SSJ Journals maintains a strict and transparent stance against plagiarism to uphold academic integrity and originality. Plagiarism undermines the value of scholarly communication and violates the trust between authors, editors, reviewers, and readers. Our plagiarism policy is designed to promote ethical publication practices and to ensure that all manuscripts submitted to our journals are original and properly cited.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the intentional or unintentional use of another person's words, ideas, data, or work without appropriate acknowledgment. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Copying text, figures, or tables from previously published works without citation.

• Paraphrasing substantial portions of another author’s work without proper attribution.

• Self-plagiarism (reusing one's own previously published material without acknowledgment).

• Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously.

SSJ Journals considers all forms of plagiarism as serious ethical misconduct.

Pre-Submission Plagiarism Screening

All manuscripts submitted to SSJ Journals are subjected to plagiarism checks using trusted and industry-standard plagiarism detection software such as iThenticate or Turnitin. Manuscripts showing a similarity index above 15% (excluding references, quotes, and standard terminology) will be returned to the authors for revision or rejected outright depending on the severity of the overlap.

Types of Plagiarism and Our Response

Responsibility of Authors

Authors are solely responsible for ensuring the originality of their work before submission. They must:

• Properly cite all sources used in their manuscript.

• Obtain necessary permissions for use of copyrighted materials.

• Disclose any overlapping content from previously published or concurrent works.

Co-authors are collectively accountable for the integrity of the manuscript.

Editorial and Reviewer Role

Editors and reviewers play a key role in identifying potential plagiarism. If plagiarism is detected at any stage of the peer review or post-publication process, appropriate editorial actions will be taken according to COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

Post-Publication Measures

If plagiarism is discovered after publication, SSJ Journals will:

• Issue a public retraction or correction notice.

• Inform the author’s affiliated institution.

• Blacklist the author(s) from future submissions.

Appeals and Clarifications

Authors who believe their manuscript has been wrongly assessed for plagiarism may appeal by providing a detailed explanation and supporting evidence. The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief and the Ethics Committee.

SSJ Journals is committed to promoting responsible research practices and ethical scholarship. Upholding originality is a shared responsibility, and we count on our authors, editors, and reviewers to support our efforts to maintain the highest standards in academic publishing.