Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Policy

1. Our Commitment to Originality

Journal of Communication, Sustainability, and Empowerment is fundamentally committed to upholding the highest standards of academic and ethical integrity. We enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy against plagiarism and all forms of publication misconduct. All submitted manuscripts must be the original work of the author(s) and must not have been published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

2. Defining Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the unethical act of presenting another person's ideas, words, data, or work as one's own without proper acknowledgment. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Verbatim Plagiarism: Directly copying text from another source without using quotation marks and providing a full citation.
• Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rephrasing or restructuring someone else's ideas without proper attribution.
• Self-Plagiarism (Redundant Publication): Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work (including text, data, and figures) without citing the original source.
• Mosaic Plagiarism (Patchwriting): Weaving together phrases and sentences from multiple sources to create a new text without proper citation for each source.
• Incorrect or Fabricated Citation: Citing sources inaccurately or listing sources that were not used in the manuscript.

3. Plagiarism Screening and Detection

Journal of Communication, Sustainability, and Empowerment utilizes a rigorous screening process for all submissions:

• Software Screening: All manuscripts undergo a mandatory check using industry-standard plagiarism detection software (Turnitin) to assess similarity against a vast database of academic and web content.
• Editorial Evaluation: The similarity report is carefully evaluated by our editors. A numerical similarity score is not the sole determinant of a decision; the context of the matches is paramount. Editors will differentiate between coincidental similarities, properly cited quotes, and potential plagiarism.

4. Procedure for Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Our procedure for investigating plagiarism allegations follows the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

• Initial Assessment: If potential plagiarism is detected by our software, an editor, or a reviewer, the editorial team will conduct an initial assessment.
• Formal Investigation: If the initial assessment suggests potential misconduct, a formal investigation will be launched by the editorial board.
• Communication with Author(s): The corresponding author will be contacted with the evidence (e.g., the similarity report) and given a fair opportunity to provide an explanation and relevant documentation.
• Final Decision and Action: Based on the investigation and the author's response, the editorial board will make a final decision and determine the appropriate course of action.

5. Sanctions for Plagiarism

Confirmed cases of plagiarism will result in serious consequences. The severity of the sanction will depend on the extent of the plagiarism and the stage of the publication process.

If detected before publication:

• The manuscript will be immediately rejected.
• The author(s) may be banned from submitting to the journal for a specified period or indefinitely.

If detected after publication:

• The published article will be formally retracted. A retraction notice explaining the reason for the misconduct will be published and linked to the original article.
• The author(s) will be permanently banned from any future submissions to the journal.

6. Author's Affirmation

By submitting a manuscript to Journal of Communication, Sustainability, and Empowerment, authors affirm that their work is original and that they have read and agree to comply with this Plagiarism Policy.