Introduction
This policy aims to maintain academic integrity, ethical conduct, and originality in MDA. Plagiarism can harm the credibility of scholarly research and compromise trust in our publication. This policy provides guidelines and procedures to detect and address plagiarism in manuscripts submitted for publication in MDA.
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is when an author tries to present someone else's work as their own. It is the act of using, reproducing, or presenting the ideas, language, data, or work of others without proper attribution, permission, or acknowledgment. Self-plagiarism, or duplicate publication, is when an author reuses significant sections of their previously published work without citing the appropriate sources. This could include publishing an identical paper in multiple journals or adding small amounts of new information to a previous paper. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following forms:
- Copying verbatim sentences, paragraphs, or sections from other sources without proper citation.
- Paraphrasing or rephrasing someone else's work without appropriate acknowledgment.
- Self-plagiarism involves reusing substantial parts of one's previously published work without proper citation.
- Unauthorized use of copyrighted material, images, figures, tables, or any other content without obtaining the necessary permissions and attributions.
Journal Policies
Originality Check
Plagiarism detection software will be used to scrutinize manuscripts for originality. The author's responsible for guaranteeing that their work is original and has not been published previously.
Author Responsibilities
Authors are responsible for ensuring their submitted work is original and properly cited. If the work and words of others are used, permission must be obtained, and appropriate credit must be given. The submitted manuscript should not be under consideration for publication elsewhere, nor should it have been published previously.
Penalties for Plagiarism
If plagiarism is detected in a submitted manuscript, the following actions may be taken:
- Minor Plagiarism: The authors will be asked to provide proper attribution and citations for minor cases of plagiarism. The manuscript will be subject to further review to ensure compliance with ethical standards.
- Major Plagiarism: The manuscript will be rejected in cases of substantial plagiarism.
- Self-Plagiarism: When an author uses their pre-published research in its entirety or parts, it is considered self-plagiarism. Republishing previously published work in a new journal exemplifies complete self-plagiarism.
- Repeated Offences: Authors found guilty of repeated plagiarism may face severe consequences, including a prolonged ban on future submissions and notification of their institution or employer.
Plagiarism Investigation
The Journal's Editorial Board will initiate an investigation Upon receiving a complaint or detecting plagiarism during the peer-review process. The corresponding author will be notified of the alleged plagiarism and provided an opportunity to respond to the accusation.
Reporting Plagiarism
Readers, reviewers, and scientific community members are encouraged to report suspected cases of plagiarism in published articles to the Journal's Editorial Board. All reports will be treated with confidentiality, and appropriate actions will be taken to address the issue.