Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Design, Management and Sciences (JODMAS) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and publication ethics. The journal strictly prohibits plagiarism in all forms and follows international guidelines, including those of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Copying another author’s work without proper citation

  • Paraphrasing large portions of text without attribution

  • Using images, tables, graphs, or code without permission or citation

  • Self-plagiarism (reusing significant parts of one’s own previously published work)

  • Submitting work already published elsewhere

  • Submitting content generated through AI tools without proper acknowledgement (if applicable)

JDMS considers plagiarism—deliberate or unintentional—a serious academic offense.

2. Plagiarism Detection

All submitted manuscripts undergo:

  • Initial plagiarism screening during editorial check

  • Similarities check using reputable plagiarism detection software such as:

    • Turnitin

    • iThenticate

    • Grammarly Plagiarism Checker

    • Plagiarism Checker X

Similarity is checked for textual overlaps in:

  • Abstract

  • Introduction

  • Main body

  • Conclusions

  • References (excluded from similarity percentage)

3. Acceptable Similarity Index

JDMS follows the general academic standard:

  • Overall similarity index must be below 19%

  • Single-source similarity must not exceed 5%

However, final judgment is at the discretion of the editorial team based on:

  • Quality of writing

  • Nature of sources

  • Appropriateness of citations

4. Actions in Case of High Similarity

If plagiarism is detected at any stage:

4.1 At Initial Screening

  • Manuscript is returned for revision or rejected outright

  • Authors must revise and resubmit with proper citations

4.2 During Peer Review

  • Reviewers are informed

  • Manuscript is rejected immediately

  • Authors may be banned from future submissions for up to 1–2 years

4.3 After Acceptance

  • Acceptance is revoked

  • The manuscript is removed from the publication pipeline

4.4 After Publication

If plagiarism is discovered post-publication:

  • A retraction notice is issued

  • The article remains accessible with a clear RETRACTION watermark

  • Author’s institution may be notified in serious cases

All actions follow COPE retraction guidelines.

5. Self-Plagiarism Policy

JDMS strictly prohibits authors from:

  • Republishing their previously published articles

  • Reusing >10% of previously published content

  • Submitting duplicate or redundant publications

Authors must disclose any related works during submission.

6. Citation and Attribution Requirements

Authors must:

  • Cite all sources used in their work

  • Attribute quoted text properly

  • Provide permissions for copyrighted images or materials

  • Ensure accurate and complete referencing

Failure to do so is treated as academic misconduct.

7. Responsibilities of Authors

By submitting a manuscript to JDMS, authors confirm that:

  • The work is original and free of plagiarism

  • All co-authors have approved the content

  • The manuscript has not been submitted elsewhere

  • Proper citations and references have been provided

  • Ethical research practices were followed

Any violation may result in sanctions.

8. Responsibilities of Reviewers and Editors

  • Reviewers should report any suspected plagiarism

  • Editors are responsible for verifying similarity reports

  • Editorial Board ensures that all cases follow COPE procedures

9. Penalties for Plagiarism

Depending on severity, penalties may include:

  • Rejection of manuscript

  • Blacklisting authors for 1–3 years

  • Retraction of published article

  • Notification to authors' institution

  • Restriction from future submissions

10. Policy Updates

JDMS reserves the right to update this Plagiarism Policy to meet global publication standards and ethical guidelines. All updates will be posted on the official journal website.