The Iraqi Journal of Embryos and Infertility Researches (IJEIR) maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism in all its forms. Plagiarism is recognized globally as a serious breach of academic ethics and publishing integrity.
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism involves the unacknowledged use of another person's intellectual property, ideas, text, data, or figures, presenting them as one's own original work. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Copying text verbatim from other sources without quotation marks and proper citation.
- Paraphrasing existing work without appropriate attribution.
- Re-using data, tables, or figures without permission and citation.
- Self-plagiarism (text-recycling), which involves re-publishing one's own previously published work without referencing the original publication.
Similarity Checking
To ensure the originality of submitted manuscripts, IJEIR utilizes industry-standard plagiarism detection software (such as iThenticate or Turnitin) to screen all submissions immediately upon receipt, before the peer-review process begins.
- Acceptable Similarity Index: The overall similarity index must be strictly below 20%.
- Single-Source Limitation: Similarity from any single individual source must not exceed 5%.
- Exclusions: The bibliography/reference list and standard methodological phrases may be excluded from the similarity percentage at the Editor's discretion.
Actions Taken When Plagiarism is Detected
If plagiarism is suspected or identified at any stage of the publication process, the journal will act according to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE):
- Before Peer Review: If substantial plagiarism is detected during the initial screening, the manuscript will be immediately rejected without review.
- During Peer Review: If reviewers or editors identify plagiarism during the review process, the review will be halted, and the manuscript will be rejected.
- Post-Publication: If plagiarism is discovered after an article has been published, IJEIR will conduct a thorough investigation. If the allegations are proven true, the article will be formally retracted. A notice of retraction will be published, clearly stating the reason, and the author's affiliated institution may be notified.
Authors bear full responsibility for the content and originality of their submissions. By submitting to IJEIR, authors implicitly guarantee that their manuscript is entirely original and appropriately attributes all external sources.