Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Educational Science and E-Learning (JESE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and publication ethics. JESE considers plagiarism and other forms of inappropriate reuse of intellectual work to be serious violations of scholarly publishing standards.

All manuscripts submitted to JESE must be original and must properly acknowledge the ideas, words, data, methods, figures, and other intellectual contributions of others.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of another person's ideas, words, data, images, findings, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment or attribution.

Plagiarism may occur in various forms, including but not limited to:

  • Direct plagiarism — copying words or passages from another source without quotation marks and appropriate citation.

  • Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism — combining or slightly modifying text, phrases, or ideas from multiple sources without appropriate acknowledgment.

  • Paraphrasing plagiarism — substantially reproducing another author's ideas or structure while presenting them as one's own without proper citation.

  • Idea plagiarism — using another person's original ideas, arguments, concepts, methods, or findings without appropriate attribution.

  • Self-plagiarism — reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without appropriate disclosure, citation, or justification.

  • Duplicate or redundant publication — submitting or publishing substantially overlapping work in more than one publication without appropriate disclosure.

  • Unattributed use of figures, tables, images, data, or other materials from previously published or third-party sources.

Plagiarism may occur regardless of whether the source is a journal article, book, conference proceeding, thesis, dissertation, website, report, dataset, or other published or unpublished material.

2. Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using Turnitin or another appropriate similarity-detection tool as part of the editorial screening process.

JESE generally expects the overall similarity score of a submitted manuscript to be no more than 20%.

However, the similarity score is not used as the sole basis for determining plagiarism. A similarity report identifies textual or other matching content, but the Editorial Team must assess the context, source, location, extent, and nature of the similarity.

For example, legitimate similarities may occur because of:

  • technical or methodological terminology;

  • commonly used academic expressions;

  • references and bibliographic information;

  • properly quoted material;

  • names of instruments, institutions, theories, or established concepts; or

  • other unavoidable similarities.

Therefore, a manuscript with a similarity score below 20% may still contain plagiarism, while a manuscript with a higher similarity score does not automatically constitute plagiarism.

3. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality and academic integrity of their manuscripts.

Before submission, authors should:

  1. Properly cite all sources used in the manuscript.

  2. Use quotation marks when directly quoting another source.

  3. Paraphrase and synthesize sources appropriately rather than merely replacing words.

  4. Provide accurate references for ideas, data, methods, figures, tables, and other materials obtained from other sources.

  5. Obtain permission where required for the reproduction of copyrighted materials.

  6. Disclose substantial reuse of the authors' own previously published work.

  7. Ensure that the manuscript is not simultaneously submitted to another journal.

  8. Review the similarity report and revise problematic sections before submission where necessary.

Authors should not attempt to manipulate similarity-detection results by making inappropriate changes to formatting, spelling, characters, or document structure.

4. Editorial Screening and Assessment

The Editorial Team may conduct plagiarism screening at different stages of the publication process, including:

  • during initial editorial screening;

  • before peer review;

  • during manuscript revision;

  • before acceptance; or

  • after publication if concerns are subsequently identified.

When substantial similarities are identified, the Editorial Team may assess the manuscript further and, where appropriate, request an explanation from the authors.

The Editorial Team may consider:

  • the percentage and distribution of similarity;

  • the sources identified in the similarity report;

  • whether the matching material is properly cited;

  • whether the similarity involves the authors' own previous work;

  • the extent and significance of the overlap; and

  • whether the overlap affects the originality or scholarly contribution of the manuscript.

5. Actions for Suspected Plagiarism

The action taken by JESE will depend on the nature, extent, and severity of the suspected plagiarism.

Minor Similarity

If the similarity is limited and appears to result from inadequate paraphrasing, citation, or other correctable issues, the Editorial Team may request the authors to revise the manuscript.

Substantial or Serious Plagiarism

If substantial or serious plagiarism is identified, JESE may:

  • reject the manuscript;

  • suspend or terminate the review process;

  • request an explanation or clarification from the authors;

  • notify the authors' affiliated institution where appropriate;

  • reject future submissions in serious or repeated cases; or

  • take other appropriate editorial or ethical action.

The authors will normally be given a reasonable opportunity to respond before a final decision is made, where appropriate.

6. Plagiarism Identified After Publication

If plagiarism is discovered after an article has been published, JESE will assess the concern in accordance with its Research Misconduct and Correction, Retraction, and Withdrawal Policies.

Depending on the severity of the case, the journal may:

  • request clarification from the authors;

  • publish a Correction;

  • publish an Expression of Concern;

  • retract the article;

  • notify the relevant institution or research authority; or

  • take other appropriate action to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

A retracted article will remain part of the scholarly record and will be clearly identified as RETRACTED, except in exceptional circumstances where removal is legally or ethically necessary.

7. Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

JESE recognizes that authors may legitimately build upon their previous research. However, substantial reuse of previously published text, data, figures, or other content without appropriate citation or disclosure may constitute self-plagiarism or redundant publication.

Authors must clearly distinguish the new contribution from their previous publications.

Where an article substantially overlaps with previously published or submitted work, authors should disclose the relationship to the Editorial Team during submission.

Duplicate or redundant publication may result in rejection, correction, retraction, or other appropriate editorial action depending on the circumstances.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools does not exempt authors from responsibility for originality and proper attribution.

Authors remain fully responsible for:

  • the originality of the submitted manuscript;

  • the accuracy of the content;

  • appropriate citation and attribution;

  • verification of AI-generated or AI-assisted content; and

  • ensuring that AI tools are not used to reproduce or disguise plagiarized material.

AI-generated text that reproduces copyrighted or previously published material without appropriate attribution may constitute plagiarism.

Authors should comply with JESE's applicable policy concerning the use and disclosure of artificial intelligence in manuscript preparation.

9. Confidentiality

Similarity reports and plagiarism-related investigations will be handled confidentially by the Editorial Team.

Information concerning suspected plagiarism will not be disclosed publicly while an investigation is ongoing, except where disclosure is necessary for ethical, legal, or institutional purposes.

10. False or Malicious Allegations

JESE takes allegations of plagiarism seriously but also recognizes the importance of fairness to authors.

Allegations will be assessed based on available evidence rather than treated as proof of misconduct.

The journal will provide authors with a reasonable opportunity to respond to substantive allegations before making a final determination, where appropriate.

11. Publication Ethics Standards

JESE follows recognized principles of research and publication ethics and may refer to the guidelines and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when assessing plagiarism, redundant publication, and related forms of publication misconduct.

The journal reserves the right to take appropriate action when plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct are identified, whether before or after publication.