Screening for Plagiarism

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Sustainability and Community Empowerment (JSCE) may be screened for plagiarism and textual similarity using appropriate plagiarism-detection or similarity-checking tools.

JSCE is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity and expects all authors to submit original work. Manuscripts identified as containing plagiarism, self-plagiarism, unattributed copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, fabricated or manipulated citations, or substantial inappropriate textual overlap may be rejected at any stage of the editorial process.

As a general editorial guideline, a similarity index above 20% may trigger further editorial assessment. However, the similarity score is not interpreted mechanically and does not by itself constitute evidence of plagiarism. Editors will consider the nature, location, source, extent, and context of the similarity. Legitimate similarity may occur in references, commonly used academic terminology, standard methodological descriptions, properly quoted material, or other unavoidable textual elements.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • using another person's words, ideas, data, images, or findings without appropriate acknowledgment;
  • presenting another author's interpretation, argument, or intellectual contribution as one's own;
  • reproducing text without appropriate quotation and citation where required;
  • reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without appropriate disclosure and citation; and
  • submitting a manuscript containing substantial inappropriate overlap with previously published or concurrently submitted work.

Authors must provide appropriate citations whenever they use specific information, data, arguments, interpretations, or ideas derived from other sources. When exact wording from another work is reproduced, authors must use appropriate quotation marks and citation in accordance with the journal's referencing requirements.

Authors are responsible for checking their manuscripts carefully before submission and ensuring that all sources are properly acknowledged. Unintentional textual overlap does not automatically establish plagiarism; however, authors remain responsible for ensuring that their manuscript complies with accepted standards of academic integrity and scholarly attribution.

If plagiarism or serious textual-similarity concerns are identified:

  • Before peer review: the manuscript may be rejected or returned to the authors for clarification, depending on the nature and severity of the concern.
  • During peer review: the review process may be suspended while the concern is assessed and clarification is sought from the authors.
  • After acceptance: the acceptance decision may be reconsidered or withdrawn if serious ethical concerns are confirmed.
  • After publication: JSCE may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the nature and severity of the case.

JSCE reserves the right to take appropriate editorial action in cases involving suspected plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, or other violations of publication ethics, in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and relevant correction or retraction procedures.