Upholding Academic Integrity
ACADEMIA Health Sphere Journal (AHSJ) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical research practices. Plagiarism, whether deliberate or inadvertent, undermines scholarly credibility and the reliability of the scientific record. AHSJ enforces a strict zero-tolerance policy against all forms of plagiarism to ensure the originality, authenticity, and credibility of every published article.
What Constitutes Plagiarism
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, direct copying of text from another source without proper citation; paraphrasing another author’s ideas, arguments, or findings without appropriate attribution; improper use of visuals or data, including charts, tables, graphs, images, or datasets without acknowledgment or permission; and self-plagiarism, which involves reusing one’s own previously published or submitted work without disclosure or citation.
Similarity Thresholds
AHSJ applies a maximum similarity limit of 10 percent for all submitted manuscripts. Although the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan permits similarity levels of up to 15 percent, AHSJ adopts a stricter threshold to promote originality, research quality, and ethical scholarship.
Plagiarism Detection Process
All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin or equivalent tools. Manuscripts exceeding the allowed similarity threshold are reviewed by the editorial team to assess context and severity. Authors bear full responsibility for ensuring that their submissions are free from plagiarism prior to submission.
Editorial Action on Plagiarism
Minor overlap, such as missing or improper citations, may result in the manuscript being returned to the authors for correction and proper attribution. Major plagiarism, including extensive copying, false authorship, or misappropriation of content, will result in immediate rejection or retraction if the article has already been published. Repeated offenses may lead to blacklisting of the author or authors and formal notification of their affiliated institutions.
Author Declaration
All authors are required to submit a Statement of Originality certifying that the manuscript is original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere; that all external sources are properly cited; and that the manuscript complies with ethical, authorship, and publication guidelines.
Appeals Process
Authors who believe that a plagiarism determination was made in error may submit a formal written appeal with a detailed explanation. The Editorial Board of AHSJ will re-evaluate the case and communicate the final decision to the author or authors. Decisions following appeal are final.
AI-Generated Content Policy
AHSJ does not permit the use of generative artificial intelligence tools for writing, analyzing, interpreting, or drafting any part of a manuscript. Submissions containing AI-generated text, analysis, or content produced by tools such as ChatGPT, Bard, or Gemini will be rejected or retracted. All submitted work must reflect original human scholarship and scientific expertise.
Transparency and Retractions
When plagiarism results in retraction, AHSJ will publish a formal retraction notice, notify relevant indexing and abstracting services, and maintain transparency to preserve academic accountability and trust in the scholarly record.
This policy is aligned with the ethical standards and guidelines of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), ensuring responsible and ethical research publication.
