Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Policy

The Innovations Journal of Humanities and Social Studies (IJHSS) is firmly committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing, in full compliance with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Elsevier Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication.

Plagiarism in any form—including full plagiarism, partial plagiarism, or self-plagiarism—is strictly prohibited. All submitted manuscripts must be the author’s original work and must include appropriate citation and acknowledgment of all referenced materials. Any detected violation will result in immediate rejection or retraction.

Plagiarism Detection and Threshold

All manuscripts are checked using Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Software before peer review.

  • Manuscripts with a similarity index above 20% will be rejected.

  • Reference-section similarity must not exceed 5%.

  • Authors will be notified of any detected issues and given one opportunity to revise if appropriate.

  • Repeated or deliberate plagiarism will lead to blacklisting of the author(s) and notification of their affiliated institution or funding agency.

Types of Plagiarism

  1. Full Plagiarism: Reproducing previously published content without modification or acknowledgment.

  2. Partial Plagiarism: Combining or paraphrasing material from multiple sources without proper citation.

  3. Self-Plagiarism: Republishing one’s own previously published work, in whole or in part, without proper citation or disclosure.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

IJHSS does not accept manuscripts that are wholly generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
If AI tools are used to assist in limited text generation, language improvement, data analysis, or figure preparation, authors must:

  • Clearly disclose the use of AI in the “Acknowledgments” section.

  • Remain fully responsible for the content’s accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance.

Failure to disclose AI assistance may lead to rejection or post-publication retraction.

Editorial Screening and Corrective Actions

  1. Initial Screening: Every manuscript is reviewed by the editorial team for originality and citation accuracy before peer review.

  2. Investigation: If plagiarism is suspected, authors are contacted to provide a written explanation within two weeks.

  3. Fact-Finding Committee: A formal committee may be convened to verify the extent of misconduct.

  4. Confirmed Misconduct:

    • Immediate removal of the article from the IJHSS website and databases.

    • Notification sent to the author’s affiliated institution or funding body.

    • Publication of an official retraction notice linked to the original DOI.

    • Suspension or permanent ban of the author(s) from future submissions.

Commitment to Ethical Scholarship

IJHSS upholds intellectual property rights and promotes transparency, originality, and responsible scholarship.
All decisions concerning plagiarism or academic misconduct are made in alignment with COPE flowcharts and international best practices for research ethics.