Plagiarism and Similarity Policy

Plagiarism and Similarity Policy

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of another person's ideas, words, data, research findings, or creative work, including figures, tables, graphs, illustrations, and other materials, without appropriate acknowledgment or citation, presenting such material as one's own original work. Plagiarism constitutes a breach of academic integrity and publication ethics.

Self-plagiarism occurs when authors reuse substantial portions of their previously published work without proper acknowledgment or disclosure. It also includes the resubmission or republication of an author's previously published manuscript, in whole or in substantial part, in another journal, with or without modifications or the addition of new data, without appropriate disclosure and justification.

The Journal of Agribusiness and Social Sciences (JASS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and publication ethics. The journal follows a zero-tolerance approach to plagiarism, unattributed reuse of material, and duplicate publication.

All manuscripts submitted to JASS are subject to similarity screening using Turnitin or other appropriate plagiarism-detection software as part of the editorial assessment process. Similarity reports are evaluated by the editorial team, as similarity percentages alone do not establish the presence or absence of plagiarism.

Manuscripts containing substantial unattributed material or evidence of serious plagiarism may be rejected at the initial screening stage or withdrawn from further consideration. Where concerns arise after acceptance or publication, the journal will conduct an appropriate investigation and act in accordance with the seriousness of the alleged misconduct and the findings of the investigation.

2. Types of Plagiarism

JASS recognizes the following forms of plagiarism and publication misconduct:

1. Full Plagiarism: Reproducing another author's work, including text, ideas, data, or research findings, in whole or substantially in its original form without appropriate acknowledgment. This also includes submitting previously published work, including one's own, as original research without proper disclosure.
2. Partial Plagiarism: Copying or closely paraphrasing portions of text, ideas, arguments, data, or findings from one or multiple sources without adequate citation or acknowledgment, including the combination of material from different sources and presenting it as original work.
3. Self-Plagiarism and Text Recycling: Reusing substantial portions of one's previously published or submitted work without proper citation, disclosure, or justification. Reuse of previously published text, data, tables, or figures must be appropriately acknowledged and must not misrepresent the originality of the submission.
4. Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Submitting or publishing the same or substantially overlapping research findings in more than one journal or publication without transparent disclosure, appropriate justification, and compliance with the journal's publication requirements.
5. Data, Figure, and Image Plagiarism: Reproducing or reusing data, tables, figures, graphs, photographs, illustrations, or other visual materials without proper citation, permission where required, or acknowledgment of the original source.
6. Mosaic or Patchwork Plagiarism: Combining phrases, sentences, or passages from multiple sources, with or without minor modifications, without appropriate attribution.
7. Unattributed Paraphrasing: Presenting another author's ideas, arguments, interpretations, or findings in different words without providing proper citation to the original source.

3. Plagiarism Screening and Editorial Assessment

JASS requires all submitted manuscripts to undergo plagiarism and similarity screening before being considered for publication.

The editorial team evaluates similarity reports in the context of the manuscript, considering the originality of the research, the nature and extent of matching text, the adequacy of citations, and the presence of unattributed material.

The journal does not rely exclusively on a similarity percentage to determine plagiarism. Properly cited quotations, references, standard terminology, and commonly used methodological descriptions may contribute to similarity scores and will be assessed appropriately.

Where plagiarism or significant similarity is identified:

• The manuscript may be returned to the authors for clarification or revision where the concerns are minor and can be appropriately addressed.
• Manuscripts containing substantial unattributed material, duplicate publication, or evidence of serious misconduct may be rejected.
• Where concerns arise after acceptance, the journal may suspend publication and initiate an investigation.
• Where concerns arise after publication, the journal may initiate a formal investigation and take appropriate corrective action.

4. Investigation and Author Response

Where an allegation or evidence of plagiarism is identified in a submitted, accepted, or published manuscript, JASS will initiate a preliminary assessment.

The Editor-in-Chief or Managing Editor may establish a Fact-Finding Committee (FFC), comprising appropriate members of the editorial team and, where necessary, independent subject experts, to investigate the matter.

The corresponding author and, where appropriate, all co-authors will be informed of the concerns and invited to provide a written explanation and supporting evidence within two weeks of notification.

The committee will assess the evidence, the authors' responses, and the circumstances of the alleged misconduct before recommending appropriate action.

If the authors fail to respond within the specified period, the journal may proceed with the investigation based on the available evidence and may contact the relevant institutional authorities.

Where necessary, JASS may communicate with the author's affiliated university, research institution, employer, or funding agency to seek clarification or request an appropriate institutional investigation.

All investigations will be conducted with due consideration for confidentiality, fairness, research integrity, and the rights of all parties concerned.

5. Actions and Sanctions for Plagiarism

Where plagiarism or other serious publication misconduct is established, JASS may take one or more of the following actions, depending on the severity and circumstances of the case:

1. Rejection or Withdrawal: Reject the manuscript or withdraw it from the editorial and publication process if the misconduct is identified before publication.
2. Institutional Notification: Notify the relevant head of department, dean, director, vice-chancellor, research office, or other appropriate institutional authority and, where applicable, the funding agency.
3. Correction or Retraction: Publish a correction, Expression of Concern, or formal retraction, as appropriate, in accordance with the findings of the investigation and applicable publication ethics standards.
4. Article Marking and Record Preservation: Clearly identify the affected article's publication record through an appropriate editorial notice and maintain transparency regarding its status. Where a retraction is issued, the article's bibliographic record and retraction notice will remain linked to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
5. Restriction on Future Submissions: Restrict the author or authors from submitting manuscripts to JASS for a specified period, normally ranging from three to ten years, depending on the severity and recurrence of the misconduct. In exceptionally serious or repeated cases, a permanent submission ban may be considered.
6. Additional Editorial Action: Take any other appropriate action recommended by the Fact-Finding Committee or determined by the Editorial Board in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.

Where an article has already been published, JASS will take reasonable steps to update its website and notify relevant indexing, abstracting, and scholarly dissemination services of any correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction. The journal will follow applicable procedures for maintaining the accuracy and transparency of the publication record.

6. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors submitting manuscripts to JASS are responsible for ensuring that their work is original, appropriately cited, and compliant with accepted standards of research and publication ethics.

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

• The submitted work is original and has not been published previously, except where prior dissemination has been fully disclosed and is permitted by the journal.
• All sources of ideas, text, data, figures, tables, and other materials have been appropriately acknowledged.
• Any reuse of their own previously published material has been properly cited and disclosed.
• The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal at the time of submission.
• All authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript and accept responsibility for the integrity of their contributions.

JASS expects authors to cooperate fully with editorial inquiries and investigations relating to plagiarism or publication misconduct.

JASS remains committed to protecting intellectual property, supporting original scholarship, and upholding transparency, accountability, and integrity in agribusiness, agricultural economics, rural development, social sciences, and related interdisciplinary research.