Plagiarism Policy

The National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology (NJPPP) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and responsible scholarly communication. Plagiarism and other forms of unattributed use of intellectual work are considered serious breaches of publication ethics.

NJPPP uses iThenticate to screen submitted manuscripts for potentially problematic textual overlap. Similarity screening is an editorial tool and does not, by itself, establish whether plagiarism has occurred. All similarity reports are assessed in context by the editorial team, taking into account the nature, extent, location, and source of the identified overlap.

1. Forms of Plagiarism

Plagiarism may include, but is not limited to:

• Direct plagiarism: copying words, sentences, paragraphs, data, or other material from another source without appropriate quotation, citation, or attribution.

• Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism: combining copied phrases or passages from one or more sources with minor modifications without appropriate acknowledgment.

• Unattributed paraphrasing: substantially rephrasing another person's ideas or work without proper citation.

• Plagiarism of ideas: presenting another person's original concepts, interpretations, hypotheses, methods, or findings as one's own without appropriate attribution.

• Self-plagiarism and text recycling: reusing substantial portions of one's previously published or submitted work without appropriate citation, disclosure, or justification.

• Unauthorized translation: translating and presenting previously published material, or substantial portions of it, as original work without proper attribution to the original source.

• Unattributed use of figures, tables, images, or other intellectual property: reproducing or adapting copyrighted or otherwise protected material without appropriate attribution and, where required, permission.

• Plagiarism of data or other research materials: presenting data, datasets, or research materials obtained from another source as original without proper acknowledgment.

The editorial team recognizes that not all textual similarity constitutes plagiarism. For example, similarity may legitimately arise from references, standard scientific terminology, methodological descriptions, article titles, or properly quoted and cited material.

2. Similarity Screening

NJPPP conducts similarity screening as part of its editorial and publication processes.

2.1 Initial Screening

Submitted manuscripts may undergo similarity screening before or during the initial editorial assessment and, where appropriate, before external peer review.

2.2 Screening During Revision

A manuscript may be screened again following substantial revision, particularly when the editorial team considers this necessary to verify originality or to assess newly introduced material.

2.3 Pre-Acceptance Screening

A final similarity assessment may be conducted before acceptance or publication. This may include the complete revised manuscript and any relevant supplementary material.

2.4 Interpretation of Similarity Reports

NJPPP does not apply a single mandatory similarity-percentage threshold as an automatic basis for rejection. Similarity percentages can vary according to the subject area, manuscript type, reference list, standard terminology, methodology, and other legitimate sources of textual overlap.

Instead, editors assess:

• the overall similarity pattern;

• the amount and location of overlapping text;

• whether the material is properly cited or quoted;

• whether the overlap involves substantive original content;

• whether the same source has been reproduced extensively;

• whether the overlap represents legitimate text reuse or potentially inappropriate duplication; and

• the authors' explanations where clarification is required.

Where necessary, the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor may seek additional information from the authors before making an editorial decision.

3. Editorial Action in Cases of Suspected Plagiarism

If potentially plagiarized material is identified before publication, NJPPP may take one or more of the following actions, depending on the nature and seriousness of the concern:

• request clarification or an explanation from the authors;

• request appropriate citation, quotation, or correction of the text;

• require substantial revision where the problem is remediable;

• reject the manuscript;

• refer the matter to the authors' institution or other appropriate authority where serious misconduct is suspected; or

• take other appropriate actions consistent with recognized publication-ethics principles.

The editorial response will be proportionate to the seriousness, extent, intent, and circumstances of the suspected misconduct.

4. Plagiarism Identified After Publication

If substantial plagiarism or inappropriate text reuse is identified after publication, NJPPP will investigate the concern in accordance with its publication ethics and post-publication policies.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

• issue a correction or clarification;

• publish an editorial notice or expression of concern;

• request an explanation from the authors;

• notify the authors' institution or other relevant organization;

• retract the article where the integrity of the published work is seriously compromised; or

• take other appropriate corrective action.

Post-publication decisions will be based on the available evidence and the seriousness of the identified problem rather than solely on a similarity percentage.

5. Self-Plagiarism and Text Recycling

Authors must appropriately cite and disclose substantial reuse of their own previously published material.

Limited reuse of standard methodological language or other unavoidable technical wording may not constitute misconduct when appropriately justified and cited. However, substantial duplication of previously published text, results, figures, tables, or other material without appropriate acknowledgment may constitute redundant publication, inappropriate text recycling, or self-plagiarism.

Authors must not present previously published findings as entirely new work.

6. Previously Deposited Manuscripts, Theses, and Repository Material

NJPPP recognizes that manuscripts may have been deposited in institutional repositories, subject repositories, preprint servers, or academic thesis repositories before journal submission.

Such prior deposition does not automatically constitute plagiarism or duplicate publication. Authors must, however:

• disclose relevant prior deposition during submission;

• provide appropriate citation and attribution to the deposited material where applicable;

• clearly distinguish the submitted manuscript from previously disseminated versions;

• comply with the copyright and licensing terms governing the deposited material; and

• disclose any substantial overlap between the submitted manuscript and previously available material.

Editors may request information about the relationship between a submitted manuscript and a deposited manuscript, thesis, dissertation, preprint, conference paper, or other publicly available version.

7. Plagiarism Involving Copyrighted Material

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all third-party material used in a manuscript is appropriately cited and attributed. Where material is reproduced or adapted under circumstances requiring permission, authors must obtain the necessary permission before publication.

The use of a similarity-detection system does not replace the author's responsibility for obtaining copyright permission or complying with applicable licensing conditions.

8. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to:

• submit only original work or clearly disclose and appropriately attribute previously disseminated material;

• cite all sources that have materially contributed to the manuscript;

• use quotation marks and appropriate citations when reproducing exact wording;

• properly attribute ideas, data, figures, tables, images, and other intellectual contributions;

• disclose relevant preprints, repository deposits, theses, dissertations, and previous publications;

• avoid inappropriate self-plagiarism and redundant publication; and

• cooperate fully with the editorial office when questions concerning originality or textual overlap arise.

Authors remain responsible for the originality and proper attribution of their submitted work even when plagiarism-detection software has been used.

9. Editorial Responsibility

The editorial team is responsible for assessing suspected plagiarism fairly, consistently, and confidentially. Similarity reports are evaluated by qualified editors rather than being used as an automatic mechanical basis for editorial decisions.

Where a serious allegation cannot be resolved solely through correspondence with the authors, NJPPP may seek clarification or assistance from the authors' institutions or other appropriate bodies.

All investigations will be handled with due regard for confidentiality, fairness, and the presumption that concerns should be evaluated on the basis of evidence.

10. Relationship to Other Forms of Research Misconduct

Plagiarism is distinct from other forms of research misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, authorship misconduct, duplicate publication, and peer-review manipulation. Such concerns are addressed under the journal's Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement and other relevant editorial policies.

11. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors who use generative artificial intelligence or other AI-assisted tools must comply with NJPPP's applicable AI policy. AI-generated or AI-assisted text does not remove the author's responsibility to ensure originality, accuracy, appropriate attribution, and compliance with copyright and publication-ethics requirements.

Authors must not use AI tools in a manner that results in unattributed reproduction of another person's copyrighted or original work.

12. Commitment to Academic Integrity

NJPPP is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record. The journal will respond to credible concerns about plagiarism in a fair, proportionate, transparent, and evidence-based manner and will take appropriate corrective action whenever the integrity of published or submitted work is compromised.

This policy is applied in conjunction with the journal's Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement, Editorial and Peer-Review Process, Conflict of Interest Policy, Corrections and Retractions Policy, and other applicable editorial policies.