Plagiarism Policy

LANGSFERA: Language, Literature, and Education Research Arena is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, originality, and responsible scholarly publishing. All manuscripts submitted to the journal must represent the authors' original scholarly work and must appropriately acknowledge the ideas, words, data, and contributions of others.

Plagiarism and other forms of publication misconduct are unacceptable. The journal evaluates suspected cases fairly and takes appropriate action to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of another person's words, ideas, data, findings, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment. It may occur intentionally or unintentionally and includes, but is not limited to, the following practices:

Direct copying: Reproducing text, data, figures, tables, or other material from another source without proper quotation, citation, or permission where required.
Inadequate paraphrasing: Rewriting or paraphrasing another person's ideas or arguments without appropriate acknowledgment.
Unattributed use of ideas: Presenting another person's concepts, interpretations, research findings, or intellectual contributions as one's own.
Improper reuse of published work: Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without appropriate citation or disclosure. This may constitute text recycling or self-plagiarism, depending on the circumstances.
Misuse of visual and research materials: Using images, illustrations, datasets, instruments, tables, or other research materials without appropriate acknowledgment or authorization where required.

2. Plagiarism Detection and Screening

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software, such as Turnitin or iThenticate, where available. Screening may be conducted before peer review or at another stage of editorial assessment when necessary.

Similarity reports are used as supporting evidence for editorial assessment. Editors examine the nature, location, context, and extent of matching text to distinguish legitimate similarities, such as properly cited quotations and standard terminology, from possible plagiarism or inappropriate text reuse.

Similarity Index Assessment

LANGSFERA does not determine plagiarism solely on the basis of a similarity percentage. Any numerical similarity threshold adopted by the journal serves as an initial screening indicator rather than an automatic basis for acceptance or rejection. Editorial decisions are based on a careful examination of the similarity report and the relevant manuscript content.

3. Handling of Plagiarism Cases

When potential plagiarism or inappropriate text reuse is identified, the editorial team evaluates the available evidence and determines the appropriate course of action. The seriousness of the concern, the amount and significance of the material involved, the context of the reuse, and the authors' explanations may be considered.

Minor concerns: Where the issue involves limited citation errors or insufficient attribution, the editor may request clarification, correction, or revision before making a publication decision.
Serious concerns: Where substantial unattributed copying, inappropriate reuse of published material, or other serious misconduct is identified, the manuscript may be rejected.
Concerns after publication: If plagiarism is identified in a published article, the journal will investigate the matter and may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the evidence and severity of the case.

4. Possible Consequences

Depending on the circumstances and the findings of an editorial assessment, actions may include:

Requesting clarification or a corrected manuscript.
Rejecting the submitted manuscript.
Issuing a correction or retracting a published article.
Informing the relevant institution or other appropriate body when justified by the evidence and applicable procedures.
Restricting future submissions when serious or repeated misconduct warrants such action under the journal's editorial policies.

Any action will be proportionate to the seriousness of the misconduct and based on an appropriate assessment of the available evidence. The authors concerned should be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to allegations before a final determination is made, where appropriate.

5. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality and integrity of their submissions. They must cite all sources accurately, use quotation marks or appropriate formatting for direct quotations, obtain permission where required, and disclose relevant overlap with their previously published work.

By submitting a manuscript to LANGSFERA, authors confirm that the work is original, that all sources have been appropriately acknowledged, and that the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal simultaneously.

6. Editorial Responsibility

The editorial team is responsible for assessing plagiarism concerns fairly, consistently, and confidentially. The journal follows responsible publication ethics practices and draws on relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when addressing suspected misconduct.