Scientific Integrity Policy

Plagiarism and Integrity Policy

Al-Farouq Journal is firmly committed to the highest standards of scientific and ethical integrity in all published materials. This policy aims to define the authors' responsibilities and the procedures followed to ensure content originality and freedom from plagiarism.

 

1. Journal Commitment and Detection Tool

 

Al-Farouq Journal considers plagiarism a severe breach of research ethics. To ensure content originality, the Journal relies on the advanced Turnitin system as the primary tool to detect any similarities or attempts to violate intellectual property rights.

 

2. Definition of Plagiarism

 

Plagiarism is defined as the undocumented or unauthorized use of content, ideas, or texts belonging to others, presenting them as the author's original work. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct Copying: Reproducing texts or sentences without using quotation marks and proper source attribution.

  • Unattributed Paraphrasing: Rewording published content with minor changes without sufficient documentation of the original source.

  • Duplicate Submission: Presenting previously published work entirely as new and original research (Self-Plagiarism).

  • Unattributed Translation: Literal translation of content from another language without citing the original source.

 

3. Acceptance Criteria and Similarity Thresholds

 

The Journal applies the following criteria based on Turnitin reports:

Criterion Permissible Percentage Action
Overall Similarity Percentage Must not exceed 20% Submissions within this range are accepted, with required scrutiny of similar sections.
Similarity from a Single Source Must not exceed 8% If similarity exceeds this limit with a single source, the paper is immediately subjected to a strict review by the Editorial Team.

Exclusions: Certain parts are excluded from the similarity calculation, provided they adhere to recognized academic norms, such as: generic titles, common scientific terminology and basic concepts, the reference list, and direct quotations with correct documentation.

 

4. Detection and Review Mechanism

 

  1. Initial Screening: All submitted papers undergo automatic screening via the Turnitin system immediately upon submission.

  2. Editorial Report: The Editorial Team receives a detailed report showing the overall similarity percentage, the identified sources, and sections requiring rephrasing.

  3. Immediate Rejection: Papers that exceed the maximum permitted overall similarity threshold (20%) are immediately rejected without being sent for peer review.

 

5. Documentation and Attribution

 

Authors must strictly adhere to the citation system adopted by Al-Farouq Journal (e.g., APA system or any other system determined by the Journal) to ensure proper attribution for all borrowed ideas and materials.

 

6. Disciplinary Actions and Sanctions

 

Al-Farouq Journal applies the following sanctions if plagiarism is proven:

 

A. If Plagiarism is Discovered Before Publication:

 

  • Rejection: Immediate and final rejection of the manuscript.

  • Ban: Prohibition of the author(s) from submitting to the Journal for a period of at least one year.

  • Notification: Notification of the author’s employer or affiliated academic institution.

 

B. If Plagiarism is Discovered After Publication:

 

  • Retraction: Official retraction of the paper from the Journal's records and issuance of a public retraction notice on the Journal's website.

  • Public Notification: Notification of relevant academic databases and indexes about the retraction.

 

7. Appeal

 

Authors are granted a single opportunity to submit a written and justified appeal to the Editorial Board within 14 days of the date of notification of rejection. The appeal must include:

  • A detailed explanation of any unintentional similarity or documentation error.

  • Clear evidence supporting the originality of the research.

  • A request for re-evaluation of the report in case of suspected technical error in the detection system.

 

8. Authors' Responsibilities

 

Authors bear full responsibility for:

  • Ensuring the originality of the work and its freedom from plagiarism before submission to the Journal.

  • Retaining copies of all references and drafts that document the stages of the work.

  • Immediately notifying the Editorial Board of any documentation error or similarity discovered after publication.