Plagiarism Prevention Policy

The journal is fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, ethical scholarship, and responsible publishing practices. The journal considers plagiarism and all forms of publication misconduct as serious violations of scholarly ethics and does not tolerate unethical behavior in any stage of the publication process.

To preserve the credibility and originality of academic publications, every manuscript submitted to the journal undergoes a comprehensive plagiarism screening and ethical evaluation process before peer review and prior to final publication.

1. Purpose of the Policy

This policy is designed to:

  • Ensure the originality and authenticity of scholarly works published in the journal

  • Prevent academic misconduct and unethical publication practices

  • Protect intellectual property rights and academic contributions

  • Promote responsible research and citation practices

  • Maintain the journal’s academic reputation and compliance with international publishing standards

The journal encourages authors, editors, and reviewers to uphold transparency, honesty, accountability, and professional ethics in all scholarly communications.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

The journal defines plagiarism as the act of using another person’s intellectual work, ideas, language, data, or creative expression without proper acknowledgment or authorization. Plagiarism may occur intentionally or unintentionally and includes both published and unpublished materials.

Forms of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

a. Direct Plagiarism

Copying sentences, paragraphs, tables, figures, legal documents, or other materials word-for-word from another source without proper quotation marks, citation, or acknowledgment.

b. Mosaic or Patchwork Plagiarism

Combining phrases, structures, or ideas from multiple sources while making only minor modifications without sufficient citation.

c. Improper Paraphrasing

Rewriting another author’s work with superficial changes in wording or sentence structure without giving appropriate credit to the original source.

d. Self-Plagiarism

Reusing substantial portions of one’s own previously published work without proper citation, disclosure, or editorial permission. This includes duplicate publication, redundant publication, and salami publication.

e. Data and Figure Plagiarism

Using research data, images, graphs, tables, charts, or illustrations created by others without authorization or acknowledgment.

f. Idea Plagiarism

Presenting another scholar’s original concept, argument, framework, interpretation, or methodology as one’s own contribution.

g. Translation Plagiarism

Translating a work from another language and presenting it as original work without citing the original source.

3. Plagiarism Detection and Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts are screened using recognized plagiarism detection software prior to editorial evaluation and peer review. Additional checks may also be conducted after revision and before publication to ensure compliance with ethical standards.

The Editorial Board evaluates similarity reports comprehensively and contextually. Similarity percentages alone do not automatically determine plagiarism because legitimate overlaps may occur in:

  • References and bibliographies

  • Legal provisions and statutory citations

  • Standard methodological descriptions

  • Properly quoted and cited materials

  • Common academic terminology

However, excessive textual overlap, inappropriate citation practices, or patterns indicating academic misconduct will be investigated further.

Similarity Threshold

As a general guideline:

  • Manuscripts with a low and acceptable similarity level may proceed to review

  • Manuscripts with moderate similarity may be returned for revision and clarification

  • Manuscripts with high similarity or clear evidence of plagiarism may be rejected immediately

The final decision regarding acceptable similarity levels remains under the authority of the Editorial Board based on qualitative assessment and publication ethics considerations.

4. Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal are required to:

a. Ensure Originality

Authors must guarantee that the manuscript is entirely original and does not contain plagiarized content.

b. Provide Proper Citation

All quotations, paraphrases, data, theories, and ideas derived from other works must be properly cited using appropriate academic referencing standards.

c. Avoid Duplicate Submission

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to another journal, conference proceeding, or publication platform.

d. Disclose Prior Dissemination

Authors must inform the Editorial Board if the manuscript has previously appeared as:

  • A preprint

  • Conference paper

  • Thesis or dissertation repository

  • Working paper

  • Institutional publication

e. Obtain Permissions

Authors are responsible for securing permission for copyrighted materials, including images, figures, tables, or extensive quotations when necessary.

f. Maintain Research Integrity

Authors must ensure that research data are authentic, accurate, and not fabricated, manipulated, or falsified.

5. Editorial Responsibilities

The Editorial Board has the authority and responsibility to:

  • Conduct plagiarism screening for every submission

  • Investigate suspected ethical violations

  • Maintain confidentiality during investigations

  • Communicate transparently with authors regarding ethical concerns

  • Make fair and objective decisions based on evidence and publication ethics

Editors may consult reviewers, ethical guidelines, or institutional authorities when handling serious misconduct cases.

6. Reviewer Responsibilities

Peer reviewers are expected to contribute to plagiarism prevention by:

  • Identifying potential plagiarism or unethical similarities

  • Reporting suspected duplicate publication or data manipulation

  • Maintaining confidentiality of manuscripts under review

  • Providing objective and evidence-based assessments

If reviewers detect substantial overlap with previously published works, they should immediately notify the editor.

7. Handling Allegations of Plagiarism

The journal follows a structured procedure for handling suspected plagiarism and publication misconduct.

a. Preliminary Assessment

The Editorial Board reviews the similarity report and evaluates the nature and extent of overlap.

b. Author Clarification

Authors may be contacted to provide explanations, revisions, or supporting documentation.

c. Editorial Investigation

For serious cases, the editorial team may conduct a formal investigation involving reviewers or institutional representatives.

d. Final Decision

Based on the findings, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Request manuscript revision

  • Reject the manuscript

  • Suspend the review process

  • Issue formal warnings to authors

  • Temporarily prohibit future submissions

  • Notify affiliated institutions or funding agencies when necessary

8. Post-Publication Ethical Actions

If plagiarism or publication misconduct is discovered after publication, the journal reserves the right to take corrective actions in accordance with international publishing ethics standards.

Possible actions include:

a. Publication of Corrections

Minor citation errors or unintentional omissions may be corrected through editorial notices or corrigenda.

b. Expression of Concern

The journal may issue an editorial warning while an investigation is ongoing.

c. Retraction

Articles proven to contain serious plagiarism, fabricated data, duplicate publication, or unethical content may be formally retracted.

d. Removal from Indexing

Retracted articles may be removed or marked accordingly in indexing databases and journal archives.

9. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Authors using artificial intelligence tools or automated writing technologies must do so responsibly and transparently.

AI-generated content must:

  • Be reviewed and verified by the authors

  • Not replace authorship responsibility

  • Not contain fabricated citations or inaccurate information

  • Be disclosed appropriately when substantially used in manuscript preparation

Authors remain fully accountable for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content.

10. Ethical Standards and International Compliance

The journal adheres to internationally recognized publication ethics principles and best practices in scholarly publishing. The Plagiarism Prevention Policy is implemented to support:

  • Academic honesty

  • Research transparency

  • Intellectual property protection

  • Responsible scientific communication

  • High-quality scholarly publication

Through strict plagiarism prevention procedures and ethical oversight, the Journal seeks to maintain the integrity, credibility, and global academic standards of all published research.