The Journal of Community Medicine and Health Sciences (JCMHS) upholds a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism and academic misconduct. All manuscripts submitted to JCMHS must be original and free from copied or recycled content, ensuring academic honesty and integrity in scholarly publishing. This policy aligns with international standards set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ICMJE, and WAME.

Every manuscript submitted to JCMHS is screened for plagiarism using the iThenticate software prior to peer review and publication.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using another person’s ideas, words, data, or creative expressions without proper acknowledgment or citation. It includes direct copying, close paraphrasing, data manipulation, and self-plagiarism. JCMHS classifies plagiarism into the following categories:

Verbatim Plagiarism: Directly copying text, figures, or tables without quotation marks or citation.
Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rewording another’s work without appropriate credit.
Self-Plagiarism: Republishing portions of one’s own previously published work without disclosure or citation.
Image/Data Plagiarism: Reusing images, charts, or data without obtaining permission or citing the source.
Idea Plagiarism: Presenting concepts or hypotheses from another’s research as one’s own.

2. Plagiarism Detection and Screening

All manuscripts submitted to JCMHS undergo initial plagiarism screening through iThenticate and Turnitin. The editorial office reviews the similarity report to assess the originality of the manuscript before forwarding it for peer review.

3. Acceptable Similarity Threshold

The journal considers manuscripts with a similarity index of up to 15% (excluding references, title, and commonly used terminology) as acceptable. Any submission exceeding this limit is subject to further scrutiny or immediate rejection. The breakdown is as follows:

Similarity Range	Editorial Decision
0–15%	Acceptable; sent for peer review.
16–25%	Conditional; authors asked to revise and resubmit with proper citations.
>25%	Rejected due to high similarity or possible plagiarism.

4. Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

Authors must not republish their own previously published work or submit identical or substantially similar manuscripts to multiple journals simultaneously. If overlap is detected, the editor will request clarification. If confirmed as redundant publication, the manuscript will be rejected, and authors may face sanctions.

5. Handling Detected Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected at any stage — submission, peer review, or post-publication — JCMHS follows the below steps, as recommended by COPE:

Notify the corresponding author with the similarity report and request explanation.
Evaluate the author’s response and determine intent (minor oversight or deliberate plagiarism).
Reject or retract the paper if plagiarism is confirmed.
Inform the author’s institution or funding agency if necessary.
Publish a retraction notice and maintain transparency in the correction record.

6. Post-Publication Plagiarism

If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal will immediately investigate. Depending on the findings, actions may include:

Issuing a correction or erratum for unintentional overlap.
Publishing a retraction notice for deliberate plagiarism.
Notifying relevant indexing services (e.g., DOAJ, CrossRef) about the retraction.
Banning the offending author(s) from future submissions.

7. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work. To comply with JCMHS policies, authors must:

Submit only original research not published elsewhere.
Properly cite all sources, quotations, and reused materials.
Disclose if parts of the manuscript have appeared in conference proceedings or preprints.
Provide permissions for reuse of third-party materials.
Retain and provide raw data when requested for verification.

8. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must ensure the integrity of the review process and ethical handling of plagiarism allegations. Their duties include:

Reviewing similarity reports for every submission.
Evaluating borderline similarity cases impartially.
Ensuring confidentiality during investigations.
Following COPE flowcharts for ethical resolution.
Communicating decisions transparently to authors and institutions.

9. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a vital role in identifying potential plagiarism. If a reviewer suspects copied material, they should confidentially inform the editor. Reviewers must avoid using any unpublished data or text from manuscripts they evaluate.

10. Corrective Measures and Sanctions

Depending on the severity of plagiarism, JCMHS may apply one or more of the following sanctions:

Immediate rejection of the manuscript.
Formal warning to the author.
Rejection of future submissions for a defined period.
Notification to the author’s institution or funding body.
Publication of retraction notice in the next issue.

11. Retraction and Correction Policy

Retraction is applied when plagiarism significantly affects the credibility or originality of a published paper. Retraction notices are linked to both the retracted article and its DOI for transparency. Minor errors or citation omissions may be corrected via an erratum notice.

12. Ethical Reuse of Published Material

JCMHS permits authors to reuse parts of their previously published work for legitimate reasons, such as:

Extending a study with new findings.
Including background or methods sections for context.

In such cases, authors must cite the earlier work clearly and state what new contributions are being made in the submitted manuscript.

13. Prevention Measures by Authors

Authors can minimize plagiarism risk by:

Using plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Grammarly, Turnitin, iThenticate) before submission.
Properly paraphrasing and crediting sources.
Using quotation marks for verbatim text.
Reviewing journal policies and COPE guidelines.

14. COPE Flowchart Reference

JCMHS follows the COPE Flowcharts for handling ethical concerns, which outline procedures for:

Suspected plagiarism in a submitted manuscript.
Suspected plagiarism in a published article.
Duplicate or redundant publication cases.

15. Educational Commitment

JCMHS promotes author education and ethical awareness. The editorial team provides resources and workshops on research integrity, responsible writing, and citation practices, especially for early-career researchers and non-native English speakers.

16. Plagiarism Policy Summary

Category	Threshold / Decision
Similarity Index ≤15%	Acceptable for peer review.
Similarity Index 16–25%	Revision required with citations.
Similarity Index >25%	Immediate rejection.
Post-Publication Plagiarism	Retraction and institutional notification.
Self-Plagiarism	Permitted only with full citation of original work.

17. AI-Generated Text and Ethical Writing

Authors may use AI-based language tools for improving grammar or clarity but must not use AI to generate original content, data, or references. Any use of AI tools must be disclosed in the acknowledgment section. AI cannot be listed as an author or co-author.

18. Reporting Plagiarism

Readers, authors, or reviewers who suspect plagiarism in any JCMHS publication are encouraged to report it confidentially to [email protected]. Reports should include evidence or side-by-side comparison of the suspected material.

19. Transparency and Recordkeeping

All plagiarism reports, investigation results, and editorial decisions are documented and archived securely in the journal’s OJS system. This ensures traceability and accountability in every ethical decision.

20. Annual Policy Review

The Plagiarism Policy is reviewed annually to align with evolving best practices and technologies in research integrity management.

“Originality is the cornerstone of scientific progress. JCMHS stands firm in its commitment to uphold honesty, trust, and transparency in every publication.”