Plagiarism Policy

The International Journal of Medical and Health Sciences Archives (IJMHSA) maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. The journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and originality in all published content.

1. Definition of Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is defined as the act of using someone else’s work, ideas, data, or expressions without proper acknowledgment, whether intentionally or unintentionally. This includes:

Direct copying of text from other sources without citation
Paraphrasing without proper attribution
Self-plagiarism (reuse of one’s own previously published work without disclosure)
Use of images, figures, or tables from other works without permission or credit

2. Plagiarism Detection:

All manuscripts submitted to IJMHSA are screened using reliable plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate) before being sent for peer review.
A similarity index of more than 15–20% (excluding references and legitimate quotations) is subject to further scrutiny.

3. Author Responsibility:

Authors are solely responsible for ensuring the originality of their manuscripts.
Proper citations and references must be provided for all sources used.
If plagiarism is detected at any stage—before or after publication—the authors will be held accountable.

4. Editorial Actions in Case of Plagiarism:

If plagiarism is detected:

Before publication: The manuscript will be rejected immediately.
After publication: The article will be retracted, and a notice of plagiarism will be posted on the journal website. The authors’ affiliated institutions may also be informed.

5. Consequences for Authors:

Blacklisting of all involved authors for future submissions.
Notification to funding agencies and academic institutions (if applicable).
Legal actions in cases of severe or repeated misconduct.

6. Ethical Standards:

IJMHSA follows ethical guidelines issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to handle plagiarism and other forms of misconduct.