Plagiarism Policy

Journal of Responsible AI & Ethics (JRAIE)

The Journal of Responsible AI & Ethics (JRAIE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, transparency, and responsible scholarly communication.

The journal considers plagiarism, inappropriate reuse of scholarly content, and misrepresentation of intellectual contributions as serious violations of publication ethics. All submitted manuscripts must represent original work and must appropriately acknowledge the contributions, ideas, data, methods, and materials of others.

JRAIE follows recognized publication-ethics principles, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), when addressing plagiarism, duplicate publication, and other research-integrity concerns.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to presenting another person's work, ideas, data, words, methods, images, code, or intellectual contributions as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment.

Plagiarism may include, but is not limited to:

  • Direct copying of text without proper citation.
  • Close paraphrasing without appropriate acknowledgment.
  • Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism involving the inappropriate combination of copied or minimally modified content.
  • Use of previously published material without proper attribution.
  • Self-plagiarism involving substantial reuse of an author's own published work without disclosure.
  • Duplicate or redundant publication of substantially similar research.
  • Misappropriation of datasets, tables, figures, images, or research materials.
  • Unauthorized reuse of software, source code, algorithms, or computational resources.
  • Use of AI-generated content without appropriate disclosure or verification.

2. Originality and Author Responsibility

Authors submitting manuscripts to JRAIE are responsible for ensuring that:

  • The submitted work is original.
  • All sources, ideas, methods, data, and borrowed materials are appropriately cited.
  • Permissions are obtained where copyrighted materials are reused.
  • Previously published or submitted work is disclosed.
  • Contributions from other researchers are properly acknowledged.
  • The manuscript does not contain misleading claims regarding originality.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their submitted work, including content prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools.

3. Plagiarism Screening Process

All submitted manuscripts may undergo plagiarism and similarity screening before peer review or at any stage of the editorial process where concerns arise.

JRAIE may use appropriate similarity-detection tools, including Turnitin or other equivalent screening systems, to assist editorial evaluation.

Similarity reports are considered as one element of editorial assessment and are not interpreted solely through a numerical percentage.

The journal does not define acceptance or rejection exclusively based on a specific similarity threshold. Each similarity report is evaluated according to:

  • Nature of the matched content.
  • Location of similarity within the manuscript.
  • Extent of overlap.
  • Presence or absence of appropriate citation.
  • Context and scholarly relevance of the matched material.

Common technical expressions, references, standard methodological descriptions, and appropriately cited material may be evaluated differently from unattributed copying.

4. Self-Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication

Authors should not submit or publish substantially similar work in multiple journals without appropriate disclosure.

Self-plagiarism may include:

  • Reuse of previously published text without citation.
  • Reuse of data or findings without disclosure.
  • Republishing substantially similar manuscripts.
  • Dividing one research study into multiple publications without scholarly justification.

Where previous work is reused, authors must clearly disclose the relationship between the previous and submitted work and provide appropriate citation.

5. Artificial Intelligence and Plagiarism

Because JRAIE focuses on responsible artificial intelligence research, authors must maintain transparency regarding AI-assisted content.

Authors should:

  • Disclose the use of AI tools where required by journal policy.
  • Verify the accuracy and originality of AI-assisted content.
  • Ensure that AI-generated text, images, data, code, or analysis are not presented as independent human-created contributions without disclosure.
  • Provide appropriate citations where AI-generated or AI-assisted materials require acknowledgment.

Artificial intelligence tools cannot replace scholarly responsibility, critical evaluation, citation practices, or research integrity.

6. Image, Data, and Code Plagiarism

Plagiarism is not limited to written text.

Authors must not reuse or present as original:

  • Images.
  • Figures.
  • Tables.
  • Research datasets.
  • Experimental results.
  • Software code.
  • Algorithms.
  • Computational workflows.

Any reused material must be appropriately cited, acknowledged, and permitted according to applicable copyright or licensing requirements.

7. Editorial Handling of Suspected Plagiarism

When plagiarism or inappropriate reuse is suspected, the journal may:

  • Conduct an editorial assessment.
  • Review similarity reports and supporting evidence.
  • Request clarification from authors.
  • Seek additional information where required.
  • Reject the manuscript.
  • Require appropriate revision or correction.

The response will depend on the seriousness, extent, intent, and impact of the identified issue.

8. Consequences of Confirmed Plagiarism

Where plagiarism is confirmed before publication, possible actions may include:

  • Manuscript rejection.
  • Withdrawal from consideration.
  • Request for substantial revision.
  • Notification of relevant parties where appropriate.

Where plagiarism is identified after publication, the journal may consider:

  • Correction.
  • Expression of Concern.
  • Retraction.
  • Notification of relevant institutions or stakeholders where necessary.

Actions will be taken according to the seriousness of the issue and applicable publication-ethics procedures.

9. Reporting Suspected Plagiarism

JRAIE encourages authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders to report suspected plagiarism or inappropriate content reuse.

Reports should include:

  • Article or manuscript details.
  • Description of the concern.
  • Relevant evidence.
  • Supporting sources or documentation.

All reports are assessed fairly, confidentially, and according to established research-integrity procedures.

10. Investigation Process

Cases involving suspected plagiarism are evaluated through an appropriate editorial process.

The journal may consider:

  • Similarity reports.
  • Original sources.
  • Author explanations.
  • Publication history.
  • Evidence regarding ownership and attribution.

Authors may be provided an opportunity to respond before a final decision is made, except where immediate action is necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

11. Relationship With Other Journal Policies

This Plagiarism Policy should be read together with:

  • Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.
  • Research Misconduct Policy.
  • Peer Review Policy.
  • Authorship Policy.
  • Conflict of Interest Policy.
  • Corrections Policy.
  • Retraction Policy.
  • Data Availability Policy.
  • Research Data Sharing Policy.
  • Copyright and Licensing Policy.

12. Commitment to Academic Integrity

The Journal of Responsible AI & Ethics (JRAIE) maintains a zero-tolerance approach toward deliberate plagiarism and serious violations of academic originality.

The journal recognizes that responsible scholarly communication requires accurate attribution, transparent reporting, ethical reuse of materials, and accountability from authors, reviewers, and editors.

Through appropriate screening, evaluation, and corrective procedures, JRAIE seeks to protect the credibility of published research and maintain trust in the scholarly record.