Plagiarism and Retraction Policy

The Andalas International Journal of Socio-Humanities (AIJOSH) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and originality. Plagiarism, in any form, is considered unethical and unacceptable. To ensure the integrity of the research published, AIJOSH employs a rigorous plagiarism detection process.

  1. Plagiarism Detection
  • All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using Turnitin, a leading plagiarism detection software.
  • The similarity index of the manuscript is evaluated to ensure compliance with the journal’s standards for originality and proper citation.
  1. Maximum Similarity Threshold
  • The maximum allowable similarity index for a manuscript is 25%, excluding references, quotes, and properly cited material.
  • Manuscripts with a similarity index greater than 25% will be rejected outright.
  1. Definition of Plagiarism

AIJOSH defines plagiarism as:

  • The use of another person’s ideas, words, or work without proper acknowledgment or permission.
  • Self-plagiarism or redundant publication, where authors reuse their previously published work without appropriate citation.

Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

  • Copying or closely paraphrasing text without citation.
  • Failing to credit the original source of ideas or data.
  • Reproducing figures, tables, or images without permission or acknowledgment.
  1. Author Responsibility
  • Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work before submission.
  • Proper citation of all sources, including the authors’ previously published work, is mandatory.
  1. Consequences of Plagiarism
  • Rejection at Initial Screening: Manuscripts exceeding the 25% similarity threshold will be rejected without further review.
  • Rejection after Review: If plagiarism is identified during the peer-review or editorial stages, the manuscript will be rejected.
  • Retraction: If plagiarism is discovered post-publication, the article will be retracted, and a notice will be issued on the journal’s website.
  1. Appeal Process

Authors who disagree with the plagiarism findings may appeal the decision by providing detailed justifications to the editorial team. The final decision on such appeals rests with the editor-in-chief.

 

Retraction and/or Corrections

Authors are discouraged from withdrawing submitted manuscripts after it is in the publication process (review, copyedit, layout, etc.,). During that time, AIJOSH had spent valuable resources besides time spent in the process. Should under any circumstances that the author(s) still request for a withdrawal, the author(s) have to send an email to AIJOSH's editor using the same email address used in correspondence.

AIJOSH's editors shall consider retracting a publication if:

  • They have clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of a major error (eg, miscalculation or experimental error) or as a result of fabrication (eg, of data) or falsification (eg, image manipulation)
  • It constitutes plagiarism
  • The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper attribution to previous sources or disclosure to the editor, permission to republish, or justification (ie, cases of redundant publication)
  • It contains material or data without authorization for use
  • Copyright has been infringed or there is some other serious legal issue (eg, libel, privacy)
  • It reports unethical research
  • It has been published solely on the basis of a compromised or manipulated peer review process
  • The author(s) failed to disclose a major competing interest (a.k.a. conflict of interest) that, in the view of the editor, would have unduly affected interpretations of the work or recommendations by editors and peer reviewers.

Notices of retraction would:

  • Be linked to the retracted article wherever possible (ie, in all online versions)
  • Clearly identify the retracted article (eg, by including the title and authors in the retraction heading or citing the retracted article)
  • Be clearly identified as a retraction (ie, distinct from other types of correction or comment)
  • Be published promptly to minimize the harmful effects
  • Be freely available to all readers (ie, not behind access barriers or available only to subscribers)
  • State who is retracting the article
  • State the reason(s) for retraction
  • Be objective, factual and avoid inflammatory language

Retractions are not usually appropriate if:

  • The authorship is disputed but there is no reason to doubt the validity of the findings
  • The main findings of the work are still reliable and corrections could sufficiently address errors or concerns
  • An editor has inconclusive evidence to support retraction or is awaiting additional information such as from an institutional investigation
  • Author conflicts of interest have been reported to the journal after publication, but in the editor’s view, these are not likely to have influenced interpretations or recommendations or the conclusions of the article.

AIJOSH's editors shall consider issuing an expression of concern if:

  • they receive inconclusive evidence of research or publication misconduct by the authors
  • there is evidence that the findings are unreliable but the authors’ institution will not investigate the case
  • they believe that an investigation into alleged misconduct related to the publication either has not been or would not be, fair and impartial or conclusive
  • an investigation is underway but a judgment will not be available for a considerable time

AIJOSH's editors shall consider issuing a correction if:

  • a small portion of an otherwise reliable publication proves to be misleading (especially because of honest error)
  • the author/contributor list is incorrect (i.e. a deserving author has been omitted or somebody who does not meet authorship criteria has been included)

The mechanism follows the guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).