Plagiarism Screening Guidelines
IRMR maintains ZERO TOLERANCE for plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or unethical text reuse
What Constitutes Plagiarism
Plagiarism includes:
- Direct copying of text, data, images, or ideas without quotation marks, citation, or permission
- Paraphrasing others' work without attribution (even <15% similarity flags patchwork plagiarism)
- Submitting previously published work (or substantial parts) without disclosure
- AI-generated content presented as original human work without declaration
- Duplicate submission across journals
Screening Process
- Initial Automated Scan: All papers checked within 3-5 days using industry-standard software (Turnitin, iThenticate)
- Similarity index >15% (excluding references/methods) triggers manual review
- Manual Verification: Editorial team examines flagged matches for context
- Future Tools: Grammarly Premium + AI detection implementation planned
Thresholds and Actions
| Similarity Level | Action |
|---|---|
| 0-10% | Auto-pass (typical reference overlap) |
| 11-15% | Manual review; minor fixes allowed |
| 16-25% | Conditional return (7 days to revise/explain) |
| >25% | Rejected; 6-month resubmission ban |
Author Responsibilities
- Cite all sources per APA 7th edition (DOIs mandatory)
- Disclose prior work, conference papers, or theses
- Common methods/standards need no citation if standard in field
Investigation and Appeals
Suspected cases follow COPE plagiarism flowchart. Sanctions range from rejection to publication retraction and author blacklisting. Authors may appeal within 14 days with evidence.
Clean, original work advances to peer review. IRMR prioritizes ethical scholarship above all.
