Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Policy for Research Journal for Social Affairs

1. Introduction

The Research Journal for Social Affairs (RJSA) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and scholarly publishing. This Plagiarism Policy outlines the expectations for authors submitting manuscripts to RJSA and the consequences of plagiarism.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of presenting the work of others as one's own without proper attribution. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct plagiarism: copying verbatim from another source without quotation marks or citation.
  • Paraphrasing: taking another author's ideas or arguments without attribution.
  • Mosaic plagiarism: piecing together passages from different sources to create a new text without proper citation.
  • Self-plagiarism: reusing significant portions of one's own previously published work without attribution.

3. Manuscript Screening and Detection

RJSA uses plagiarism detection software to screen all submitted manuscripts. Manuscripts exceeding a predefined similarity threshold will be flagged for further review by the editorial team.

4. Consequences of Plagiarism

Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism will be handled as follows:

  • Minor plagiarism (up to 15% similarity): The authors will be contacted and requested to revise the manuscript to remove the plagiarized content.
  • Moderate plagiarism (15% to 30% similarity): The manuscript will be rejected, and the authors may be invited to submit a revised version after addressing the plagiarism concerns.
  • Major plagiarism (over 30% similarity): The manuscript will be summarily rejected, and the authors may be blacklisted from submitting future manuscripts to RJSA.

In addition to the above, RJSA may take further action, such as:

  • Publishing a retraction of the plagiarized work, if it has already been published.
  • Informing the author's institution or funding agency about the plagiarism.

5. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original and free of plagiarism. To meet this expectation, authors should:

  • Conduct thorough literature searches to identify relevant sources.
  • Properly cite all sources used in their manuscript, using a consistent citation style.
  • Obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted material before submitting their manuscript.
  • Proofread their manuscript carefully before submitting it.

6. Appeals

Authors who disagree with a plagiarism decision may appeal to the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief will review the appeal and make a final decision.