Plagiarism Policy

The Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. Plagiarism in any form is considered a serious breach of publication ethics and will not be tolerated. All manuscripts submitted to JSMI are subject to plagiarism screening before entering the peer review process.

1. Purpose

This policy aims to:

  • Promote originality and academic honesty.
  • Protect the intellectual property rights of authors and researchers.
  • Ensure the credibility and integrity of the scholarly record.
  • Prevent academic misconduct in all stages of publication.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's ideas, words, data, images, or other intellectual work as one's own without proper acknowledgment or permission. It also includes the inappropriate reuse of one's previously published work without proper citation.

Forms of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

  • Direct Plagiarism: Copying text word-for-word without quotation marks or proper citation.
  • Self-Plagiarism: Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without appropriate acknowledgment.
  • Mosaic (Patchwork) Plagiarism: Combining copied phrases, sentences, or ideas from multiple sources without proper attribution.
  • Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Closely rewording another author's work without proper citation.
  • Data and Figure Plagiarism: Using tables, figures, images, datasets, or illustrations without permission or acknowledgment.
  • Source-Based Plagiarism: Misrepresenting or omitting the original source of information.

3. Plagiarism Screening

Every manuscript submitted to JSMI undergoes a similarity assessment using recognized plagiarism detection software before peer review.

The Editorial Office evaluates similarity reports carefully, recognizing that legitimate overlap may occur in:

  • References and bibliographies.
  • Standard methodological descriptions.
  • Common technical terminology.
  • Properly quoted and cited material.

Editorial decisions are based on both the overall similarity report and the nature of the matched content.

4. Acceptable Similarity Threshold

As a general guideline:

  • Up to 15% overall similarity: Normally acceptable, provided there is no evidence of plagiarism and no excessive similarity from a single source.
  • 16%–25% similarity: May require revision, clarification, or removal of improperly cited material before peer review.
  • Above 25% similarity: May result in rejection, depending on the extent and nature of the overlap.

The Editor-in-Chief retains full discretion in evaluating each manuscript. Similarity percentages alone do not determine plagiarism.

5. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

  • Their manuscript is entirely original.
  • All borrowed ideas, quotations, figures, and data are properly cited.
  • Appropriate permissions are obtained where required.
  • The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Previously published work is appropriately acknowledged.

Before submission, authors are encouraged to conduct their own originality checks.

6. Editorial Actions

If plagiarism is identified during editorial assessment or peer review, JSMI may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Request revision and proper citation.
  • Return the manuscript for correction.
  • Reject the manuscript.
  • Suspend the review process.
  • Notify the corresponding author of the findings.

If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal may:

  • Publish a correction.
  • Issue an expression of concern.
  • Retract the article.
  • Notify the authors' institution, employer, or funding agency where appropriate.
  • Restrict future submissions from the responsible author(s).

7. Self-Plagiarism

Authors must not substantially reproduce their own previously published work without proper citation.

Acceptable reuse includes:

  • Properly cited conference papers expanded into full journal articles.
  • Theses or dissertations, where permitted by journal policy.
  • Preprints, where disclosed and consistent with the journal's preprint policy.

Authors must clearly disclose any overlap with previous publications.

8. Responsibilities of Reviewers and Editors

Editors and reviewers are encouraged to report suspected plagiarism or unethical publication practices whenever identified.

All allegations will be handled confidentially, fairly, and objectively.

9. Appeals

Authors who believe that a plagiarism decision was made in error may submit a written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief, providing supporting evidence. Appeals will be reviewed independently, and the final decision of the Editorial Board shall be communicated to the author.

10. Compliance with Publication Ethics

This Plagiarism Policy should be read together with the journal's:

  • Publication Ethics Policy
  • Author Guidelines
  • Peer Review Policy
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
  • Copyright Policy

Failure to comply with these policies may result in editorial action.

Commitment to Academic Integrity

The Journal is dedicated to publishing original, credible, and ethically conducted research. Authors, reviewers, and editors share a collective responsibility to uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, fairness, and academic excellence, ensuring that all published work contributes meaningfully to the advancement of knowledge.