Plagiarism Policy

The Editorial Board of the International Journal of Psychology and Health Science (IJPHS) does not tolerate plagiarism or any other form of research misconduct. This page sets out the plagiarism policy and the procedure for handling allegations of research misconduct.

Contents

  1. Plagiarism Policy
  2. Levels of Plagiarism and Actions
  3. Allegations of Research Misconduct

1. Plagiarism Policy

Definition. Plagiarism is the use of another person's words, ideas, data, or results, including the author's own previously published work, presented as original without proper acknowledgement.

Similarity screening. All submitted manuscripts and final versions are screened with Turnitin. The maximum permitted similarity index is 25%, excluding references, quotations, and properly cited material. Manuscripts above this limit are returned to the authors for revision and re-screened before further processing. The journal may conduct additional originality checks at any stage.

Requirements:

  • Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Verbatim material from other sources must be clearly marked (quotation marks or indentation) and cited.
  • Substantial reuse of text, figures, tables, or images from other sources requires permission from the copyright holder.
  • Limited reuse of the authors' own published work is permitted only where necessary for background or methods, and must be cited.
  • Previously published or translated material is considered only in exceptional cases, with full disclosure of the original publication and permission from the copyright holder.

2. Levels of Plagiarism and Actions

Level Description Action
Minor Limited uncited wording, with no significant data or ideas taken from another work. Authors revise the text and add proper citations; the manuscript may then be reconsidered.
Intermediate Substantial uncited overlap with other work. The manuscript may be rejected, and the authors may be barred from submitting for a period determined by the Editorial Board.
Severe Extensive appropriation of another's work, results, or ideas, or simultaneous submission to another journal. The manuscript is rejected, and the authors are barred from submitting for a period determined by the Editorial Board. If discovered after publication, the article is handled under Corrections and Retractions.
  • All listed authors share responsibility and are subject to the same action.
  • Repeat cases involving the same authors may lead to the rejection of future submissions for a longer period, as determined by the Editorial Board.

3. Allegations of Research Misconduct

IJPHS handles every allegation of research or publication misconduct fairly and confidentially, following the COPE flowcharts. This policy applies to manuscripts under consideration and to published articles, whenever the misconduct is discovered.

Forms of misconduct covered include:

  • Data fabrication (inventing data or results);
  • Data falsification (manipulating data, images, or research processes);
  • Plagiarism and redundant or duplicate publication;
  • Authorship misconduct (see Authorship Criteria);
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest;
  • Citation or peer-review manipulation;
  • Unethical research involving human participants, such as research without ethical approval or informed consent.

How to report. Anyone (readers, reviewers, editors, or others) may report suspected misconduct to [journal email] with the subject "Misconduct Report – [article title]". The report should identify the article, describe the concern, and include supporting evidence. The identity of the reporter is kept confidential. Anonymous reports are considered if supported by sufficient evidence.

Procedure:

  1. Acknowledgement and initial assessment. The Editor-in-Chief acknowledges the report within 7 working days and assesses whether there are sufficient grounds to proceed.
  2. Investigation. The editor gathers evidence (similarity reports, data, correspondence) and may consult independent experts. Anyone with a conflict of interest is excluded.
  3. Author response. The authors are given 14 days to respond in writing.
  4. Decision. The Editorial Board decides on the outcome based on the evidence and the authors' response.
  5. Institutional involvement. Where necessary, the editor contacts the authors' institution or funder for further investigation.

Possible outcomes, depending on severity: revision or rejection of the manuscript; correction, expression of concern, or retraction of a published article; notification of the authors' institution or funder; and a submission ban in accordance with the table of actions.