Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Policy for Meritorious Journal of Social Sciences and Management (MJSSM)

The Plagiarism Policy of the Meritorious Journal of Social Sciences and Management (MJSSM) ensures that all manuscripts submitted to the journal adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity. This policy is designed to protect the originality and intellectual property of authors and maintain the credibility and trust of the journal's readers.

Key aspects of the Plagiarism Policy include:

1. Definition of Plagiarism

  • Plagiarism refers to the act of using someone else's work, ideas, data, or words without proper citation or permission, thereby presenting them as one’s own. This includes:
    • Direct Plagiarism: Copying text, figures, or tables directly from another source without citation.
    • Self-Plagiarism: Reusing one's own previously published work without proper acknowledgment or without indicating it as previously published.
    • Mosaic Plagiarism: Mixing copied materials with original content in a way that gives the impression of being entirely the author’s own work.
    • Accidental Plagiarism: Unintentionally failing to properly cite sources or paraphrase ideas.

MJSSM takes any form of plagiarism seriously and will not tolerate it in submitted manuscripts.

2. Plagiarism Detection

  • MJSSM uses reliable plagiarism detection tools, such as Turnitin, iThenticate, or similar services, to screen all submitted manuscripts for potential plagiarism.
  • These tools are used to compare the submitted work against a database of published articles, journals, books, and other academic materials to identify instances of text similarity or content duplication.
  • MJSSM screens all articles at the initial submission stage and may recheck the manuscript after revisions to ensure no new instances of plagiarism have been introduced.

3. Threshold for Plagiarism

  • The journal follows a strict threshold for acceptable levels of text similarity. If the overall similarity index exceeds a set percentage (usually 20-30%) of previously published material, the manuscript will be flagged for review.
  • The editorial team reviews flagged manuscripts to determine if the similarities are properly cited or if plagiarism has occurred. If plagiarism is found, the manuscript may be rejected outright, and the author may be banned from submitting to the journal in the future.

4. Consequences of Plagiarism

  • If plagiarism is detected at any stage of the submission or publication process, MJSSM may take the following actions:
    • Rejection of the Manuscript: If plagiarism is identified during the review process, the manuscript will be rejected, and the author will be informed of the reasons for rejection.
    • Revocation of Acceptance: If plagiarism is detected after the manuscript has been accepted but before publication, the acceptance may be revoked, and the article will not be published.
    • Retracting the Article: If plagiarism is discovered after the article has been published, the article may be formally retracted, and a retraction notice will be published explaining the reason for the retraction.
    • Blacklisting the Author: In severe cases, where plagiarism is intentional, the author may be blacklisted from submitting future manuscripts to MJSSM.

5. Proper Citation and Referencing

  • Authors are required to properly cite all sources used in their manuscript. This includes direct quotes, paraphrased ideas, data, and images. All sources should be acknowledged in the text and listed in the bibliography or reference section.
  • MJSSM encourages authors to use proper academic citation styles (such as APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) as per the journal’s submission guidelines.

6. Author Responsibility

  • It is the author’s responsibility to ensure the originality of the submitted manuscript and to properly attribute all ideas, data, and content that is not their own. Authors should:
    • Avoid using uncredited excerpts or data from previously published works.
    • Ensure that all co-authors are aware of and agree with the manuscript’s content and citations.
    • Use quotation marks for direct quotes and provide proper citation to the original source.

7. Handling Multiple Submissions

  • MJSSM does not accept manuscripts that are being simultaneously considered by other journals or have been previously published elsewhere. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals is considered unethical and constitutes a form of self-plagiarism.
  • Authors must declare if a manuscript has been previously submitted or published elsewhere. Failure to do so may result in rejection or retraction of the manuscript.

8. Ethical Publishing Practices

  • MJSSM is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in the publishing process. The journal promotes transparency, integrity, and responsible behavior from authors, reviewers, and editors.
  • Any detected misconduct, including plagiarism, will be handled according to the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines, which provide detailed advice on the best practices for handling ethical issues in academic publishing.

9. Prevention of Plagiarism

  • In addition to the use of plagiarism detection tools, MJSSM offers guidance and support to authors on how to avoid plagiarism:
    • Providing examples of proper citation practices.
    • Offering advice on paraphrasing and summarizing techniques.
    • Encouraging authors to familiarize themselves with academic integrity guidelines to prevent unintentional plagiarism.