Plagiarism Policy

At Reinforced Plastics Journal, we uphold the highest standards of academic integrity. Plagiarism is considered a serious ethical violation, and we are committed to ensuring that all research published in our journal is original, properly cited, and free from any form of plagiarism. This policy outlines our approach to identifying, preventing, and handling plagiarism in submitted manuscripts.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s ideas, data, text, or intellectual property as one’s own without proper acknowledgment. This can include, but is not limited to:

  • Direct Plagiarism: Copying text, data, or ideas verbatim without proper citation or quotation marks.
  • Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rewriting someone else’s ideas or text in your own words without proper citation.
  • Self-Plagiarism: Reusing your own previously published work without proper citation or without disclosing the prior publication.
  • Mosaic Plagiarism: Borrowing phrases, ideas, or data from multiple sources and patching them together as if they were original.
  • Inaccurate Citation: Citing sources incorrectly, or failing to cite sources for ideas or data that were taken from other works.

2. Prevention of Plagiarism

To ensure academic integrity and prevent plagiarism, we encourage authors to follow these best practices:

  • Proper Citation: Authors must properly cite all sources of information, data, and ideas that are not their own. This includes direct quotes, paraphrased material, and ideas derived from other works.
  • Use of Quotation Marks: Any text that is directly quoted from another source must be enclosed in quotation marks, and the source must be cited.
  • Clear Paraphrasing: When paraphrasing, authors must ensure that they do so in their own words and structure, and still provide proper attribution to the original source.
  • Revealing Prior Work: If authors have published similar work elsewhere, they must clearly disclose this in the manuscript and cite the previous publication appropriately.
  • Data and Image Integrity: Authors must ensure that all data, figures, and tables are original or properly credited. Manipulation or alteration of data or images is prohibited.

3. Detection of Plagiarism

Reinforced Plastics Journal takes plagiarism seriously and uses advanced plagiarism detection software to screen all manuscripts submitted for publication. We employ tools such as Turnitin or iThenticate to detect instances of plagiarism, whether it involves text, data, or images.

  • Manuscript Screening: All submitted manuscripts are checked for potential plagiarism before they are sent for peer review. Manuscripts with excessive matches to other published works will be flagged for further review.
  • Manual Review: In addition to automated plagiarism detection, the editorial team will manually review flagged instances to assess whether the use of content is appropriate (e.g., whether the source was properly cited or if it constitutes fair use).

4. Actions Taken in Case of Plagiarism

If a manuscript is found to contain plagiarism, the following actions will be taken depending on the severity of the case:

4.1 Minor Instances of Plagiarism

  • If plagiarism is detected in a small section of the manuscript (e.g., a few sentences or phrases), the author will be given an opportunity to correct the issue by properly citing or paraphrasing the content. The manuscript may be returned for revision before it is considered for peer review.

4.2 Major Instances of Plagiarism

  • If significant plagiarism is found (e.g., large portions of text copied without citation, or extensive paraphrasing without acknowledgment), the manuscript will be rejected. The author will be informed of the issue, and the manuscript will not be considered for further review or publication.
  • In cases of self-plagiarism (i.e., when an author reuses substantial parts of their own previous work without proper citation), the manuscript will be rejected unless the author fully acknowledges and cites the prior work.

4.3 Repeated Offenders

  • If an author repeatedly submits plagiarized work to Reinforced Plastics Journal, the editor-in-chief may decide to ban the author from submitting future manuscripts for a period of time or permanently, depending on the severity of the plagiarism and the frequency of violations.

5. Consequences of Plagiarism for Published Articles

If plagiarism is detected after a manuscript has been published:

  • Retraction: If plagiarism is found in a published article, we will issue a retraction, which will be prominently displayed in the journal. The retracted article will remain online, but it will be clearly marked with a notice explaining the reason for retraction.
  • Corrective Actions: In some cases, if minor issues of plagiarism are identified (such as misquoted sources or incorrect citations), we may issue a correction or erratum to clarify the problem, depending on the nature and extent of the plagiarism.

6. Handling Allegations of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is suspected in a manuscript or a published article, the following steps will be taken:

  • Investigation: The editorial team will conduct a thorough investigation into the allegation of plagiarism. This may involve contacting the author(s) for clarification or additional information.
  • Transparency: If an author is found to have committed plagiarism, the journal will provide a clear and transparent account of the investigation process and its findings.
  • Notification to Institutions: In cases of serious plagiarism, we may notify the author’s academic institution, funding agency, or other relevant parties to inform them of the violation.

7. Appeals Process

If an author believes that an accusation of plagiarism is unjust, they have the right to appeal the decision. The appeal process involves:

  • Submission of Appeal: Authors can submit a formal appeal to the editorial board, detailing the reasons why they believe the plagiarism accusation is incorrect or unfounded.
  • Review of Appeal: The editorial team will carefully review the appeal, which may involve consulting additional experts or a third-party investigator.
  • Final Decision: After reviewing the appeal, the editorial board will make a final decision on whether the manuscript should be re-evaluated, published, or retracted.

8. Ethical Guidelines and Compliance

Reinforced Plastics Journal adheres to international ethical guidelines for publication, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct, which outlines the expected behavior and responsibilities of authors, editors, and reviewers regarding plagiarism and research misconduct.

We encourage authors, editors, and reviewers to familiarize themselves with these guidelines to ensure compliance with ethical publishing practices.

9. How to Avoid Plagiarism

Authors can take proactive steps to avoid plagiarism by:

  • Always citing sources properly.
  • Ensuring that paraphrasing is original and accurately references the source.
  • Using plagiarism detection tools before submitting the manuscript to the journal.
  • Being transparent about previous work and prior publications to avoid self-plagiarism.