Plagiarism Policy

Journals Online is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. Plagiarism, in any form, is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without appropriate acknowledgment. This includes:

• Copying text from a source without quotation or proper citation
• Paraphrasing content without crediting the original source
• Reusing one’s own previously published work without disclosure (self-plagiarism)
• Submitting content produced by another individual, including through ghostwriting or AI, as original work

Plagiarism Detection

All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using advanced plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate, or equivalent tools) prior to peer review. Manuscripts with a similarity index above an acceptable threshold may be returned to the author for correction or rejected outright.

Consequences of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected at any stage—before or after publication—the following actions may be taken:

• Immediate rejection or retraction of the manuscript
• Notification to the author’s affiliated institution or funding agency
• Permanent blacklisting of the authors involved
• Public statement of misconduct, if warranted

Author Responsibility

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring the originality of their submissions. Proper attribution must be given for any quoted or referenced content. We strongly encourage authors to check their work using plagiarism detection tools before submission.

Appeal and Clarification

Authors who believe a plagiarism finding is incorrect or would like to clarify citation issues may contact the editorial team for a review. All appeals must be submitted in writing with supporting documentation.

For any questions related to our plagiarism policy, please contact support@journalsonline.org.