deemed difficult to complete within this period.

3. If decisive flaws in the investigation process or new facts of misconduct are discovered, the whistleblower or the subject of investigation may file an objection in writing with the Committee within 30 days of receiving notification of the main investigation results, stating the relevant facts.

4. If the Committee determines that the objection is reasonable and valid, it shall conduct a direct re-investigation of the facts in question.

5. The Committee's decision on re-examination shall be final, and no further requests for re-examination under these regulations shall be permitted.

Article 27 (Handling and Measures of Research Integrity Investigation Results)

1. The Committee shall determine that the conduct of the subject of investigation related to the facts under investigation constitutes research misconduct by the consent of two-thirds or more of those in attendance, with the attendance of more than half of registered members.

2. The Committee shall report the results and content of the preliminary and main investigations to the President of the Association within 10 days of the completion of each investigation and adjudication.

3. The preliminary and main investigation reports shall include the following:
(i) The content of the report
(ii) The research misconduct subject to investigation
(iii) The list of Committee investigators
(iv) Whether to conduct the main investigation and the basis for the determination
(v) The role of the subject of investigation in the relevant research and the factual determination of misconduct
(vi) Related evidence and witnesses
(vii) The content of objections or defenses raised by the whistleblower and the subject of investigation and the procedures for handling them

4. After consultation with the President, the Committee shall communicate the investigation report and the Association's measures in writing to the research ethics violator.

5. Articles determined to have violated research ethics shall have their publication retracted from the Association's journal, and the invalidity of publication shall be announced in the journal. When necessary, the head of the violator's affiliated institution and research funding agency shall be notified.

6. Persons who have violated research ethics shall be prohibited from submitting manuscripts to and presenting at academic conferences of the Association's journal for five years following adjudication. Members who commit research misconduct two or more times may be expelled.

7. Authors of articles determined to have committed research misconduct may be subject to measures including warning, suspension or revocation of Association membership and officer qualifications, restriction of review qualifications, restriction of eligibility for Association awards, and notification to relevant institutions.

8. The relevant article shall be removed from the online database of the Journal of Private Tutoring Research.

9. Persons suspected of research misconduct have the right to raise objections to the Committee's investigation results, and the Committee shall guarantee opportunities for re-examination.

10. Announcements of article retraction shall include the author's name, the article title, the volume and issue number containing the article, the date of retraction, and the reason for retraction.

11. The Committee may revoke or suspend the membership of persons who have made false reports or disseminated false information regarding the Association's research ethics, either intentionally or through gross negligence.

12. The Committee may take other appropriate measures in addition to those described above.

Article 28 (Notification of Deliberation Results)
The Chair shall prepare the Committee's decision on investigation results in writing and promptly notify the subject of investigation, the whistleblower, the Association's Editorial Board, and other relevant parties.

Article 29 (Re-deliberation)
If a subject of investigation or whistleblower disagrees with the Committee's decision, they may request re-deliberation by submitting a written request stating the reasons to the Committee within 20 days of receiving notification.

Article 30 (Preservation of Investigation Records and Information Disclosure)

1. Records related to investigations and deliberations shall be preserved for five years following the completion of the investigation.

2. Investigation reports may be disclosed after adjudication. However, identity-related information may be excluded from disclosure if it could cause disadvantage to the parties concerned.

Article 31 (Duty of Confidentiality)

1. The Committee shall make efforts to protect whistleblowers and to refrain from unduly infringing upon the reputation of subjects of investigation.

2. All matters related to reporting, investigation, deliberation, resolution, and recommendation shall be kept confidential. However, when there is a substantial need for disclosure, such matters may be disclosed through Committee resolution.

3. Committee members and persons directly or indirectly participating in investigations shall not improperly disclose information obtained during deliberations, resolutions, investigations, or other investigation processes.

Article 32 (Duty to Comply with Research Ethics Regulations)

1. All researchers participating in research activities related to the Association have a duty to comply with the research ethics regulations. To verify compliance by manuscript submitters, the submission of a Research Ethics Compliance Confirmation Form shall be mandatory.

2. Researchers shall submit a Research Ethics Pledge to the Editorial Board when applying for the publication of an article in the journal.

Article 33 (Amendment of Research Ethics Regulations)
Amendments to these regulations shall follow the procedures for amending the bylaws of the Korean Association of Private Tutoring Studies.

Article 34 (Exceptional Matters)
Matters not specified in these regulations shall be determined by decision of the Research Ethics Committee.

Supplementary Provision

Article 1 (Effective Date) — These regulations shall take effect from May 1, 2023.

Code of Ethics of the Korean Association of Private Tutoring Studies

Article 1
The purpose of this Code is to establish the ethical principles and standards to be observed in the processes of manuscript submission, review, and other activities related to the publication of The Journal of Private Tutoring Research, the official journal of the Korean Association of Private Tutoring Studies.

Article 2
In publishing the journal, the President and executive officers shall perform their duties fairly, ethically, and in accordance with scholarly conscience.

Article 3
In the processes of manuscript submission, review, and consultation for the journal, the personal information of submitters and reviewers, as well as content related to the manuscripts, shall be kept confidential.

Article 4
No improper or inappropriate gain shall be sought through the use of information obtained in connection with the publication of the journal.