Plagiarism Policy

1. Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Progressive Innovation Library Service (JPILS) is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing. All manuscripts submitted to JPILS must be original and must comply with accepted standards of academic citation, attribution, and publication ethics.

JPILS publishes articles reporting community engagement activities, library service innovations, and scholarly contributions in the fields of social sciences, information science, library science, and archival studies.

All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using plagiarism detection software, such as Turnitin or another suitable tool available to the editorial team. The screening process is intended to identify potential plagiarism, unattributed text, excessive text reuse, and other forms of academic misconduct.

JPILS uses a maximum similarity index of 30% as a proposed preliminary screening threshold, subject to confirmation by the journal's editorial team. A similarity score below this threshold does not automatically establish that a manuscript is free from plagiarism. Editorial assessment must consider the sources and context of matching text, the quality of attribution, and the nature of the material.

Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism or other serious violations of publication ethics may be returned for correction or rejected, depending on the nature and severity of the findings.

2. Definition and Forms of Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when an author uses another person's ideas, words, data, findings, images, tables, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment of the original source.

Plagiarism may occur intentionally or unintentionally. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all material obtained from other sources is properly cited and acknowledged.

Potential forms of plagiarism and related misconduct include:

  1. Direct Plagiarism: Copying sentences, paragraphs, or other material from a source without appropriate quotation and citation.
  2. Mosaic Plagiarism: Combining words or phrases from multiple sources without adequate acknowledgment.
  3. Paraphrasing Without Attribution: Rewriting another author's ideas in different words without citing the original source.
  4. Data and Image Plagiarism: Using data, figures, tables, photographs, illustrations, or other materials without proper acknowledgment or permission where required.
  5. Self-Plagiarism: Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without proper citation, disclosure, or justification.
  6. Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Submitting or publishing substantially overlapping manuscripts without appropriate disclosure.
  7. Unauthorized Use of Intellectual Property: Presenting another person's intellectual contributions as one's own or using protected materials in violation of applicable requirements.

Authors must cite sources for specific facts, statistics, research findings, theoretical arguments, and other information obtained from identifiable sources, except where the information is genuinely common knowledge.

Direct quotations must be clearly indicated and properly cited. Paraphrased ideas must also acknowledge their original sources.

3. Plagiarism Screening Procedure

JPILS applies the following screening procedure:

  1. Initial Editorial Screening: The editorial team checks whether the manuscript meets the journal's submission requirements and falls within its focus and scope.
  2. Similarity Checking: The manuscript is screened using Turnitin or another suitable plagiarism detection tool available to the journal.
  3. Evaluation of Similarity Reports: Editors examine the sources and context of matching text. The overall similarity percentage is not used as the sole basis for determining plagiarism.
  4. Editorial Decision: Depending on the findings, the manuscript may proceed to peer review, be returned for correction, require substantial revision, or be rejected.
  5. Post-Publication Action: If plagiarism or serious publication misconduct is identified after publication, JPILS may investigate the case and issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, as appropriate.

Authors are encouraged to check their manuscripts before submission and ensure that all sources are appropriately cited.

4. Similarity Threshold

JPILS proposes a maximum overall similarity index of 30% for preliminary manuscript screening.

Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected following editorial assessment. Manuscripts with similarity scores below the threshold may also be rejected if the report reveals direct plagiarism, unattributed copying, or other serious ethical violations.

The editorial team retains the authority to assess each case individually, considering the nature of the matching material, the sources involved, the accuracy of citations, and the overall integrity of the manuscript.

5. Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

JPILS recognizes that scholarly publishing requires ethical conduct and clearly defined responsibilities for authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. All parties are expected to uphold the principles of honesty, fairness, confidentiality, transparency, and accountability.

5.1. Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief and editorial team are responsible for deciding which manuscripts are suitable for publication. Decisions are based on originality, scholarly quality, relevance to the journal's focus and scope, methodological appropriateness, peer-review reports, and compliance with publication ethics.

Editorial decisions must not be improperly influenced by personal relationships, institutional interests, or commercial considerations.

5.2. Fair Play and Non-Discrimination

Editors must evaluate manuscripts according to their scholarly merit without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political views.

5.3. Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and related communications. Information may only be shared with authorized parties involved in the editorial and publication process.

5.4. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Editors must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for personal or research purposes without the author's explicit written permission.

Editors and reviewers must disclose potential conflicts of interest and withdraw from handling a manuscript when a conflict could compromise their impartiality.

5.5. Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions. Peer reviewers assist editors in making informed publication decisions and provide constructive recommendations to improve manuscript quality.

Promptness. Reviewers who lack the appropriate expertise or cannot complete a review within the required timeframe should promptly notify the editor and decline the assignment.

Confidentiality. Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shared with unauthorized individuals.

Standards of Objectivity. Reviews must be objective, professional, and supported by clear academic arguments. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.

Acknowledgment of Sources. Reviewers should identify relevant publications that have not been cited and notify the editor of substantial similarities between the manuscript under review and other published works.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest. Reviewers must not use confidential information or ideas obtained through peer review for personal advantage. They should decline assignments where competing, collaborative, financial, or other relationships could compromise their impartiality.

5.6. Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards. Authors must present accurate and objective accounts of their activities, research methods, data, results, and conclusions. Reports of community engagement must describe the activities undertaken and their outcomes honestly.

Originality and Plagiarism. Authors must ensure that their manuscripts constitute original scholarly work. All ideas, words, data, and materials obtained from other sources must be appropriately cited, quoted, or acknowledged.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication. Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. Substantially overlapping publications must be disclosed to the editor.

Acknowledgment of Sources. Authors must acknowledge all sources that have significantly influenced their work. References must be accurate, relevant, and complete.

Authorship and Contributions. Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, implementation, analysis, or interpretation of the reported work. All qualifying co-authors must be listed and must approve the final manuscript.

For community engagement articles, contributions from partner institutions, community members, and other participants should be acknowledged appropriately, with due consideration for consent and privacy.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest. Authors must disclose relevant financial support and any conflicts of interest that could influence the work or its interpretation.

Corrections and Retractions. Authors who discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published articles must promptly notify the editorial team and cooperate in correcting the scholarly record or retracting the article when necessary.

6. Handling Allegations of Plagiarism

When plagiarism or other publication misconduct is suspected, JPILS will assess the available evidence and may request clarification from the authors.

Depending on the severity and circumstances, the journal may:

  1. Request corrections, additional citations, or clarification.
  2. Return the manuscript for revision.
  3. Reject the manuscript before or during peer review.
  4. Withdraw an acceptance decision if misconduct is identified before publication.
  5. Publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction if misconduct is confirmed after publication.
  6. Notify the relevant institution or other appropriate authority when warranted.

All cases will be handled fairly, confidentially, and consistently with the journal's publication ethics policies.

7. Contact Information

For questions concerning plagiarism screening, similarity reports, research integrity, or publication ethics, authors may contact the JPILS editorial team through the contact details provided on the official journal website.

Journal: Journal of Progressive Innovation Library Service (JPILS)

Publisher: Program Studi Perpustakaan dan Sains Informasi, Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, Universitas Muhammadiyah Mataram, Indonesia.

Official Website: https://journal.ummat.ac.id/index.php/JPILS/index