Originality and Plagiarism

The journal is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards and academic integrity in publishing. Plagiarism, in any form, is a serious violation of academic integrity and will not be tolerated. This policy outlines the procedures and actions taken to prevent, detect, and address plagiarism in manuscripts submitted to the journal.

Definition of Plagiarism- Plagiarism is the unethical practice of using another author’s work, ideas, or words without proper acknowledgment. It includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct Plagiarism: Copying text verbatim from another source without citation.
  • Self-Plagiarism: Republishing one’s own previously published work without significant modifications or citation.
  • Mosaic Plagiarism: Paraphrasing another author’s work without proper citation.
  • Fabrication & Falsification: Making up or altering research data or findings.
  • Image/Graph Manipulation: Modifying visual content in a misleading way without disclosure.

Plagiarism Detection Using Turnitin- To ensure originality, all submitted manuscripts undergo a Turnitin Similarity Check before the peer-review process. The following guidelines are used:

  • Similarity Score Below 10% – Considered acceptable, minor revisions may be suggested if necessary.
  • Similarity Score 10-20% – Requires revision with proper citation and paraphrasing. The author will be asked to correct the overlap before further processing.
  • Similarity Score Above 20% – The manuscript will be rejected or returned for significant revision. The author must provide a revised version with clear changes and a justification letter.
  • Similarity Above 40% – Immediate rejection due to high plagiarism. The author may be blacklisted from future submissions.

Consequences of Plagiarism

Depending on the severity of plagiarism, the following actions will be taken:

  • Minor Overlaps (10-20%) – Authors will be asked to revise and resubmit.
  • Moderate Plagiarism (20-40%) – The manuscript will be returned for major revisions or rejected.
  • Severe Plagiarism (>40%) – Immediate rejection and blacklisting. A formal notice will be sent to the author’s institution.
  • Plagiarism After Publication – If plagiarism is detected post-publication, the article will be retracted, and a notice will be published in the journal. The author may face a publication ban for future submissions.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure that:

  • The manuscript is their original work and has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
  • Proper citations and references are included for all sources.
  • Permission is obtained for any third-party content (figures, tables, or text excerpts).
  • Self-plagiarism is minimized by avoiding excessive reuse of previous works.

Responsibilities of Reviewers and Editors

  • Editors and peer reviewers must carefully scrutinize manuscripts for signs of plagiarism.
  • If plagiarism is suspected, the manuscript will be referred for a detailed review and cross-checked using Turnitin reports.
  • If necessary, external plagiarism-checking tools may be used to validate the findings.

Appeals & Retraction Policy

Authors who believe their manuscript was unfairly rejected due to plagiarism concerns may appeal by providing:

  • A detailed explanation addressing the plagiarism concerns.
  • A revised manuscript with proper citations.

If a published article is found to contain plagiarism, The journal will issue a retraction notice and notify relevant institutions and databases.

Ethical Compliance Statement

Authors, reviewers, and editors must comply with journal ethical publishing policies. Any violation of this policy may result in disciplinary actions, including permanent ban from submission and reporting to institutional authorities.