Plagiarism Policy
1.0 Policy Overview
The LASU International Journal of Arts and Social Science Education (LIJASSED) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and originality in scholarly publication. Plagiarism, in any form, constitutes a serious breach of professional ethics and is unacceptable. This policy defines plagiarism, outlines the journal’s procedures for detection and screening, and specifies the consequences for violations. All authors submitting manuscripts to the journal are required to adhere strictly to this policy.
2.0 Definition of Plagiarism
For the purposes of this journal, plagiarism is defined as the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, text, data, images, or creative works without proper attribution or permission, presenting them as one’s own original work. This includes, but is not limited to:
Verbatim Copying: Direct reproduction of text without quotation marks and citation.
Substantial Paraphrasing: Rephrasing another’s work without appropriate acknowledgment, where the core ideas, structure, or narrative remain essentially unchanged.
Text Recycling / Self-Plagiarism: Reusing significant portions of one’s own previously published work (including from theses, dissertations, or preprints) without transparent citation and justification. While some overlap in methodology is expected, the presentation of data, discussion, and conclusions must be novel.
Idea Plagiarism: Using a concept, theory, or research design originated by another without credit.
Data Fabrication/Falsification: While distinct, the misrepresentation of others' data as one’s own is treated with equal severity.
3.0 Pre-Submission Screening Requirement
3.1 Author Responsibility: It is the sole responsibility of the corresponding author, on behalf of all co-authors, to ensure the manuscript’s originality prior to submission. Authors must certify that their work is their own, that all external contributions are properly cited, and that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere in any language.
3.2 Mandatory Similarity Check: Authors are strongly encouraged to perform a plagiarism check using reputable similarity detection software (e.g., iThenticate, Turnitin) before submission. Manuscripts must be the final version intended for review.
4.0 Editorial Screening & Acceptable Threshold
4.1 Mandatory Editorial Screening: Upon receipt, all manuscripts will be screened by the editorial office using plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate, Turnitin).
4.2 Acceptable Similarity Index: Only manuscripts with an overall similarity score of less than 20% will be considered for peer review. This threshold applies to the aggregate score against all databases.
4.3 Analysis of the Similarity Report: The 20% threshold is a guideline; the editorial team conducts a qualitative analysis of the similarity report. Key considerations include:
Source of Matches: Matches to the authors’ own published work (self-plagiarism) are scrutinized.
Distribution of Similarity: A concentrated block of copied text is more serious than dispersed, properly cited phrases.
Nature of Text: Expected similarity in standard methodological descriptions, properly cited, is treated differently from similarity in results, discussion, or unique theoretical analysis.
Citation Practices: Text is checked to ensure all matched material is either in quotation marks with a citation or is a unique paraphrase with citation.
5.0 Classification of Violations and Editorial Actions
Based on the screening outcome, the following actions will be taken:
Minor Similarity (Typically <15-20% with proper citation): The manuscript may proceed to initial editorial assessment, but authors may be asked to revise and clarify citations for any problematic sections.
Threshold or Borderline Similarity (Approaching or at 20%): The manuscript will be held. Authors will be provided with the similarity report and given one opportunity to substantially revise the text to reduce similarity and address any citation deficiencies before a re-check. The submission date will be reset upon resubmission.
Substantial Plagiarism (Score >20% and/or serious qualitative issues): The manuscript will be desk-rejected immediately. The corresponding author will be notified with the evidence.
Severe Plagiarism (Large-scale verbatim copying, data theft, or fraudulent authorship): Results in immediate rejection. The journal reserves the right to take further action, which may include:
A formal ban on submissions from all authors for a defined period.
Notification of the authors’ institutional heads or funding bodies.
Issuing a public notice of retraction if plagiarism is discovered post-publication.
6.0 Procedure for Allegations of Plagiarism in Published Articles
If plagiarism is identified or suspected in a published article, the journal will:
- Investigate the allegation thoroughly.
- Contact the corresponding author for an explanation.
- Temporarily suspend the online publication with a “Notice of Concern” during investigation.
- If substantiated, issue a formal retraction notice, clearly stating the reason, which will be linked to the original article in all databases.
7.0 Author Declaration
Upon submission, all authors must agree to the following statement within the submission system:
“We, the authors, hereby declare that this manuscript is the original work of the undersigned authors. All external sources have been properly cited. The manuscript has not been previously published in whole or in part, nor is it under consideration for publication elsewhere. We understand that [Journal Name] will screen for plagiarism and that submission over the acceptable similarity index or any breach of this policy will result in immediate rejection or subsequent retraction.”
8.0 Resources for Authors
The journal encourages authors to familiarize themselves with best practices in scholarly writing and citation. Resources are available on our website, including links to style guides (e.g., APA7) and guidelines on avoiding self-plagiarism.
This policy is subject to periodic review and may be updated.
