The Sri Guru Nanak Dev Education Trust - Journal of Research in Education and Social Sciences (SGNDET-JRESS) places the highest importance on academic honesty and originality. Plagiarism in any form is a violation of ethical publishing standards and is strictly prohibited. The journal upholds a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism and is committed to protecting intellectual property and the credibility of academic research.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the unethical use or reproduction of another individual’s ideas, words, processes, images, data, or results without giving appropriate credit to the original author or source. This includes direct copying, close paraphrasing, or presenting previously published work as new.

Self-plagiarism (duplicate or redundant publication) occurs when authors reuse significant portions of their own previously published work without proper citation, acknowledgment, or justification. Both plagiarism and self-plagiarism are considered serious academic misconduct.

Types of Plagiarism Recognized by SGNDET-JRESS

• Full Plagiarism: Submitting previously published work in its entirety without any modification, acknowledgment, or citation.

• Partial Plagiarism: Copying content from multiple sources and rephrasing or mixing it with minimal changes, without proper referencing.

• Self-Plagiarism (Redundant Publication): Republishing one’s own previously published research (or a substantial part of it) in another journal without citing the original source.

• Mosaic Plagiarism: Borrowing phrases, sentences, or structures from a source and blending them into new writing without adequate citation.

• Accidental Plagiarism: Failure to cite sources correctly due to negligence or lack of understanding of citation practices. While unintentional, it is still unacceptable.

  Plagiarism Screening Procedure

• All manuscripts submitted to SGNDET-JRESS are screened for plagiarism using advanced plagiarism detection software (such as Turnitin or equivalent).

• The similarity index is carefully reviewed by the editorial team to determine whether the overlap falls within acceptable academic limits.

• Minor overlaps (e.g., references, standard methodology, or common phrases) are considered acceptable. Significant duplication without proper citation is not tolerated.

  
  

Plagiarism During Submission

• Manuscripts showing evidence of plagiarism during the initial editorial review are immediately rejected.
• Authors will be informed of the decision and provided with the similarity report for awareness.
• If plagiarism is suspected but not extensive, authors may be given an opportunity to revise and resubmit with proper citation.

Plagiarism after Publication

If plagiarism is discovered after publication:

1. The Editor-in-Chief will conduct a preliminary investigation, possibly with the support of a Fact-Finding Committee (FFC).

2. The author(s) will be contacted for an explanation within two weeks.

3. If plagiarism is confirmed, the journal will take corrective measures, which may include:

• Retraction of the published article.
• Marking the paper clearly as “Retracted due to Plagiarism” on all platforms.
• Adding a bi-directional link between the plagiarized article and the original source.
• Notifying the author’s institution (Director/Dean/Head/Vice-Chancellor), funding bodies, and other relevant authorities.
• Temporarily or permanently banning the author(s) from future submissions.

Actions and Consequences

Depending on the severity of plagiarism, SGNDET-JRESS may take one or more of the following actions:

• Reject the manuscript outright (at submission stage).
• Retract the published article and remove access to the PDF version from the website.
• Label the article as “Plagiarized Manuscript” in the journal archive.
• Suspend or permanently block the author’s account with the journal.
• Ban the author(s) from submitting to SGNDET-JRESS for 3 to 10 years or permanently in severe cases.
• . Display the list of offending authors and their details on the journal website (if deemed necessary by the Editorial Board).
• Notify other publishers and indexing bodies to prevent further unethical submissions.

Preventive Measures

• Authors are encouraged to check their manuscripts for originality before submission.
• Proper referencing and citation of all sources (APA, MLA, Chicago, or the journal’s preferred style) is mandatory.
• Authors must declare that their submission is original, has not been plagiarized, and has not been submitted elsewhere simultaneously.

Responsibilities of Authors

• Ensure that submitted manuscripts are entirely original work.
• Acknowledge all sources of information, quotations, data, images, and prior publications.
• Properly cite their own previously published work if reused.
• Obtain necessary permissions for copyrighted materials.
• Provide raw data or supporting evidence if requested by editors to verify originality.

Commitment of SGNDET-JRESS

The journal is firmly committed to protecting the academic community from plagiarism and to ensuring that only authentic, high-quality research is disseminated. Any form of misconduct will be dealt with seriously to safeguard the rights of original authors and to maintain the trust of readers, scholars, and institutions worldwide.