Plagiarism & Misconduct Policy

Plagiarism and Misconduct Policy

Plagiarism Policy

All manuscripts submitted to the JBUMDC are screened for textual similarity to other previously published works using the Turnitin Software. JBUMDC follows the HEC and ICJME guidelines and discourages plagiarized work. The journal is strict in its plagiarism policy.

The JBUMDC only accepts the manuscript with a similarity index of less than 17% with no single source of more than 5%. All manuscripts irrespective of their originality will not be considered for publication if the similarity index report is unsatisfactory.

Data presented must be original and not inappropriately selected, manipulated, enhanced, or fabricated. This includes:

  • Exclusion of data points to enhance significance of conclusions,
  • Fabrication of data
  • Selection of results that support a particular conclusion at the expense of contradictory data,

Deliberate selection of analysis tools or methods to support a particular conclusion.

Ethical Writing Policy

Detection

All manuscripts submitted to JBUMDC are screened for similarity using Turnitin before being sent for peer review.

Acceptable similarity threshold: <17% total similarity and <5% from a single source.

17–25% similarity: Manuscript is returned to authors for revision with an explanatory note.

>25% similarity: Manuscript is rejected for plagiarism.

Screening also includes detection of AI-generated content and AI-based paraphrasing.

Prohibited Practices

The Journal follows COPE and ICMJE recommendations to prevent publication misconduct.

The following practices are strictly prohibited:

Self-plagiarism or duplicate publication.

Mosaic paraphrasing without proper citation.

Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data, figures, or images.

Salami slicing (publishing small, overlapping portions of the same data in multiple papers).

Duplicate or multiple submissions to different journals.

Selective or misleading reporting or referencing distort results.

Use of AI-generated or falsified references without human verification.

Dishonesty in reviewer suggestions or breach of reviewer confidentiality.

Misconduct Handling

If misconduct is suspected during the review process, the manuscript will be placed on hold until the issue is fully investigated.

In confirmed cases, the author(s) or reviewer(s) will be contacted directly, and the journal may approach the individual’s parent institution, HEC, or other regulatory bodies.

The Editor-in-Chief and Ethics Committee will conduct an internal review following COPE flowcharts for ethical handling.

If proven after publication, the article will be retracted and marked “Retracted” on the journal website.

Consequences

Confirmed cases of plagiarism or publication misconduct will result in:

Immediate rejection or withdrawal of the manuscript.

Blacklisting of the authors involved for future submissions.

Official notification to the Higher Education Commission (HEC), author’s institute, and other concerned authorities.

Retraction applies if plagiarism or fabrication is discovered post-publication, in accordance with COPE retraction guidelines.

Conflict Resolution Policy

Purpose

  • To provide a structured mechanism for resolving disputes or ethical concerns.

Scope

  • Covers authorship disputes, review disagreements, conflicts of interest, plagiarism allegations, and confidentiality breaches.

Procedure

  • Written complaint submitted to Editorial Office.
  • Preliminary review by Editor-in-Chief.
  • Formal review by Ethics & Conflict Resolution Committee.
  • Response and decision within 30 days.
  • Appeals can be made within 15 days of decision.

Principles

  • Confidentiality
  • Impartiality
  • Transparency
  • Timeliness

Escalation

  • If unresolved internally, cases may be referred to COPE or the author’s institution.