7. Plagiarism Policy

Purpose

The Pakistan Journal of Gastroenterology (PJG) is committed to publishing original, ethical, and high-quality scholarly work. Plagiarism in any form is considered a serious violation of publication ethics and undermines the integrity of scientific research.

The Journal follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, regarding originality and ethical publishing.

7.1 Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's ideas, words, data, images, figures, tables, or intellectual work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment or citation.

Plagiarism includes both intentional and unintentional misconduct.

7.2 Types of Plagiarism

The Journal recognizes, but is not limited to, the following forms of plagiarism:

Direct Plagiarism: Copying text verbatim without quotation marks or proper citation.
Mosaic (Patchwork) Plagiarism: Mixing copied phrases or sentences from multiple sources while presenting them as original work.
Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rewriting another author's work without appropriate attribution.
Self-Plagiarism: Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without proper citation or disclosure.
Duplicate Publication: Publishing the same or substantially similar manuscript in more than one journal without editorial approval.
Data Plagiarism: Using another researcher's data, figures, images, tables, or supplementary material without permission or proper acknowledgment.

7.3 Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts are screened for textual similarity using plagiarism detection software approved by the Journal, such as:

Turnitin
iThenticate
Other recognized similarity detection software

Similarity reports are evaluated by the Editorial Office before peer review.

7.4 Interpretation of Similarity Reports

The overall similarity percentage alone does not determine whether plagiarism has occurred. Editors assess:

The source of the matched text.
The nature of the similarity.
Whether proper citations have been provided.
The extent of copied material.
The originality of scientific content.

Small overlaps in references, standard methodological descriptions, or commonly used scientific terminology may be considered acceptable.

7.5 Editorial Action

Depending on the nature and severity of plagiarism, the Journal may take one or more of the following actions:

Request manuscript revision.
Request clarification from the authors.
Require reduction of similarity before peer review.
Reject the manuscript.
Suspend editorial processing.
Inform the authors' institution where appropriate.
Retract a published article.
Publish a correction or editorial notice.

Editorial decisions are made on a case-by-case basis following COPE guidance.

7.6 Plagiarism After Publication

If plagiarism is identified after publication, the Journal may:

Conduct an editorial investigation.
Contact the corresponding author and affiliated institution.
Publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the findings.
Update the published record to maintain scientific integrity.

7.7 Author Responsibilities

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

The manuscript is their original work.
Appropriate citations have been provided for all sources.
Permission has been obtained for any copyrighted material where required.
The manuscript has not been published elsewhere, except where properly disclosed.
Any overlap with previous publications has been fully declared.

The Corresponding Author is responsible for ensuring compliance with this policy on behalf of all co-authors.

7.8 Acceptable Similarity

The Journal expects submitted manuscripts to demonstrate a high level of originality.

As a general guideline:

The overall similarity index should normally not exceed 20%.
Similarity from any single source should generally not exceed 5%, unless justified by standard terminology, references, or properly quoted material.

These thresholds serve as editorial guidance only. Final decisions are based on the quality, context, and nature of the similarity rather than percentage alone.