Plagiarism Policy

Innovations in Science, Technology, and Society (ISTS) maintains a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of plagiarism and is committed to ensuring the originality and integrity of published works. The journal considers plagiarism a serious breach of ethical publishing standards and handles such cases in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Definition of Plagiarism

For the purposes of this policy, plagiarism includes but is not limited to:

  • Verbatim copying: Using another author’s exact words without quotation marks and proper citation.

  • Paraphrasing without attribution: Rewriting another’s ideas or findings without credit.

  • Self-plagiarism (text recycling): Reusing significant portions of one’s previously published work without citation or proper acknowledgement.

  • Mosaic plagiarism: Interweaving copied material with original text without proper attribution.

  • Image/data plagiarism: Using figures, tables, images, or datasets from other sources without permission or citation.

2. Acceptable Similarity Thresholds

  • All submitted manuscripts are screened using reputable plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate).

  • A similarity index of less than 15% (excluding references, standard phrases, and methodological details) is generally acceptable.

  • Any similarity score above this threshold, or any detected plagiarism in critical sections (abstract, results, discussion, conclusion), will be subject to editorial review and may lead to rejection.

3. Detection Process

  • Every manuscript undergoes an initial plagiarism check before peer review.

  • If plagiarism is suspected during peer review or post-publication, the editorial team will re-check the manuscript and gather evidence.

4. Actions in Case of Plagiarism

Depending on the severity and extent of the plagiarism, ISTS may:

  1. Reject the manuscript outright.

  2. Request corrections and resubmission (for minor similarity issues).

  3. Retract the article if plagiarism is discovered post-publication.

  4. Notify the authors’ institution, funding agencies, and other relevant authorities in severe cases.

5. Author Responsibilities

  • Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original and properly attribute ideas, data, and quotations to their sources.

  • When reproducing figures, tables, or text from other works, authors must obtain permission from the copyright holder and cite the source.

  • Self-citation should be limited and relevant to the current work.

6. Ethical Commitment

By submitting a manuscript to ISTS, authors acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to comply with the journal’s plagiarism policy, and they accept the consequences of policy violations.