Plagiarism Policy

COMMUNIA – Journal of Community Engagement and Development is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and scholarly publishing. The journal considers plagiarism, duplicate publication, inappropriate text reuse, citation manipulation, and other forms of academic misconduct to be serious violations of publication ethics.

COMMUNIA follows recognized principles of publication ethics and adopts appropriate procedures for identifying, assessing, and responding to suspected plagiarism and other forms of research and publication misconduct.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of another person's ideas, words, data, results, images, methods, or other intellectual work without appropriate acknowledgment or attribution.

Plagiarism may include, but is not limited to:

  • copying words or sentences from another work without proper citation;

  • presenting another person's ideas or arguments as one's own;

  • reproducing tables, figures, images, or other materials without appropriate acknowledgment or permission where required;

  • using another person's data or research findings without proper attribution;

  • substantial reproduction of another published work without appropriate acknowledgment;

  • translating and presenting another person's work as original without proper attribution;

  • inappropriate reuse of previously published material; and

  • other forms of intellectual appropriation that misrepresent the original source.

COMMUNIA also considers self-plagiarism or inappropriate text recycling to be a publication-ethics concern when previously published material is reused without appropriate acknowledgment or when such reuse creates a misleading impression of originality.

2. Plagiarism Screening

All submitted manuscripts may be screened for plagiarism and textual similarity as part of the journal's editorial screening process.

COMMUNIA may use plagiarism-detection or text-matching software to identify potential cases of plagiarism, duplicate publication, and inappropriate text reuse.

The similarity percentage generated by software is not, by itself, considered definitive evidence of plagiarism. Editorial assessment will consider the nature, source, context, extent, and purpose of the identified similarities.

DOAJ recommends that journals use plagiarism-checking services and, where such screening is conducted, clearly state the journal's plagiarism-screening practices on its website.

3. Similarity Assessment

COMMUNIA does not establish a single similarity percentage as an automatic basis for rejection.

A similarity report may contain legitimate similarities, including:

  • commonly used academic terminology;

  • methodological expressions;

  • references and bibliographic information;

  • standard definitions;

  • properly quoted material;

  • names of institutions, laws, regulations, or programs; and

  • other unavoidable textual similarities.

Therefore, editorial decisions concerning plagiarism are based on qualitative assessment rather than similarity percentage alone.

The editor may request clarification or revision when similarities appear minor, legitimate, or attributable to inadequate citation. More serious cases may result in rejection or further investigation.

4. Plagiarism in Submitted Manuscripts

If suspected plagiarism is identified before publication, the editor will assess the extent and nature of the suspected misconduct.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  1. request an explanation from the author(s);

  2. request revision and appropriate citation where the problem is minor;

  3. reject the manuscript;

  4. suspend further editorial processing while the matter is investigated;

  5. notify the author's affiliated institution when appropriate; and/or

  6. take other appropriate actions consistent with publication-ethics principles.

The response will depend on the seriousness, extent, and circumstances of the suspected plagiarism.

5. Minor and Major Plagiarism

Minor Plagiarism

Minor plagiarism may involve limited use of text or material without appropriate attribution where the overall originality and integrity of the manuscript are not substantially compromised.

In such cases, the editor may request:

  • correction of the citation;

  • rewriting or paraphrasing;

  • addition of the appropriate reference; or

  • clarification from the author.

The manuscript may continue through the editorial process only after the issue has been satisfactorily addressed.

Major Plagiarism

Major plagiarism may include substantial or systematic use of another person's text, ideas, data, results, figures, or other intellectual work without appropriate attribution and with the material presented as the author's own.

Major plagiarism may result in:

  • immediate rejection of the manuscript;

  • termination of the review process;

  • notification of the author's institution where appropriate;

  • notification of other journals or publishers involved, where relevant; and/or

  • other appropriate actions in accordance with publication-ethics procedures.

COPE guidance emphasizes that the response to suspected plagiarism should take into account the extent and nature of the copying and may include contacting the authors and, where appropriate, their institution or other affected publishers.

6. Self-Plagiarism and Text Recycling

Authors must not substantially reuse their own previously published text, data, figures, or other material in a way that creates a misleading impression of originality.

Limited reuse of standard methodological descriptions or other unavoidable technical language may not constitute misconduct when appropriately disclosed and cited.

However, substantial reuse of previously published material without proper acknowledgment may be considered self-plagiarism, redundant publication, or inappropriate text recycling.

Authors should disclose relevant previous publications when submitting a manuscript that substantially overlaps with their previous work.

7. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

COMMUNIA prohibits duplicate and redundant publication.

Authors must not submit or publish substantially the same manuscript in multiple journals.

A manuscript may be considered problematic if it:

  • substantially duplicates a previously published article;

  • presents the same research findings as an original contribution without adequate disclosure;

  • divides one study into multiple publications in a misleading manner;

  • republishes previously published data without appropriate justification and acknowledgment; or

  • is simultaneously submitted to more than one journal.

Such practices may result in rejection, withdrawal, correction, or retraction depending on when the issue is identified and its seriousness.

8. Citation Manipulation

Citation manipulation is prohibited.

Authors, reviewers, and editors must not intentionally add irrelevant citations for the purpose of:

  • increasing citation counts;

  • artificially improving journal metrics;

  • increasing the visibility of particular authors or publications;

  • influencing citation-based evaluations; or

  • obtaining other inappropriate academic advantages.

Citations must be relevant, accurate, and justified by the scholarly content of the manuscript.

Citation manipulation is recognized as a form of publication misconduct that journals should take reasonable steps to prevent and address.

9. Plagiarism Involving Figures, Tables, Images, and Data

Plagiarism is not limited to written text.

Unauthorized or unattributed use of:

  • tables;

  • figures;

  • photographs;

  • illustrations;

  • datasets;

  • charts;

  • research instruments;

  • conceptual models;

  • diagrams; or

  • other intellectual materials

may also constitute plagiarism or copyright infringement.

Authors must provide appropriate attribution and obtain permission where required by applicable copyright or licensing conditions.

10. Plagiarism in Published Articles

If plagiarism is discovered after an article has been published, COMMUNIA will investigate the matter in accordance with its publication-ethics procedures.

The journal may:

  • contact the corresponding author;

  • request an explanation;

  • contact all authors where appropriate;

  • request supporting documentation;

  • contact the author's institution;

  • contact the publisher or journal of the original work where relevant;

  • publish a correction when appropriate;

  • issue an Expression of Concern when the matter requires further investigation; and/or

  • retract the article when plagiarism materially affects the integrity of the publication.

Where an article is retracted because of plagiarism, the retraction will be clearly identified and linked to the original publication where technically possible.

COPE provides specific guidance for handling suspected plagiarism in published articles, including assessment of the extent of copying, communication with authors, and possible notification of institutions or other publishers.

11. Author Responsibility

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original and that all sources are appropriately acknowledged.

By submitting a manuscript to COMMUNIA, authors confirm that:

  1. the manuscript is their original work;

  2. all sources have been appropriately cited;

  3. quotations and reused materials are clearly identified;

  4. permission has been obtained for copyrighted third-party materials where required;

  5. the manuscript has not been published elsewhere in substantially the same form;

  6. the manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal; and

  7. no material has been intentionally presented as original when it was derived from another source.

12. Editorial Responsibility

Editors are responsible for responding appropriately to suspected plagiarism.

The editor may use plagiarism-detection reports, reviewer comments, author explanations, source comparisons, and other relevant evidence when assessing a case.

Editorial decisions will be made fairly and objectively based on the available evidence.

The journal will not make a final determination of serious research misconduct solely on the basis of an automated similarity score.

13. Confidentiality of Plagiarism Investigations

Investigations of suspected plagiarism will be handled confidentially.

Information concerning an investigation will be disclosed only to individuals who have a legitimate role in resolving the matter, such as:

  • the editor;

  • relevant members of the editorial board;

  • the authors;

  • reviewers when necessary;

  • the author's institution; or

  • other relevant parties where appropriate.

The journal will seek to protect the confidentiality and fairness of all parties involved.

14. Appeals and Author Response

Authors may provide an explanation or supporting evidence if they believe that a plagiarism allegation or editorial decision has been made incorrectly.

The editor will consider relevant evidence and explanations before making a final decision.

Where necessary, the editor may seek an independent assessment or consult an appropriate editorial authority.

An appeal does not automatically suspend or reverse an editorial decision.

15. Consequences of Plagiarism

Depending on the severity and circumstances of the case, confirmed plagiarism may result in one or more of the following actions:

  • request for correction or revision;

  • rejection of the manuscript;

  • withdrawal of the manuscript from the review process;

  • notification of the author's institution;

  • notification of another journal or publisher involved;

  • publication of a correction;

  • publication of an Expression of Concern;

  • retraction of the published article; and/or

  • other appropriate actions consistent with recognized publication-ethics standards.

The journal will apply proportionate and evidence-based responses to suspected or confirmed plagiarism.

16. Commitment to Academic Integrity

COMMUNIA is committed to maintaining the integrity, originality, and reliability of the scholarly record.

The journal expects all authors, editors, reviewers, and other participants in the publication process to uphold the highest standards of academic honesty and responsible research conduct.

Any suspected case of plagiarism will be treated seriously and investigated fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with recognized publication-ethics principles.

This policy may be updated periodically to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, research integrity, and international publication-ethics standards.