1. Policy Statement

Journal of Pharmacy maintains a zero-tolerance policy against plagiarism in any form. All submitted manuscripts are subjected to rigorous plagiarism screening prior to peer review to uphold academic integrity and originality.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Direct Plagiarism: Verbatim copying of text without quotation marks or proper attribution

• Self-Plagiarism (Text Recycling): Reusing one's own previously published content without citation

• Mosaic Plagiarism: Paraphrasing or patchwriting from multiple sources without proper credit

• Idea Plagiarism: Using another person’s concepts, data, or theories without acknowledgment

3. Screening Process

A. Pre-Submission (Author Responsibility)

• Authors must ensure that their manuscript is original and properly cited.

• Recommended tools for self-checking: Turnitin, iThenticate, or Grammarly.

B. Editorial Screening

1. Initial Check (Upon Submission)

   • Manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection tools (Turnitin/iThenticate).

   • Acceptable similarity index: ≤20% (excluding references, quotations, and standard methods).

   • Submissions exceeding 20% will undergo editorial review for possible plagiarism.

2. Human Review

   • The Editorial Board will carefully assess flagged content to distinguish between:

     • Properly cited common phrases vs. unethical copying

     • Standard methodology descriptions vs. reused or duplicated text

4. Actions for Plagiarism Detection

Additional Measures:

• Uncited Text Matches: Must be rewritten or properly quoted.

• Self-Plagiarism: Must be justified (e.g., reuse of methods) or supported with proper citations.

• Data/Image Plagiarism: Considered serious misconduct; will result in automatic rejection.

5. Sanctions for Plagiarism

If plagiarism is confirmed:

Pre-Publication:

• Immediate rejection of the manuscript

• Blacklisting of authors for 1–3 years for repeated offenses

Post-Publication:

• Article retraction with a formal public notice

• Notification to the author’s affiliated institution or funding agency

• Actions will follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines

6. Appeals Process

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions by:

1. Submitting a revised manuscript with highlighted changes

2. Providing supporting documents, such as permission letters for reused content

3. Requesting re-evaluation by an independent ethics review committee

7. Tools & Compliance

• Primary Screening Tools: Turnitin and iThenticate, with DOI-based cross-checking

• Ethical Standards: This journal adheres to guidelines from:

  • COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)

  • ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)

  • WAME (World Association of Medical Editors)

Author Guidelines: The plagiarism policy is clearly stated in the journal’s submission portal and must be reviewed by all submitting authors.