Plagiarism Policy
SEARCH: Science Education Research Journal is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, transparency, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Plagiarism, in all its forms, is considered a serious violation of publication ethics because it undermines the credibility of scientific research and fails to acknowledge the intellectual contributions of other researchers. All manuscripts submitted to the journal must comply with accepted standards of academic integrity, responsible authorship, appropriate citation, and respect for intellectual property rights.
This policy applies to all submitted manuscripts, including original research articles, review articles, conceptual papers, and other scholarly contributions considered for publication. It covers plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, unattributed use of ideas or research outputs, and other forms of misappropriation of intellectual contributions. The Editor-in-Chief and editorial team are responsible for assessing suspected violations and determining appropriate actions in accordance with the seriousness of the case, the available evidence, and the journal's publication ethics procedures.
Plagiarism is the use of another person's words, ideas, arguments, data, research findings, methods, images, tables, figures, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment, thereby presenting them as one's own work. Plagiarism may occur through direct copying, inadequate paraphrasing, inaccurate attribution, or the reproduction of another researcher's original contributions without proper citation and, where required, permission.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, direct plagiarism, mosaic or patchwork plagiarism, improper paraphrasing, plagiarism of ideas, and the unauthorized or unattributed reproduction of data, tables, figures, illustrations, and other research materials. Authors must also avoid self-plagiarism and redundant publication, including the substantial reuse of their previously published text or research outputs without appropriate acknowledgment, disclosure, and justification. Legitimate reuse of methods or standard technical expressions should be appropriately cited where necessary and assessed in context.
All manuscripts submitted to SEARCH: Science Education Research Journal must represent original scholarly work, must not have been published previously in substantially the same form, and must not be under consideration for publication by another journal at the same time. Authors are required to disclose any substantial overlap with their previous publications, preprints, conference papers, dissertations, reports, or other publicly available research outputs when relevant to the assessment of originality. Any reuse must be transparent, appropriately cited, and consistent with applicable copyright requirements and publication ethics standards.
Verbatim material taken from another source must be clearly distinguished from the author's own writing, enclosed in quotation marks or presented as an appropriately formatted quotation, and accompanied by an accurate citation. Paraphrased ideas, data, theories, methods, and findings must also be attributed to their original sources. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from the relevant copyright holder when reproducing copyrighted material beyond what is permitted by applicable law or licensing terms. The source and permission status must be acknowledged where required.
The editorial team uses the official Turnitin similarity-checking software to assist in identifying textual overlap between submitted manuscripts and existing sources. Manuscripts may be screened during the initial editorial assessment and, when necessary, at subsequent stages of the publication process, including before publication. The similarity report is used as a screening instrument to support editorial judgment and does not, by itself, establish whether plagiarism has occurred.
The journal applies a maximum overall similarity index of 25% as its initial screening threshold. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be returned to the authors for clarification and revision or rejected when the overlap indicates substantial ethical concerns. Manuscripts with a similarity index of 25% or below are not automatically considered acceptable; editors will still examine the originality of the content, the nature and location of matched passages, the adequacy of citations, and any evidence of unattributed copying. Properly cited quotations, references, standard terminology, and other legitimate matches must be considered in context.
Authors may be asked to revise the manuscript and submit a corrected version for further assessment. Resubmission does not guarantee acceptance. The editorial team reserves the right to reject a manuscript if the similarity report and subsequent examination reveal plagiarism, substantial unattributed overlap, or other violations of publication ethics, regardless of the overall similarity percentage.
When suspected plagiarism is identified, the Editor-in-Chief and relevant editorial team members will evaluate the evidence, the extent and significance of the overlap, the originality of the affected material, the adequacy of attribution, and the authors' explanations when appropriate. Editorial actions will be proportionate to the nature and severity of the violation. The following categories provide general guidance for handling suspected cases.
Minor plagiarism refers to limited instances of unattributed textual overlap, such as a short phrase, sentence, or brief passage, where the initial assessment does not indicate the misappropriation of substantial original data, findings, arguments, or ideas. The classification depends on the context and significance of the material rather than on the length of the matched text alone.
Editorial action: The authors may receive a formal warning and be required to revise the affected passages, provide accurate citations, improve paraphrasing, or obtain the necessary permissions. The revised manuscript must be reassessed by the editorial team before it can proceed to the next stage of evaluation. Repeated or deliberate violations may result in more serious action.
Moderate plagiarism involves substantial unattributed use of another source, including a significant paragraph, a substantial part of an argument, or research material that has not been appropriately acknowledged. This category may also include extensive patchwriting, misleading paraphrasing, or the reuse of previously published material without adequate disclosure when the overlap compromises the manuscript's originality.
Editorial action: The manuscript will normally be rejected when the evidence establishes substantial unattributed overlap or a serious failure to acknowledge another author's intellectual contribution. If the case remains unclear, the editorial team may request an explanation and additional documentation before making a final decision. Any further action will depend on the findings of the editorial assessment and the applicable ethical procedures.
Severe plagiarism involves the extensive appropriation of another person's scholarly work, including the reproduction of substantial research findings, datasets, theoretical arguments, original methods, figures, tables, or other intellectual contributions without proper acknowledgment. It also includes cases in which the misappropriated material forms a central part of the manuscript or is presented in a manner that seriously misrepresents authorship or originality.
Editorial action: The manuscript will be rejected if severe plagiarism is established. For cases involving a published article, the journal may initiate appropriate post-publication procedures, including a correction, an expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the evidence and applicable publication ethics standards. The journal may also notify the authors' affiliated institutions, funders, or other relevant bodies when justified by the seriousness of the case and consistent with applicable policies. Restrictions on future submissions may be considered in serious or repeated cases following a documented editorial assessment and a fair opportunity for the authors to respond.
Authors must not republish their previously published work or reuse substantial portions of their own publications without transparent disclosure and appropriate acknowledgment. Self-plagiarism and redundant publication may occur when previously published text, data, results, or analyses are reused in a way that creates a misleading impression of novelty or presents substantially overlapping work as a new and independent contribution. Legitimate extensions of previous research must clearly explain the relationship to earlier publications and identify the new contribution.
All relevant prior publications and related manuscripts must be disclosed to the editor when submitting the article. The editorial team will assess the degree of overlap, the transparency of the disclosure, and the extent to which the submission provides a distinct scholarly contribution. Failure to disclose substantial overlap may result in rejection or further editorial action.
Authors must ensure that all sources, quotations, paraphrases, datasets, research instruments, images, figures, tables, and other materials used in their manuscripts are properly attributed and used in accordance with applicable copyright and licensing requirements. References must accurately represent the sources consulted and must not be fabricated, manipulated, or included merely to create the appearance of scholarly support. Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and traceability of all citations and references.
The use of artificial intelligence tools does not remove the authors' responsibility to ensure originality, accurate attribution, and research integrity. AI-assisted writing must not be used to conceal copied material, fabricate references, or misrepresent the origin of ideas, data, or findings. Authors must comply with the journal's applicable policies on the use and disclosure of artificial intelligence tools. Any suspected misuse will be assessed in accordance with the relevant editorial and publication ethics procedures.
Suspected plagiarism may be identified through similarity screening, editorial assessment, peer review, post-publication feedback, or other credible reports. The editorial team will examine the relevant evidence and, where appropriate, contact the corresponding author to request clarification, supporting documentation, or a written response. The assessment will consider the nature and extent of the overlap, the originality of the affected material, the quality of attribution, and any relevant explanation provided by the authors.
Editorial decisions will be based on the available evidence and the seriousness of the identified concern. Confidentiality will be maintained as far as reasonably possible throughout the investigation. Where necessary, the journal may consult independent experts or contact relevant institutions in accordance with applicable ethical procedures. A manuscript may be suspended from further processing while a serious allegation is being examined.
Authors submitting manuscripts to SEARCH: Science Education Research Journal are responsible for ensuring that their work is original, appropriately referenced, and compliant with this plagiarism policy. Before submission, authors should verify the accuracy of citations and references, distinguish their own contributions from those of other researchers, disclose relevant prior publications, and obtain any permissions required for reproduced materials. All co-authors share responsibility for the integrity of the submitted work and should review the manuscript carefully before submission.
By submitting a manuscript, authors acknowledge their responsibility to comply with the journal's publication ethics requirements and to cooperate with reasonable editorial inquiries concerning originality and attribution. Failure to comply with this policy may result in revision requests, rejection, withdrawal of a manuscript from consideration, or appropriate post-publication action, depending on the circumstances and seriousness of the established violation.
SEARCH: Science Education Research Journal is committed to promoting responsible scholarship and maintaining public trust in published research. This policy is intended to protect the originality of scholarly contributions, respect the intellectual property of researchers, and support transparent and ethical publication practices. The journal expects authors, editors, and reviewers to uphold the principles of honesty, fairness, accountability, and respect for intellectual contributions throughout the publication process.
