Plagiarism and Misconduct Policy

Plagiarism is the unethical use of another person's ideas, text, or work without proper acknowledgment. This includes direct copying of text, improper paraphrasing, and self-plagiarism, where authors reuse significant parts of their previously published work without citation. Authors must ensure that all citations are accurately included and that portions of their manuscript are only taken from other sources with proper credit.

Plagiarism Detection

All submitted manuscripts will be screened using plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin, iThenticate, or CrossCheck. If significant overlap with previously published works is detected, authors will be informed, and an investigation will be initiated. Based on the extent and severity of the plagiarism, the manuscript may be rejected outright or sent back for revision.

Types of Research Misconduct

We define research misconduct as any act that compromises the integrity and trustworthiness of scholarly research. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Fabrication: Making up data, results, or experiments.
  • Falsification: Manipulating research data, images, or methods to present misleading results.
  • Plagiarism: Appropriating another person's ideas, processes, or text without appropriate credit.
  • Authorship Misconduct:
    • Ghost Authorship: Failure to list individuals who have contributed significantly to the research as authors.
    • Guest Authorship: Listing individuals as authors who have not contributed substantially to the work, often to enhance the credibility or likelihood of publication.
    • Gift Authorship: Including individuals as authors as a favor or to return a professional or personal favor, without actual contribution to the research or writing.
    • Fraudulent Authorship: Misrepresenting someone's contribution or falsely attributing authorship to manipulate the work's credibility.

Addressing and Investigating Misconduct

When allegations of plagiarism or misconduct are raised, the journal will initiate an investigation, which may include:

  • Notifying the corresponding author and requesting clarification or a response.
  • Consulting with experts and relevant committees on ethical publishing practices.
  • Requesting the original data or evidence of ethical approval where necessary.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the following actions may be taken:

  • Minor Overlap: The authors may be asked to revise the manuscript with proper attribution and citations.
  • Major Overlap or Serious Misconduct: The manuscript will be rejected, and the author's institution or relevant authority will be notified. In extreme cases, the journal reserves the right to retract published articles.

Consequences for Misconduct

Authors found guilty of plagiarism or misconduct may face:

  • Immediate rejection of their manuscript.
  • Retraction of a published paper.
  • Reporting to their affiliated institution(s) or research body.
  • Ban from future submissions to the journal for a specified period.

Ethical Responsibility of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring the ethical integrity of their submitted work. This includes:

  • Properly acknowledging all sources of data, ideas, and inspiration.
  • Disclosing any conflicts of interest or financial support that may influence the research or its interpretation.
  • Ensuring all contributors who meet authorship criteria are credited appropriately, avoiding ghost, guest, or gift authorship.

Peer Review and Confidentiality

Peer reviewers are integral to maintaining ethical standards. They are expected to evaluate manuscripts fairly and confidentially and report any concerns about plagiarism, ethical violations, or research misconduct. Manuscripts should not be shared or uploaded to external platforms, including AI tools, without explicit permission from the editor.

COPE Guidelines

Our journal strictly adheres to the ethical standards the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) outlined. To ensure fairness and transparency throughout the investigation process, all allegations of misconduct will be handled according to these guidelines.