Plagiarism, Similarity and Research Misconduct Policy

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, transparency, and responsible research and publishing practices. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or other forms of research and publication misconduct.

1. Originality of Manuscripts

Authors submitting manuscripts to AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) must ensure that:

  • The manuscript is substantially original;

  • The work has not been published previously in substantially the same form;

  • The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal at the same time;

  • All sources and ideas derived from other works are appropriately acknowledged;

  • Direct quotations are clearly identified and properly cited;

  • Reused material is appropriately identified and cited; and

  • All authors have approved the submitted version of the manuscript.

Submission of substantially the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time is not permitted.

2. Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes presenting another person's words, ideas, data, arguments, structure, findings, or other intellectual contributions as one's own without appropriate acknowledgement.

Plagiarism may include, but is not limited to:

  • Copying text without quotation and citation;

  • Presenting another person's ideas without attribution;

  • Close or inappropriate paraphrasing without proper citation;

  • Using another person's data, tables, figures, or other material without appropriate acknowledgement or permission where required;

  • Presenting translated material as original work without proper attribution; and

  • Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without appropriate disclosure and citation.

3. Similarity Checking

The journal may use appropriate plagiarism or text-similarity detection tools as part of its editorial quality-control process.

A similarity report is an assessment tool and not, by itself, a determination of plagiarism.

The editorial team will consider the nature, location, extent, and context of the identified similarities. Properly cited quotations, references, standard terminology, common academic expressions, bibliographic information, and other legitimate similarities may contribute to a similarity score without constituting plagiarism.

Accordingly, the journal does not treat a particular similarity percentage as an automatic or sole basis for accepting or rejecting a manuscript.

4. Editorial Assessment of Similarity

Where a similarity report identifies potentially problematic material, the editor may:

  • Examine the relevant passages;

  • Compare the manuscript with the identified sources;

  • Request clarification from the author;

  • Require appropriate citation or correction before further consideration;

  • Refer the matter for additional editorial assessment; or

  • Reject the manuscript where substantial misconduct is established.

The final assessment will be based on the evidence and circumstances of the case rather than on a similarity percentage alone.

5. Plagiarism Identified Before Publication

If plagiarism or substantial unattributed material is identified before publication, the journal may:

  • Request clarification or revision;

  • Require appropriate citation and attribution;

  • Reject the manuscript;

  • Refer the matter to the author's institution where appropriate; or

  • Take another appropriate action according to the circumstances.

Serious or intentional cases may result in rejection without further review.

6. Plagiarism Identified After Publication

If credible evidence of plagiarism is received after publication, the journal will investigate the matter in accordance with its Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy.

Depending on the findings, the journal may:

  • Publish a correction;

  • Publish an Expression of Concern;

  • Retract the article;

  • Notify the relevant institution or authority where appropriate; or

  • Take another appropriate editorial action.

Post-publication actions will be handled according to the journal's Corrections, Retractions and Post-Publication Policy.

7. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit or publish substantially the same research in multiple journals without appropriate justification and disclosure.

Duplicate or redundant publication includes publishing substantially overlapping research, findings, or text in more than one publication without transparent disclosure and appropriate justification.

Where legitimate secondary publication is permitted, the relationship between the publications must be transparently disclosed and the necessary permissions and citations must be provided.

8. Simultaneous Submission

A manuscript submitted to AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) should not simultaneously be under consideration by another journal.

If simultaneous submission is suspected or confirmed, the journal may request an explanation from the authors and may reject the manuscript or take other appropriate action.

9. Self-Plagiarism and Text Recycling

Authors should not reuse substantial portions of their previously published work without appropriate citation, disclosure, and justification.

Limited reuse of standard methodological language or unavoidable technical terminology may occur in some disciplines and does not automatically constitute misconduct.

The editorial team will assess the extent, purpose, context, and transparency of any reused material.

10. Fabrication

Fabrication is the invention of data, sources, findings, observations, participants, quotations, references, or other research information and presenting them as genuine.

Fabrication is considered serious research misconduct.

Where fabrication is suspected, the journal may request supporting evidence and may contact the relevant institution or authority where appropriate.

11. Falsification

Falsification includes manipulating, altering, omitting, or misrepresenting research materials, data, procedures, sources, findings, images, citations, or other scholarly information in a manner that may result in a misleading research record.

Where falsification is established, the journal may reject the manuscript or take appropriate post-publication action.

12. Citation Manipulation

Authors, reviewers, and editors must not manipulate citations for the purpose of artificially increasing citation counts, journal metrics, author metrics, or other bibliometric indicators.

Examples may include:

  • Adding irrelevant citations solely to increase citation counts;

  • Coercive citation practices;

  • Systematic requests for unnecessary citations;

  • Excessive self-citation without legitimate scholarly justification; or

  • Coordinated citation practices intended to manipulate research metrics.

Where citation manipulation is suspected, the journal will assess the matter and may take appropriate editorial action.

13. Misrepresentation of Sources

Authors must ensure that references accurately represent the sources cited.

Fabricated, misleading, irrelevant, or deliberately distorted references are not acceptable.

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy of their citations and references before submission.

14. Manipulation of Images, Figures, or Other Research Materials

Where manuscripts contain images, figures, tables, or other visual research materials, authors must not manipulate them in a misleading manner.

Any legitimate processing or modification must not distort the underlying information or create a false representation of research findings.

Where concerns arise, the journal may request the original materials or supporting information.

15. Authorship-Related Misconduct

Gift authorship, guest authorship, ghost authorship, and intentional exclusion of individuals who meet appropriate authorship criteria are not acceptable.

Authorship matters will be handled according to the journal's Authorship and Contributorship Policy.

16. Investigation of Allegations

When the editorial team becomes aware of a credible allegation of research or publication misconduct, the journal may conduct an initial assessment.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the allegation, the journal may:

  • Contact the corresponding author;

  • Request explanations or supporting documents;

  • Contact other authors;

  • Consult independent academic experts;

  • Request information from the author's institution;

  • Refer the matter to an appropriate institutional or regulatory authority; or

  • Take appropriate editorial action.

The journal will make reasonable efforts to ensure that investigations are fair, evidence-based, and confidential.

17. Institutional Involvement

Where an allegation requires investigation beyond the journal's authority, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution, employer, research organization, funding body, or other appropriate authority.

The journal recognizes that institutions and appropriate authorities may have access to evidence that is not available to the journal.

The journal may consider the findings of an institutional or independent investigation when determining appropriate editorial action.

18. Confidentiality During Investigations

Information relating to allegations and investigations will be handled confidentially to the extent reasonably possible.

Information may be shared with individuals or organizations where necessary to investigate or resolve the matter appropriately.

19. Author Responsibility

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and proper attribution of their submitted work.

Authors should retain appropriate supporting materials and evidence where necessary to substantiate their research.

Authors must cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification or supporting information relating to an integrity concern.

20. Editorial and Reviewer Responsibility

Editors and reviewers must not knowingly facilitate plagiarism, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, fabrication, falsification, or other forms of research misconduct.

Reviewers should confidentially alert the editorial office if they identify substantial similarities, suspected misconduct, or serious concerns regarding the integrity of a manuscript.

Editors and reviewers must not use confidential manuscript material for their own research or personal benefit.

21. Artificial Intelligence and Automated Tools

The journal's policy concerning generative artificial intelligence and automated tools is provided separately in its Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Automated Tools.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and appropriate attribution of their manuscripts, including material prepared with the assistance of automated tools.

Automated detection tools may assist editorial assessment but should not be treated as conclusive evidence of misconduct without appropriate human evaluation.

22. Relationship with Other Journal Policies

This policy should be read together with the journal's:

  • Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy;

  • Peer Review Policy;

  • Authorship and Contributorship Policy;

  • Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure Policy;

  • Research Ethics and Ethical Oversight Policy;

  • Data Sharing, Data Availability and Reproducibility Policy;

  • Corrections, Retractions and Post-Publication Policy; and

  • Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Automated Tools.

23. Editorial Action

Where misconduct is established or where credible evidence warrants action, the journal may take one or more of the following measures:

  • Request correction or clarification;

  • Reject a submitted manuscript;

  • Suspend publication;

  • Publish a correction;

  • Publish an Expression of Concern;

  • Retract a published article;

  • Notify an appropriate institution or authority; or

  • Take another appropriate action consistent with publication-ethics principles.

The action taken will depend on the nature, seriousness, evidence, timing, and circumstances of the matter.

24. Fairness and Due Process

The journal will seek to provide authors with an appropriate opportunity to respond to allegations before final editorial action is taken, except where immediate action is necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

A concern or allegation will not automatically be treated as proof of misconduct.

Editorial decisions will be based on available evidence and appropriate scholarly and ethical considerations.

25. Policy Updates

This policy may be reviewed and updated when necessary to reflect developments in research integrity, scholarly publishing, publication ethics, and recognized best practices.

Journal:
AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ)

Publisher:
Hira Institute of Social Sciences Research & Development