Plagiarism Policy

Veritas Journal of Social, Legal and Humanistic Studies (VJSLHS), published by The Global Publishers, is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical scholarly publishing.

In accordance with the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations on Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions, 2018 (as amended), and internationally recognized publication ethics, the journal requires submitted manuscripts to demonstrate a high level of originality. The journal generally considers manuscripts with an overall similarity index of 10% or less (after legitimate exclusions) to be acceptable for editorial consideration. However, editorial decisions are based on both the similarity report and qualitative assessment of the nature and context of any overlap.

The journal also follows the ethical principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding plagiarism, duplicate publication, text recycling (self-plagiarism), fabricated research, and other forms of publication misconduct.

1. Similarity Screening

  • Maximum Similarity Benchmark: Generally 10% or less after legitimate exclusions.
  • Screening Software: All submissions may be screened using professional plagiarism detection software such as iThenticate, Turnitin, or other equivalent plagiarism detection systems.
  • Editorial Assessment: Similarity reports are interpreted by editors and are not used as the sole basis for editorial decisions.

2. Exclusions from Similarity Assessment

The following content is normally excluded when assessing similarity:

  • Properly quoted and fully referenced material.
  • References, bibliography, acknowledgements, and standard citations.
  • Standard legal provisions, statutory language, and commonly accepted methodological descriptions.
  • Author self-citations that are appropriately disclosed and referenced.

3. Author Responsibilities

Before submission, authors should:

  • Ensure that the manuscript is entirely original.
  • Accurately acknowledge all sources through proper citation.
  • Obtain permission where copyrighted material has been reproduced.
  • Disclose any overlap with previously published work.
  • Avoid duplicate or simultaneous submission to multiple journals.

Submission of a manuscript confirms that the corresponding author certifies the work to be original and compliant with the journal's publication ethics.

4. Editorial Screening Process

Every submitted manuscript undergoes plagiarism screening before peer review.

  1. Automated similarity screening.
  2. Editorial review of the similarity report.
  3. Assessment of overlapping text in context.
  4. Editorial decision based on originality, scholarly contribution, and publication ethics.

5. Editorial Decisions

  • Similarity generally within acceptable limits: Manuscript proceeds to peer review.
  • Minor avoidable overlap: Authors may be asked to revise the manuscript before peer review.
  • Significant unexplained overlap or plagiarism: Manuscript may be rejected without peer review.
  • Evidence of serious academic misconduct: The journal may initiate further action in accordance with its publication ethics policy.

6. Handling Plagiarism

If plagiarism or related misconduct is identified, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

Before Publication

  • Request clarification or revision.
  • Reject the manuscript.
  • Notify the corresponding author of the reasons for rejection.
  • Where appropriate, communicate with the author's institution regarding serious ethical violations.

After Publication

  • Publish a Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction.
  • Notify indexing services where appropriate.
  • Inform relevant institutions or funding agencies in cases of confirmed misconduct.
  • Restrict future submissions in cases of repeated or severe ethical violations.

7. Self-Plagiarism (Text Recycling)

  • Authors must disclose any reuse of their previously published work.
  • Limited overlap in methodology or background sections may be acceptable when properly cited.
  • Undisclosed substantial text recycling may be treated as plagiarism.

8. Publication Ethics

VJSLHS follows internationally accepted principles of research integrity and publication ethics. Allegations of plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated data, image manipulation, or other forms of academic misconduct are investigated fairly and confidentially. Editorial decisions are guided by COPE recommendations and the journal's ethical publishing policies.