Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Contemporary Social Issues (JCSI) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. Plagiarism, in any form, undermines the credibility of scholarly research and is strictly prohibited. This policy outlines the journal’s definition of plagiarism, preventive measures, detection procedures, and consequences for violations.

Definition and Scope

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the copying or close paraphrasing of text, data, figures, tables, or ideas from another source without appropriate citation. It also includes self-plagiarism, where authors reuse significant portions of their previously published work without disclosure or permission. This policy applies to all submitted manuscripts, supplementary materials, and any associated content.

Detection and Prevention

All submissions to JCSI are checked using Turnitin plagiarism detection software before peer review. Manuscripts must not exceed a total similarity index of 19%, and the similarity from any single source must be less than 5%, in accordance with HEC (Higher Education Commission, Pakistan) guidelines. Authors are responsible for ensuring their work is original, properly cited, and free from unattributed copying. The journal encourages accurate referencing, the use of quotations where appropriate, and the obtaining of permissions for any reused material.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for:

  • Ensuring that all content is original and accurately referenced.

  • Properly citing all sources of ideas, text, data, and visual materials.

  • Disclosing any prior publication or submission of the manuscript or its parts.

  • Providing appropriate acknowledgments for contributions that do not meet authorship criteria.

Editorial and Reviewer Responsibilities

Editors and reviewers are vigilant in identifying potential plagiarism during the review process. If suspected plagiarism is detected, the editorial team investigates using Turnitin reports and comparison with published literature. Reviewers may flag concerns, but the editorial office makes the final determination on plagiarism.

Consequences of Plagiarism

JCSI treats all instances of plagiarism seriously and applies measures based on the severity and intent of the offense:

  • Minor or inadvertent issues: Authors may be asked to revise the manuscript to properly cite sources before resubmission.

  • Significant plagiarism: Manuscripts may be rejected outright.

  • Severe or repeated misconduct: Cases may be reported to the authors’ institutions, funding bodies, and indexing services. In some instances, published articles may be retracted, and authors may be barred from submitting future work to the journal.

Ethical Compliance

The journal follows the guidelines of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) for handling plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct. All actions are taken to ensure fairness, transparency, and protection of intellectual property rights.

Promoting Academic Integrity

JCSI promotes a culture of research ethics by encouraging authors, reviewers, and editors to uphold honesty, proper attribution, and responsible scholarly behavior. The journal provides resources and guidance for ethical writing and publishing practices to prevent plagiarism and maintain the integrity of the academic record.