The unethical practice of using someone else’s ideas, methods, output, or words without giving due credit to the original author and source is known as plagiarism. When a writer uses a significant portion of their own previously published work without properly citing it, it is called self-plagiarism. This can involve changing an already published manuscript with fresh information or having the same manuscript accepted for publication in several journals.

International Journal for Medical Sciences -IJMS, ISSN 2348–4748 (Online) is a leading  journal of Engineering Research, Engineering Science, Applied engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Management.  IJMS invites authors for the guest editorship program for improving the journal quality and also sharing the innovative ideas.

The journal is strictly against any unethical act of copying or plagiarism in any form. Plagiarism is said to have occurred when large portions of a manuscript have been copied from existing previously published resources. All manuscripts submitted for publication to IJMS are cross-checked for plagiarism using Turnitin software. Manuscripts found to be plagiarized during initial stages of review are out-rightly rejected and not considered for publication in the journal. In case a manuscript is found to be plagiarized after publication, the Editor-in-Chief will conduct preliminary investigation, may be with the help of a suitable committee constituted for the purpose. If the manuscript is found to be plagiarized beyond the acceptable limits, the journal will contact the author’s Institute / College / University and Funding Agency, if any. A determination of misconduct will lead IJMS to run a statement bi-directionally linked online to and from the original paper, to note the plagiarism and provide a reference to the plagiarized material. The paper containing the plagiarism will also be marked on each page of the PDF. Upon determination of the extent of plagiarism, the paper may also be formally retracted.

Types of Plagiarism

The following types of plagiarism are considered by IJMS:

1. Full Plagiarism: Previously published content without any changes to the text, idea and grammar is considered as full plagiarism. It involves presenting exact text from a source as one’s own.
2. Partial Plagiarism: If content is a mixture from multiple different sources, where the author has extensively rephrased text, then it is known as partial plagiarism.
3. Self-Plagiarism: When an author reuses complete or portions of their pre-published research, then it is known as self-plagiarism. Complete self-plagiarism is a case when an author republishes their own previously published work in a new journal.

Policy and Action for Plagiarism

IJMS values intellectual property and seeks to safeguard and promote its writers’ original works. Manuscripts that contain copied text violate the requirements for originality, quality, and research. Therefore, it is required of all writers submitting articles to IJMS to uphold ethical standards and refrain from plagiarism of any kind. If an author’s work is suspected of containing plagiarism in any submitted or published work, IJMS will get in touch with them and ask them to provide an explanation within a fortnight. This explanation can then be sent to the Fact Finding Committee (FFC), which was established specifically for this purpose, for further action. In the event that IJMS does not hear back from the writer within the allotted time frame, the Director, Dean, or Head of the relevant College or Institution for stern action against the offending author, or Organization or the Vice Chancellor of the University to which the author is attached should be notified.

If published manuscripts are discovered to include plagiarism, IJMS will take severe action against them and delete them entirely from both the IJMS website and any other websites where the work is indexed and listed. As soon as an article found in the IJMS database is suspected of being plagiarized, the IJMS will form a Fact Finding Committee (FFC) to look into the matter. When it is determined that the manuscript contains plagiarism from a previously published work, IJMS will stand by the original author and the manuscript regardless of the publisher. It may also take any or all of the following urgent measures or take the additional steps that the committee recommends:

1. IJMS editorial office shall immediately contact the Director / Dean / Head of the concerned College, Institution or Organization or the Vice Chancellor of the University to which the author(s) is (are) affiliated to take strict action against the concerned author.
2. IJMS shall remove the PDF copy of the published manuscript from the website and disable all links to full text article. The term Plagiarized Manuscript shall be appended to the published manuscript title.
3. IJMS shall disable the author account with the journal and reject all future submissions from the author for a period of 03 / 05 / 10 years or even ban the authors permanently.
4. IJMS may also display the list of such authors along with their full contact details on the IJMSwebsite.
5. Any other course of action, as recommended by the Committee or as deemed fit for the instant case or as decided by the Editorial Board, from time to time.