Purpose

The Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and originality in scholarly publishing. All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening to ensure that the work is original, properly cited, and free from academic misconduct. The Journal follows the ethical recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) in addressing plagiarism and related publication misconduct.

Plagiarism Screening Process

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal are screened for textual similarity using Turnitin before they enter the peer review process. The plagiarism screening is conducted to identify potential instances of plagiarism, duplicate publication, self-plagiarism, improper citation, or unauthorized use of copyrighted material. Manuscripts may also be re-screened after revision or prior to final publication if considered necessary by the Editorial Office.

Author Responsibility

Authors are required to ensure that their manuscripts are original and that all sources, quotations, figures, tables, and previously published materials are appropriately acknowledged and cited. As part of the submission process, authors must upload a complete Turnitin Similarity Report together with their manuscript. Failure to submit the required plagiarism report may delay the editorial assessment or result in the manuscript being returned to the authors before peer review.

Acceptable Similarity Levels

The Journal evaluates plagiarism reports on both the overall similarity percentage and the nature of the matched content. Editorial decisions are based on professional judgment rather than similarity scores alone. Legitimate similarities arising from references, standard methodological descriptions, properly quoted text, or legally reproduced materials are assessed separately from unacceptable textual overlap.

Editorial Evaluation

If significant plagiarism, duplicate publication, self-plagiarism, fabricated citations, or other forms of academic misconduct are identified, the Editorial Office may request clarification, require manuscript revision, reject the submission, or initiate further investigation. In cases where plagiarism is discovered after publication, appropriate editorial action, including correction, retraction, or notification of the authors' institution, may be taken in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Types of Unacceptable Plagiarism

The Journal considers the following practices to be unacceptable:

• Direct copying of text without proper citation or quotation.

• Substantial paraphrasing without appropriate attribution.

• Self-plagiarism or redundant publication without disclosure.

• Duplicate or simultaneous submission to multiple journals.

• Unauthorized reproduction of figures, tables, images, or copyrighted material.

• Fabrication or manipulation of references to conceal copied content.

Journal Commitment

The Journal is committed to promoting originality, ethical research practices, and responsible scholarly communication. All allegations of plagiarism are handled fairly, confidentially, and consistently in accordance with internationally recognized publication ethics standards.

Key Requirements

• Every submitted manuscript must be accompanied by a Turnitin Similarity Report.

• All manuscripts are screened using Turnitin before peer review.

• Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work and proper citation of all sources.

• Editorial decisions are based on both the similarity report and the nature of the matched content.

• Manuscripts containing unacceptable plagiarism may be returned for revision, rejected, or investigated further.

• Confirmed cases of plagiarism after publication may result in correction, retraction, or other editorial actions in accordance with COPE and ICMJE guidance.