Plagiarism Policy

Journal of Business Integration Competitive (JoBIC) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. Plagiarism, in any form, is considered a serious violation of ethical publishing behavior, and JoBIC has a strict policy to detect and prevent it in all submitted manuscripts.

Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work, ideas, data, or expressions without proper acknowledgment or permission and presenting them as one's own. Plagiarism encompasses, among other things,

  • Direct Plagiarism: Copying verbatim text from another source without citation or using quotation marks.
  • Self-Plagiarism: Reusing one's previously published content or research findings without proper citation or justification.
  • Mosaic Plagiarism refers to the act of paraphrasing someone else's work without proper citation, regardless of any word changes.
  • Insufficient Acknowledgment refers to the failure to give appropriate credit to the original source of information, ideas, or data.
  • Text recycling is the practice of using parts of one's previous works without appropriate citations or justification, unless it is explicitly referenced.

Plagiarism Detection

  1. Plagiarism Detection Software: During the initial submission phase, advanced plagiarism detection tools such as Turnitin screen all submitted manuscripts for plagiarism. 

  2. The editorial team will determine the extent of overlap if they detect plagiarism.

    • Minor overlap (less than 20%): Minor overlap that is deemed unintentional may result in a request for the author to revise the manuscript and properly cite the sources.
    • Moderate overlap (20%–30%): Moderate plagiarism will lead to a rejection of the manuscript and an explanation of the issues, with advice on proper citation practices.
    • Severe overlap (greater than 30%): The journal will immediately reject severe cases of plagiarism or outright copying of content, and the author(s) may face a ban from submitting future work.

Plagiarism Prevention Measures

  • Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are unique and free from plagiarism. Authors must properly cite all referenced work, including ideas, data, figures, and quotations from others, and obtain necessary permissions for previously published content.

  • Manuscript Revision: If the editorial team detects plagiarism during peer review or after acceptance, they will notify the authors and request proper citation or manuscript correction before proceeding.

  • Multiple Submissions: We prohibit authors from submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously. We consider this unethical behavior and may withdraw the manuscript from consideration.

Consequences of Plagiarism

  1. Manuscript Rejection: We will immediately reject any manuscript containing plagiarism and notify the authors.

  2. In cases of severe plagiarism or repeated offenses, JoBIC will ban the author(s) from future submissions. The length of the ban will depend on the severity of the case, with repeat offenders potentially facing permanent bans.

  3. Notification to Institutions: In cases of severe plagiarism or unethical behavior, JoBIC reserves the right to notify the author’s affiliated institution or funding agencies about the plagiarism incident.

  4. Retraction of Published Papers: If plagiarism is discovered post-publication, the editorial board will initiate a thorough investigation. If the investigation confirms plagiarism, the journal will publish a retraction notice and retract the paper.

  5. Author Responsibility: The corresponding author is primarily responsible for ensuring the manuscript is free from plagiarism. Co-authors share this responsibility, and all authors listed on the manuscript must have contributed meaningfully to the work.

Handling allegations of plagiarism

  1. Initial Investigation: If the editorial team suspects or reports plagiarism, they will review the manuscript and use plagiarism detection tools to check for overlap.

  2. Response from Authors: If plagiarism is confirmed, the authors will be informed, and they will be required to provide an explanation. If the authors acknowledge plagiarism, we will reject the manuscript or, if published, retract it.

  3. Resolution: The editorial team, in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief, will make the final decision on whether to reject the manuscript, request revisions, or ban the author(s) from future submissions. In severe cases, institutional notification may be considered.

Ethical training and guidance

  • Author Education: JoBIC encourages all authors to familiarize themselves with proper citation practices and plagiarism guidelines. We advise authors to consult ethical publishing standards, such as those set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and adhere to JoBIC's submission guidelines.

  • Reviewer Awareness: During the peer review process, we encourage reviewers to flag any suspected plagiarism. Reviewers must provide evidence, including the original sources they believe they copied.

Appeals
Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions related to plagiarism. Authors must submit their appeals in writing, clearly justifying their stance. The Editor-in-Chief will review appeals and, if necessary, consult with additional reviewers or editors for final arbitration.

By adhering to this plagiarism policy, JoBIC seeks to promote academic honesty and uphold the integrity of scholarly research in the fields of business integration and competitive strategy.