Anti-Plagiarism Policy

Editorial Policies

Anti-Plagiarism Policy

The Review of Studies on Criminology, Sociology, and Law (RSCSL) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical scholarly publishing. The journal expects every manuscript submitted for consideration to represent original scholarly work that has been conducted, reported, and presented honestly and transparently. Plagiarism in any form undermines research credibility, damages the scholarly record, and constitutes a serious breach of publication ethics.

To safeguard the integrity of the editorial process, all submitted manuscripts undergo originality screening prior to peer review. Similarity reports are used as editorial tools to assist in identifying potential ethical concerns and are interpreted carefully within the context of the manuscript.

 

Originality Requirement

Authors submitting manuscripts to RSCSL certify that:

  • The manuscript is their original work;
  • The work has not been previously published, except where appropriately disclosed;
  • The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal or publisher;
  • All ideas, data, figures, tables, images, legal authorities, and other materials derived from previous works have been properly cited;
  • Appropriate permissions have been obtained for any copyrighted material where required.

Originality is a fundamental condition for publication in RSCSL.

 

Similarity Screening

All manuscripts submitted to RSCSL are screened using Turnitin or another internationally recognized plagiarism detection software before they proceed to peer review.

Similarity screening is intended to:

  • Assess the originality of submitted manuscripts;
  • Detect possible plagiarism or self-plagiarism;
  • Identify duplicate or redundant publication;
  • Verify appropriate attribution of previously published work;
  • Support ethical editorial decision-making.

The Editorial Office evaluates similarity reports carefully and does not rely solely on an overall similarity percentage. Editorial assessment considers the source, nature, context, and significance of any matched content.

Forms of Plagiarism

RSCSL considers the following practices to constitute plagiarism or unacceptable text reuse:

 
Direct Plagiarism

Copying text, ideas, data, figures, tables, legal analyses, images, or other scholarly content without proper attribution.

 
Mosaic Plagiarism

Closely paraphrasing or rearranging another author's work while retaining its essential structure or wording without adequate acknowledgment.

 
Inadequate Paraphrasing

Minor modification of another author's wording without sufficient original interpretation or appropriate citation.

 
Self-Plagiarism

Substantial reuse of an author's previously published work, including text, data, analyses, figures, tables, or findings, without appropriate citation, disclosure, or editorial approval.

 
Duplicate or Redundant Publication

Submitting substantially similar manuscripts to multiple journals or publishing substantially overlapping studies without appropriate disclosure.

 
Misappropriation of Intellectual Content

Presenting another individual's ideas, research findings, legal interpretations, methodologies, datasets, or scholarly contributions as one's own.

 

Acceptable Similarity

The journal recognizes that certain textual similarities may legitimately occur, particularly in:

  • References and bibliographic entries;
  • Standard methodological descriptions;
  • Properly quoted statutes, constitutions, regulations, treaties, judicial decisions, and legal provisions;
  • Established technical terminology;
  • Institutional names;
  • Standard reporting language;
  • Properly cited quotations.

Editorial decisions are based on the context and significance of similarities rather than numerical similarity scores alone.

 

Author Responsibilities

Authors are expected to:

  • Ensure the originality of their work before submission;
  • Properly cite all sources used in the manuscript;
  • Use quotation marks when reproducing verbatim text where appropriate;
  • Obtain permission for copyrighted material when required;
  • Conduct originality screening before submission whenever possible;
  • Disclose any prior dissemination of the research, including conference presentations, preprints, or related publications.

Authors remain fully responsible for the originality and integrity of the submitted manuscript.

 

Editorial Assessment

When similarity screening identifies significant overlap, the Editorial Office may:

  • Conduct a detailed editorial review of the manuscript;
  • Request clarification from the authors;
  • Request revision and proper citation;
  • Seek additional information regarding previously published material;
  • Delay peer review until concerns are resolved.

Serious concerns regarding originality may result in rejection without external peer review.

 

Editorial Actions for Confirmed Plagiarism

Where plagiarism or unethical text reuse is confirmed, RSCSL may take one or more of the following actions depending on the seriousness of the violation:

  • Request revision and appropriate citation for minor cases;
  • Reject the manuscript before peer review;
  • Reject the manuscript after editorial investigation;
  • Suspend editorial consideration during investigation;
  • Retract a published article;
  • Publish a correction, editorial notice, or retraction statement where appropriate;
  • Notify the authors' affiliated institutions, funding agencies, or other appropriate bodies in cases involving serious research misconduct.

Repeated or deliberate plagiarism may result in restrictions on future submissions to the journal for a period determined by the Editorial Board.

 

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors who use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools during manuscript preparation remain fully responsible for ensuring that all submitted content is original and properly attributed.

The use of AI-generated text does not exempt authors from their responsibility to:

  • Verify the accuracy of all content;
  • Ensure originality;
  • Prevent plagiarism;
  • Provide appropriate citations for all referenced materials;
  • Comply with the journal's Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy.
AI-generated material that reproduces copyrighted or previously published content without proper attribution constitutes plagiarism.
 

Post-Publication Discovery of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is identified after publication, RSCSL will investigate the matter in accordance with its Publication Ethics Policy.

Depending on the findings, the journal may:

  • Publish a correction;
  • Issue an Expression of Concern;
  • Retract the article;
  • Notify relevant institutions or funding organizations where appropriate.

All investigations will be conducted fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with established editorial procedures.

Commitment to Academic Integrity

The Review of Studies on Criminology, Sociology, and Law (RSCSL) is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record through rigorous originality screening, responsible editorial oversight, and adherence to internationally recognized publication ethics. By promoting honest scholarship, appropriate attribution, and responsible research reporting, the journal seeks to ensure that every published article represents a genuine contribution to knowledge in criminology, sociology, law, criminal justice, forensic science, public safety, governance, and related interdisciplinary fields.

 

Alignment with International Standards

This Anti-Plagiarism Policy has been developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, research integrity, and responsible scholarly publishing and is aligned with:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – Guidance on plagiarism, duplicate publication, publication misconduct, and ethical editorial practices:
    https://publicationethics.org/
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) – Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work, including recommendations on originality, duplicate publication, plagiarism, and research integrity:
    https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/
  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) – Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, requiring journals to maintain clear policies on plagiarism detection, publication ethics, and editorial integrity:
    https://doaj.org/apply/guide/

RSCSL periodically reviews and updates this policy to ensure continued alignment with evolving international standards for academic integrity, responsible research conduct, publication ethics, and ethical open-access scholarly publishing.