Plagiarism Policy

At  Indus Journal of Science (IJS) , we are committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. We believe that maintaining the integrity of the scientific record is essential for the advancement of knowledge. Our Plagiarism Policy outlines the expectations and procedures for ensuring that all manuscripts submitted to the journal are original and free from plagiarism or any form of academic misconduct.

1. Definition of Plagiarism:

Plagiarism refers to the act of using someone else’s work, ideas, or data without proper acknowledgment or permission. It includes, but is not limited to:

• Direct Plagiarism: Copying text, ideas, or data from another source verbatim without citation or permission.
• Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rewriting someone else’s ideas or work in your own words without proper citation.
• Self-Plagiarism: Republishing your own previously published work or parts of it without proper citation, or submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals without disclosure.
• Data Falsification or Fabrication: Manipulating, altering, or making up data and presenting it as original research.
• Unacknowledged Borrowing: Using another person’s figures, tables, or images without proper citation.

2. Prevention and Detection of Plagiarism:

• Plagiarism Screening: All submitted manuscripts to Indus Journal of Science undergo plagiarism detection through specialized software. This helps identify similarities between the manuscript and existing literature, ensuring that content is original and properly cited.

• Author Responsibility: Authors are responsible for ensuring that their work is free from plagiarism and that they have properly cited all sources, including data, figures, tables, and ideas borrowed from other researchers. Authors must ensure that their research is original and not under consideration by other journals simultaneously.

• Proper Citation and Referencing: Authors must provide accurate and complete citations for all sources referenced in their manuscripts. This includes research articles, books, conference papers, online resources, and personal communications. Proper citation is essential to avoid unintentional plagiarism.

3. Handling Plagiarism Cases:

• Initial Screening: When plagiarism is detected during the initial screening or peer review process, the editorial team will notify the authors and request clarification. The manuscript may be rejected if substantial plagiarism is identified.

• Minor Cases of Plagiarism: In cases where minor plagiarism is detected (e.g., improper citation or failure to acknowledge the original author), the manuscript may be returned to the author for revision. Authors will be required to correct the citations, provide appropriate references, and resubmit the manuscript for further review.

• Serious Cases of Plagiarism: If substantial plagiarism is found, such as copying large portions of text or falsifying data, the manuscript will be immediately rejected. The authors may be banned from submitting to Indus Journal of Science in the future, and the matter may be reported to the relevant academic or research institution.

4. Self-Plagiarism:

• Republishing and Dual Submissions: Authors must not submit a manuscript that has been published elsewhere, either in full or in part, unless it is clearly stated and properly cited. Self-plagiarism, where authors reuse significant portions of their previous work without acknowledgment, is strictly prohibited.

• Prior Publications: If authors wish to submit a manuscript that includes previously published data or text, they must disclose this to the editorial team at the time of submission. Proper citation of the original publication is required.

5. Role of Reviewers:

• Identifying Plagiarism: Reviewers are encouraged to report any suspected instances of plagiarism they encounter during the review process. Reviewers may flag significant similarities between the manuscript and previously published work and bring these to the attention of the editorial office.

• Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat the manuscript as confidential. They should not share or discuss the manuscript with others and must ensure they are not influenced by personal relationships or biases during their review.

6. Ethical Considerations for Authors:

• Authorship: Authors must be aware of the ethical guidelines for authorship, which includes giving credit to those who made significant contributions to the work. All contributors who meet the authorship criteria should be listed, and non-authors who contributed to the work (e.g., providing technical support, research materials) should be acknowledged appropriately.

• Ethical Approval for Human and Animal Studies: Authors must ensure that their research involving human participants or animals is conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines. Appropriate ethical approval from institutional review boards (IRBs) or ethics committees should be obtained, and informed consent must be acquired from participants, where applicable.

7. Consequences of Plagiarism:

• Immediate Rejection or Retraction: If plagiarism is identified after the manuscript has been accepted or published, the article may be retracted. The retraction will be clearly marked, and a notice will be published explaining the reason for the retraction.

• Academic Penalties: In cases of severe plagiarism or misconduct, Indus Journal of Science may report the authors to their affiliated institution or funding body. Authors found guilty of academic dishonesty may face disciplinary action, including retraction of published articles and a ban from submitting future manuscripts.

• Journal’s Commitment: Indus Journal of Science takes plagiarism seriously and is committed to preserving the credibility of academic research. By adhering to the highest ethical standards, we ensure that all work published in the journal is original, transparent, and contributes meaningfully to the field of biomedical research.

8. Retraction and Correction Policy:

• Retractions: If an article is retracted due to plagiarism or other ethical concerns, it will remain available in the archive but will be clearly marked as retracted. A retraction notice will be issued to explain the reasons for retraction.

• Corrections: If minor issues are identified (e.g., errors in citation), a correction will be issued. Corrections will be linked to the original article, and both versions will be accessible.