Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when someone uses another person's work (such as a book, article, or website) or ideas without proper attribution, whether it's copied verbatim or paraphrased. All suspected or alleged cases of plagiarism will be taken seriously and evaluated individually. The Journal uses Turnitin and reserves the right to check manuscripts for potential plagiarism before peer review to verify their originality. Similarity reports are typically reviewed based on the following categories, though the Journal may apply other criteria at its discretion:

  • No plagiarism detected : Turnitin similarity report is under 15%
  • Minor plagiarism : Turnitin similarity report is between 15% and 30%
  • Extensive plagiarism : Turnitin similarity report is over 30%

Submitted Manuscripts:

  • When suspected plagiarism is reported, the Editorial Office will acknowledge the report and gather all relevant documentation/evidence. The Editor-in-Chief, along with the relevant Editor, will assess whether plagiarism has occurred and its extent.
  • If plagiarism is confirmed, the corresponding author will be informed by the Editor-in-Chief that the manuscript is rejected on these grounds.
  • If the plagiarism is deemed minor, and the Editor-in-Chief believes there was no intent to plagiarize, no further action will be taken.
  • If the plagiarism is extensive or admitted to, the author’s institution and funding bodies may be informed, and the author(s) may be banned from submitting to the Journal in the future.

Published Articles:

  • When plagiarism is suspected in a published article, the Editorial Office will acknowledge the report, and the relevant documentation/evidence will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and the relevant Editor to determine whether plagiarism occurred and its extent.
  • If plagiarism is confirmed, the corresponding author will be contacted and questioned.
  • If the plagiarism is minor, and the Editor-in-Chief believes there was no intent to plagiarize, a statement will be published online, identifying the plagiarized material with proper reference. The article and statement will be linked online.
  • If the plagiarism is extensive or admitted to, the article will be retracted, and a statement will be published acknowledging the original authors.
  • The author’s institution and funding bodies will be notified of the offense, and submitted plagiarized material will be sent to them. The authors will be informed of the notification and that they will be banned from future submissions.
  • The original author(s) and publisher will also be informed of the offense when possible.
  • The third party who reported the alleged plagiarism will be notified of the investigation’s outcome.