Plagiarism Policy

Justicia Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical publishing. All manuscripts submitted to the journal must represent the authors’ original work and must not contain plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or any other form of academic misconduct.

This policy applies to all authors, co-authors, reviewers, editors, and other parties involved in the editorial and publication process of Justicia Journal. The journal follows the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling suspected plagiarism and related publication ethics concerns.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using another person’s ideas, words, data, arguments, findings, or intellectual work without proper acknowledgment or attribution, thereby presenting such material as one’s own work.

Plagiarism may occur intentionally or unintentionally. In either case, authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts comply with accepted standards of academic integrity and proper citation.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

Copying text, sentences, paragraphs, or sections from another source without quotation marks and proper citation.
Using another author’s ideas, arguments, theories, or findings without attribution.
Presenting another person’s data, tables, figures, images, or research results as one’s own.
Translating or paraphrasing another work without adequate acknowledgment.
Submitting a manuscript that has been previously published elsewhere without proper disclosure or permission.
Reusing substantial parts of the authors’ previous work without citation or disclosure, commonly known as self-plagiarism or redundant publication.
Manipulating citations to conceal the source of copied material.

2. Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are original, accurate, and free from plagiarism before submission.

Authors are responsible for:

Conducting an independent similarity check before submitting the manuscript.
Providing proper citations and references for all ideas, arguments, data, quotations, and sources used.
Using quotation marks and appropriate attribution for direct quotations.
Paraphrasing responsibly by expressing ideas in the authors’ own words while still acknowledging the original source.
Disclosing any prior publication, preprint, conference paper, or overlapping manuscript related to the submitted work.
Obtaining permission for the use of copyrighted materials, including images, figures, tables, maps, and datasets.
Ensuring that the use of Artificial Intelligence does not result in plagiarism, unauthorized copying, or misrepresentation of sources.

3. Similarity Screening

All manuscripts submitted to Justicia Journal will be screened for similarity using plagiarism-detection software before being forwarded for peer review.

The Editorial Board may conduct similarity screening at the initial submission stage, during the revision process, and before final publication.

The similarity report is used as an editorial tool to identify potential overlap with previously published materials. A similarity score alone does not automatically determine plagiarism; the Editorial Board will assess the context, nature, extent, and pattern of similarity.

Justicia Journal applies a maximum overall similarity threshold of 20 percent. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected, depending on the nature and extent of the similarity.

The following materials are generally excluded or considered carefully when interpreting similarity results:

References and bibliography.
Properly quoted and attributed direct quotations.
Standard legal terminology, statutory provisions, and commonly used methodological expressions.
Institutional or boilerplate language that cannot reasonably be rephrased.
Author names, journal titles, and citation details.

4. Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

Self-plagiarism occurs when an author reuses substantial parts of their own previously published work without proper citation, disclosure, or permission.

Redundant publication occurs when a manuscript reports substantially the same research, data, findings, or arguments as a previously published work.

Authors must disclose any prior publication, preprint, conference proceeding, thesis, dissertation, or overlapping manuscript at the time of submission.

Manuscripts that contain significant overlap with the authors’ previous publications may be returned for revision, rejected, or subject to further ethical review, depending on the extent and significance of the overlap.

5. Handling Suspected Plagiarism

When potential plagiarism is identified, the Editorial Board will follow a fair, confidential, and evidence-based process.

The editorial process may include the following steps:

The handling editor reviews the similarity report and other relevant evidence.
The corresponding author is requested to provide a written explanation and supporting documents.
The Editorial Board evaluates the extent, context, attribution, and impact of the alleged plagiarism.
The authors may be asked to revise the manuscript and provide proper citations where the issue is minor.
The manuscript may be rejected where substantial plagiarism, duplicate publication, or serious academic misconduct is confirmed.
For published articles, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the severity of the case.

The Editorial Board will not make a determination based solely on an automated similarity score. All decisions will consider the full editorial context and the authors’ response.

6. Consequences of Plagiarism

The consequences of confirmed plagiarism depend on the severity, intention, extent, and impact of the violation.

Possible consequences include:

Request for revision and proper citation.
Rejection of the manuscript.
Suspension of the authors’ eligibility to submit new manuscripts to Justicia Journal.
Retraction of a published article.
Notification of the authors’ institution, funder, or other relevant parties in serious cases.
Other actions consistent with COPE guidance and applicable publication ethics standards.

7. Plagiarism in Published Articles

If plagiarism is identified after an article has been published, the Editorial Board will investigate the case promptly and objectively.

Depending on the findings, the journal may:

Publish a correction or erratum.
Issue an expression of concern.
Retract the article.
Notify the authors’ institution or other relevant parties.

Retracted articles will remain accessible but will be clearly marked with a retraction notice. The notice will state the reason for retraction, identify the parties responsible for the decision, and provide a link to the original article.

8. Retraction Criteria

Justicia Journal may retract a published article where there is clear evidence that:

The article contains substantial plagiarism or unattributed copying.
The findings are unreliable due to fabrication, falsification, or serious error.
The work has been previously published elsewhere without proper attribution or permission.
The article contains unauthorized material or infringes copyright.
The peer-review process has been compromised.
The authors have committed serious publication ethics violations.

Retraction is not appropriate where a correction can adequately address the issue, the evidence is inconclusive, or the alleged issue does not affect the validity or integrity of the work.

9. Appeals

Authors may submit a written appeal to the Editorial Board if they believe that a decision regarding plagiarism or similarity was made in error.

Appeals must be submitted within a reasonable period after the editorial decision and must include relevant evidence, clarification, and supporting documents.

The Editorial Board will review the appeal objectively and may consult external experts or the authors’ institution where necessary. The final editorial decision will be communicated to the corresponding author.

10. Policy Review

This Plagiarism Policy will be reviewed periodically by the Editorial Board of Justicia Journal to ensure alignment with developments in publication ethics, similarity-detection technology, and scholarly publishing standards.