Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Social Impact Studies (JSIS) maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism in any form. All submitted manuscripts are expected to be the original work of the author(s) and must properly acknowledge and cite the work and ideas of others. Plagiarism is considered a serious violation of publishing ethics and will be handled in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Definition of Plagiarism

For JSIS, plagiarism includes but is not limited to:

  • Verbatim Copying – Using another person’s exact words without quotation marks and proper citation.

  • Paraphrasing Without Attribution – Restating another author’s ideas without giving appropriate credit.

  • Mosaic Plagiarism – Blending copied phrases with original text without proper acknowledgment.

  • Self-Plagiarism – Reusing significant portions of one’s own previously published work without disclosure or citation.

  • Image, Table, or Data Plagiarism – Using figures, tables, datasets, or images from another source without permission or proper acknowledgment.

2. Plagiarism Detection

  • All submissions to JSIS are screened using reliable plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate).

  • The editorial team reviews the similarity report, excluding standard phrases, references, and methodology descriptions.

  • A similarity index of less than 15% is generally acceptable; however, similarity in critical sections (abstract, discussion, conclusion) will be closely examined regardless of percentage.

3. Actions in Case of Plagiarism

Depending on the extent and severity of plagiarism:

  1. Minor Overlap (e.g., improper paraphrasing, missing citations) – Authors will be asked to revise and resubmit with proper citations.

  2. Significant Plagiarism Detected Before Publication – Manuscript will be rejected, and the authors may be barred from submitting to JSIS for a specified period.

  3. Plagiarism Discovered After Publication – The article may be retracted, with a retraction notice published and the authors’ institutions notified.

4. Author Responsibilities

  • Ensure the manuscript is entirely original and all sources are properly credited.

  • Obtain permission for any copyrighted material used in the manuscript.

  • Avoid excessive self-citation and clearly disclose any reused material from the authors’ previous publications.

5. Ethical Statement

By submitting a manuscript to JSIS, authors confirm that:

  • The work is original and free from plagiarism.

  • All sources have been properly cited.

  • They accept the consequences of policy violations as outlined above.