Plagiarism Policy

1. Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the unethical practice of using another person's work, ideas, or expressions without proper acknowledgment. It can occur in several forms, including but not limited to:

  • Direct Plagiarism: Copying text verbatim from another source without citation.
  • Self-Plagiarism: Reusing one's own previously published work without appropriate reference.
  • Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rewriting someone else's work without proper citation.
  • Mosaic Plagiarism: Piecing together ideas, phrases, and passages from various sources to create a new work without proper citation.
  • Accidental Plagiarism: Neglecting to cite sources, misquoting sources, or unintentionally paraphrasing another's work without acknowledgment.

2. Plagiarism Detection
Frontiers in Humanities and Social Research is committed to upholding academic integrity and employs plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate) to screen all submitted manuscripts.

3. Author Responsibilities
Authors must ensure that:

  • Their work is original and has not been published elsewhere in any form.
  • Proper credit is given to the work and ideas of others that are included in the manuscript.
  • All sources are appropriately cited following the journal's referencing guidelines.

4. Review Process
If a manuscript is suspected of plagiarism:

  • The editorial board will conduct an initial assessment using plagiarism detection tools.
  • If plagiarism is detected, the corresponding author will be notified and asked to provide an explanation.
  • The manuscript may be rejected or returned to the author for revision, depending on the severity of the plagiarism.

5. Consequences of Plagiarism

  • Minor Plagiarism: If minor plagiarism (e.g., a small portion of the text) is detected, the authors will be asked to revise the manuscript appropriately.
  • Major Plagiarism: If major plagiarism is detected, the manuscript will be rejected outright. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the paper will be retracted, and a retraction notice will be published.
  • Repeated Offenses: Authors found to have repeatedly committed plagiarism will be blacklisted from submitting to the journal.

6. Ethical Compliance
Authors are encouraged to adhere to the ethical guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

7. Reporting Plagiarism
Anyone can report suspected plagiarism by contacting the editorial office with detailed evidence. The editorial board will investigate all such claims.

8. Final Decision
The final decision regarding the publication of a manuscript rests with the editorial board, which will consider all aspects of the plagiarism review process.