Plagiarism Policy

Introduction

At Academia International Research Journal (Multidisciplinary), we uphold the highest standards of academic honesty and ethical conduct. Plagiarism—whether intentional or accidental—undermines scholarly credibility and breaches the trust of our academic community. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy on plagiarism to protect the originality and authenticity of all published work.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s ideas, words, data, or intellectual output without proper acknowledgment. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Direct Copying: Verbatim reproduction of text from any source without quotation marks and citation.

  • Paraphrasing Without Credit: Rewriting existing ideas or findings without citing the original source.

  • Uncited Data or Visuals: Using charts, graphs, tables, or datasets without appropriate references.

  • Self-Plagiarism: Republishing one’s own previously published or submitted work without disclosure or citation.

Similarity Thresholds

Policy Standard Acceptable Similarity Index
Academia International Research Journal ≤ 10%
HEC Pakistan (Benchmark) ≤ 19%

Our journal adopts a stricter standard than the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan to promote high-quality and original scholarship.

Detection Tools & Responsibilities

  • Plagiarism Screening: All manuscripts undergo screening using advanced tools such as Turnitin.

  • Author Responsibility: Authors must ensure the originality of their work and proper citation before submission.

Handling Detected Plagiarism

Type of Plagiarism Editorial Action
Minor (e.g., citation errors) Manuscript returned for correction and resubmission
Major (e.g., extensive copying) Immediate rejection or retraction if already published
Repeated or severe violations Author blacklisting and notification to affiliated bodies

Author Declaration

All submissions must include a Statement of Originality, confirming that:

  • The manuscript is original work.

  • All third-party content is appropriately credited.

  • The manuscript is not under consideration or published elsewhere.

Appeals Process

Authors may submit a formal appeal if they dispute plagiarism findings. Appeals are reviewed impartially by the editorial board. Final decisions are binding and based on verified evidence.

Use of AI-Generated Content

Academia International Research Journal strictly prohibits the use of AI-generated content (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Gemini) in any manuscript section, including abstracts, literature reviews, methodology, or results.

Use of AI-assisted content will result in automatic rejection or retraction. Only original human scholarship is accepted.

Transparency and Retractions

In cases of retraction due to plagiarism:

  • A formal retraction notice will be published.

  • The article will be removed from all online archives.

  • The incident will be documented to uphold the journal’s academic integrity.