Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Policy

The Academic Science Journal (ASJ) is committed to maintaining academic integrity and preventing all forms of plagiarism, duplicate publication, inappropriate text recycling, data fabrication, falsification, and other forms of publication misconduct.

All manuscripts submitted to ASJ must be original works of the authors. By submitting a manuscript, the authors confirm that the work has not been plagiarized, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration elsewhere, unless this has been clearly disclosed to the journal and is permitted by the journal’s policies.

Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts are screened for similarity using recognized plagiarism detection software, such as iThenticate/Crossref Similarity Check or other approved similarity-checking tools, before the manuscript is sent for peer review.

The similarity report is used as an editorial screening tool. A high similarity percentage does not automatically mean plagiarism, and a low similarity percentage does not automatically mean that the manuscript is free from ethical problems. Each case is evaluated carefully by the editorial board according to the nature, source, and distribution of the similarity.

Similarity Thresholds and Editorial Action

The journal may use the following similarity levels as general guidance:

Similarity below 20%: The manuscript may proceed to editorial assessment, provided that the similarity is properly cited and does not include significant overlap with previously published work.
Similarity between 20% and 30%: The manuscript may be returned to the authors for revision, clarification, proper citation, or reduction of inappropriate overlap before further consideration.
Similarity above 30%: The manuscript may be rejected or returned for substantial revision, depending on the source and seriousness of the similarity.
Serious plagiarism or similarity above 50%: The manuscript will normally be rejected without external review.

These thresholds are not applied mechanically. The editorial board reserves the right to reject a manuscript at any similarity level if plagiarism, unattributed copying, duplicate publication, or unethical text recycling is identified.

Forms of Plagiarism

Plagiarism may include, but is not limited to:

Copying text from another source without proper citation.
Using another author’s ideas, data, figures, tables, equations, images, or illustrations without appropriate acknowledgment or permission when required.
Copying text from internet sources without proper citation.
Paraphrasing another work too closely without acknowledgment.
Reusing substantial parts of the authors’ own previously published work without proper citation or clear disclosure.
Submitting a manuscript that substantially overlaps with a manuscript published or submitted elsewhere.

Self-Plagiarism and Text Recycling

Authors must properly cite their previous publications when reusing ideas, methods, data, or text from their own published work. Limited reuse of standard methodological descriptions may be acceptable when properly cited; however, extensive text recycling, duplicate publication, or reuse of previously published results without disclosure is not acceptable.

If a manuscript is based on a previous conference paper, thesis, preprint, or earlier version of the work, this must be clearly disclosed at the time of submission, and the earlier source must be properly cited.

Action Before Publication

If plagiarism or unacceptable similarity is detected before publication, the editorial board may take one or more of the following actions:

Return the manuscript to the authors for correction.
Request clarification, proper citation, or rewriting of overlapping sections.
Reject the manuscript.
Suspend consideration of the manuscript until the ethical concern is resolved.
Notify the authors’ institution or relevant authority in serious cases.

Action After Publication

If plagiarism or publication misconduct is discovered after publication, ASJ will investigate the case carefully. The journal may contact the authors, reviewers, institutions, or other relevant parties to obtain clarification.

Depending on the severity of the case, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction. Retraction notices will remain publicly available and will be linked to the original article to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Published articles will not be removed from the journal website except in exceptional legal, ethical, or safety-related circumstances. Instead, the journal will maintain the scholarly record through appropriate notices, corrections, or retractions.

Reporting Plagiarism

Readers, reviewers, authors, and editors may report suspected plagiarism or publication misconduct to the editorial office of ASJ. All reports will be treated seriously and assessed according to the journal’s publication ethics policies.

Reports should include clear evidence, such as the title of the article, author names, publication details, and the source of the suspected overlap.