Plagiarism Policy

ACADEMIA Tech Frontiers Journal (ATFJ)
????️ Upholding Academic Integrity in Technology & Engineering Research

Introduction

ATFJ is firmly committed to the principles of academic honesty, research integrity, and intellectual originality. Plagiarism—intentional or otherwise—compromises the credibility of research and damages scholarly progress. Therefore, ATFJ enforces a strict zero-tolerance plagiarism policy across all stages of manuscript evaluation and publication.

???? What Constitutes Plagiarism?

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct Copying: Verbatim replication of content without quotation marks and citation

  • Improper Paraphrasing: Rewording someone else’s findings or theories without proper credit

  • Data or Visual Reuse: Using graphs, tables, figures, or datasets without acknowledgment

  • Self-Plagiarism: Republishing or reusing substantial portions of one’s own previous work without disclosure

???? Plagiarism Threshold

Standard Allowed Similarity
ATFJ Internal Policy Maximum 10%
HEC Pakistan Benchmark Up to 19%

Although HEC permits up to 19% similarity, ATFJ adheres to a stricter internal limit of 10% to foster originality and scientific rigor.

????️ Plagiarism Detection & Responsibility

  • All submissions are checked using plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin).

  • Authors bear full responsibility for ensuring that their work is free of plagiarism.

  • Manuscripts exceeding similarity limits are flagged and reviewed by the editorial team for possible action.

⚖️ Editorial Response to Plagiarism

Type of Violation Editorial Action
Minor (e.g., missing citations, small overlap) Returned for revision and correction
Major (e.g., extensive uncredited copying) Rejection or retraction (if published)
Repeated Offenses Blacklisting of author(s); institutional notification

???? Author Declaration Requirement

All corresponding authors must submit a signed Statement of Originality, confirming:

  • The manuscript is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere

  • All sources are properly cited

  • No part of the content is plagiarized or reused without disclosure

???? AI-Generated Content Policy

ATFJ prohibits the use of AI-generated text, analysis, or visuals (e.g., via ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, Gemini, etc.) in any manuscript submission.

???? Use of AI-generated content may result in rejection or post-publication retraction.
✅ All content must reflect original human research and scholarly effort.

???? Appeals Process

If an author disputes a plagiarism finding, they may:

  • File a formal appeal with justification and supporting evidence

  • The ATFJ Editorial Board will conduct a second review and issue a final decision

???? Transparency and Retraction

In cases of confirmed plagiarism post-publication:

  • A retraction notice will be issued

  • Affected stakeholders and indexing agencies will be notified

  • The case will be handled in alignment with COPE and ICMJE ethical guidelines

By enforcing this policy, ATFJ safeguards the quality, ethics, and impact of engineering and technological research.