Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Policy

This policy defines plagiarism within the context of Al‑Rafidain Dental Journal and outlines procedures aligned with COPE's best practices. It applies to all manuscript submissions, authors, reviewers, and editorial staff.

-Definitions (COPE-Aligned)

  • Plagiarism: Unattributed copying of words, ideas, data, figures, or structure from any source (published or unpublished).

  • Self-plagiarism: Reuse of substantial portions of one’s own previous, published work without acknowledgment.

  • Mosaic plagiarism: Interweaving of copied content from various sources without proper citation.

  • Text recycling: Reuse of standard methodology descriptions; acceptable only when properly cited and with disclosure.

  • Accidental plagiarism: Unintentional oversight in citation; still unacceptable in scientific publishing.

-Detection Methods

  • All submitted manuscripts are screened with plagiarism detection software (iThenticate) 

  • Editors review similarity reports, focusing on content originality, excluding bibliography and technical expressions.

A major transgression of publication ethics is plagiarism. Duplicate publication, data fabrication and falsification, and incorrect author attribution are among the other infractions. Therefore, it is unethical behavior to plagiarize or knowingly make false or misleading comments. It is also forbidden to submit the same article to multiple journals at the same time, as this is considered unethical publishing behavior. 

-Plagiarism Thresholds

  • Clarify acceptable similarity index (e.g., < 15–20% excluding references), with zero tolerance for unattributed verbatim copying.

  • Any overlap with previously published work must be cited and explained in the submission cover letter.

It is important to note that up to 20% of a duplicate manuscript may be rejected by Al-Rafidain Dental Journal. Also, if the Artificial Intelligence (AI)  score is more than 5%, the manuscript is sent back to the author to reduce the Artificial Intelligence score. In addition to the plagiarism and artificial intelligence checker, we check the hidden flag and the replace flag. A manuscript is rejected immediately if it contains a hidden flag or a replaced flag.

-Procedures & Sanctions

1- Pre-publication

  • If plagiarism is detected before peer review:

    • Minor (e.g., under threshold, properly cited): Author is asked to revise and clearly cite sources.

    • Moderate to severe: Manuscript is rejected immediately, author notified, with a summary of concerns and an option to appeal.

2-Post-publication

  • If plagiarism is identified after publication:

    1. Editorial investigation following COPE’s flowchart.

    2. Depending on severity:

      • Issuance of a Correction, Expression of Concern, or full Retraction.

      • Notification of the author's institution or funding body, if appropriate.

      • Possible ban from submissions to the journal for a specified period.

-Author Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Submit only original work not published elsewhere.

  • Properly cite all sources and reorder, paraphrase, and quote clearly.

  • Disclose any related prior work or submissions (e.g., conference abstracts).

  • Submit a signed Originality Statement, confirming compliance.

-Editorial & Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Editors must:

    • Ensure screening protocols are followed.

    • Act on plagiarism reports with transparency and confidentiality.

    • Document decisions and communicate fairly with all parties.

  • Reviewers should:

    • Alert the Editor if they suspect plagiarism, with specifics.

-Transparency & Appeal

  • Provide authors the opportunity to respond if plagiarism is suspected.

  • Appeal process: Authors may submit a formal appeal to the Editor-in-Chief; decisions can be escalated to the journal’s ethics committee if needed.

-Communication & Record-Keeping

  • Keep detailed records of all steps taken in handling plagiarism cases.

  • Ensure confidentiality and impartiality throughout.

-Policy Review

  • Annually reviewed and updated in line with COPE revisions and journal best practices.