Plagiarism Policies

Plagiarism is regarded with the utmost seriousness by this journal. To ensure the authenticity and originality of submitted manuscripts, the journal employs the iThenticate similarity detection software to thoroughly screen each submission for potential plagiarism. This similarity check is conducted as the first step in the manuscript review process. If a manuscript exhibits an unacceptable level of similarity with previously published works, it will be promptly rejected.

Authors are expected to submit only their original work. In cases where content overlap is detected, a further investigation will be conducted to determine whether plagiarism has occurred, in line with the publisher’s Editorial Policies. The journal maintains a 20% overall similarity threshold for manuscripts to be considered for publication.

By enforcing these plagiarism policies, the journal ensures the highest standards of academic integrity and safeguards the credibility of its publications.

Types of Plagiarism

The journal recognizes different types of plagiarism to distinguish between legitimate scholarly representation and unethical practices. Key forms include:

Reproduction without acknowledgement: Presenting another individual’s words, sentences, ideas, or findings as one’s own without proper citation.
Text recycling (self-plagiarism): Reusing material from one’s previously published work in a new manuscript without adequate citation or acknowledgement.
Poor paraphrasing: Making minor word changes while copying entire paragraphs or altering sentence structure without significantly changing the wording or meaning.
Verbatim copying without quotation marks: Directly copying text from a source without quotation marks and without acknowledging the original author.
Inadequate paraphrasing despite citation: Citing the original source but paraphrasing improperly, creating content that falls between quoting and paraphrasing. Authors must either paraphrase accurately or quote directly while always citing the source.
High similarity in specific sections: Elevated similarity in sections such as the abstract, introduction, methods, or discussion may signal plagiarism. While some technical terms and procedures may be difficult to rephrase, editors will carefully review these areas to ensure compliance with ethical standards.

By identifying and addressing these practices, the journal upholds the integrity and originality of published research.

Plagiarism in Published Manuscripts

If plagiarism is detected in a published article, the journal will take corrective action, which may include retraction of the article from its website and indexing platforms. A thorough investigation will be conducted, and the decision will require approval from the Editor-in-Chief. This process safeguards the integrity of the journal and maintains ethical publishing standards.

Fabrication and False Information

To preserve scholarly credibility, the journal also enforces strict policies against fabrication and falsification of data or information. If false information, fabricated data, or manipulated images are identified, the journal will issue post-publication notices to inform readers and, where appropriate, will retract the article. Authors found guilty of such misconduct will face sanctions, and their work will be removed from the journal.

This policy ensures that all published content remains accurate, reliable, and ethically sound, while holding authors fully accountable for their submissions.