Plagiarism Policy

 

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the unethical practice of using someone else's work, ideas, data, or language without proper acknowledgment. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Verbatim copying of text from another source without proper citation.
  • Paraphrasing without sufficient transformation and acknowledgment.
  • Use of data, figures, or images without permission or proper credit.
  • Submitting work that has already been published elsewhere ("self-plagiarism").

2. Policy Statement

The journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. Any manuscript submitted for publication must be original and free from any form of plagiarism.

3. Pre-Submission Check

Authors are encouraged to use plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate) to ensure their manuscript is free from plagiarism before submission.

4. Journal Screening Process

All submitted manuscripts will undergo plagiarism screening as part of the editorial review process. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized content may be rejected outright.

5. Consequences of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected:

  • Before publication: The manuscript will be returned to the authors for correction or outright rejection, depending on the severity.
  • After publication: The article will be retracted, and a retraction notice will be published. The authors’ institutions may also be informed.

6. Permissible Similarity Threshold

The journal permits a similarity index of up to 15%, excluding references, quotes, and commonly used phrases. Higher percentages will be subject to editorial scrutiny.

7. Avoiding Plagiarism

Authors must:

  • Properly cite all sources of information, including previously published work.
  • Obtain necessary permissions for reproduced material.
  • Ensure originality in their analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data.

8. Ethical Responsibility

Authors are solely responsible for ensuring their work is plagiarism-free. Co-authors should verify and agree to the originality of the submitted manuscript.