Plagiarism Policy

The International Journal of Research in General Medicine and Health (IJRGH) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, ethical medical research, and responsible scholarly publication. Plagiarism is considered a serious violation of academic and publishing ethics and will not be tolerated in any form.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the unethical act of copying another author’s ideas, clinical findings, processes, results, data, or words without proper acknowledgment of the original source. This includes the use of published or unpublished material without appropriate citation.

Plagiarism may also occur when authors reuse significant portions of their own previously published work without proper referencing. This practice is commonly referred to as self-plagiarism.

Examples of plagiarism include:

  • Copying text, data, tables, figures, or ideas from another source without proper citation
  • Presenting another researcher’s or healthcare professional’s work as one’s own
  • Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals or publishing the same research multiple times
  • Reusing previously published work without appropriate acknowledgment
  • Using patient data, clinical information, or medical records without proper authorization or ethical compliance

Acceptable Similarity Limit

All manuscripts submitted to IJRGH are subject to plagiarism screening using reliable plagiarism detection tools such as Turnitin or equivalent software.

The maximum acceptable similarity index is 15%, excluding references, quotations, commonly used technical terms, and standard methodological descriptions.

Manuscripts exceeding this limit may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected depending on the severity and nature of the overlap.

Types of Plagiarism

IJRGH recognizes the following forms of plagiarism:

Full Plagiarism

Full plagiarism occurs when a manuscript is copied entirely or substantially from an existing published work without modification or proper citation. This includes presenting another author’s or researcher’s work as one’s own.

Partial Plagiarism

Partial plagiarism occurs when a manuscript includes significant portions of text, ideas, clinical interpretations, or data taken from multiple sources, even if the content has been slightly modified or paraphrased without proper attribution.

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism occurs when an author reuses significant portions of previously published work without proper citation or acknowledgment.

Republishing the same research findings, clinical data, or study outcomes in multiple journals without disclosure is considered unethical.

Plagiarism Screening Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo initial plagiarism screening before being sent for peer review. The editorial team carefully evaluates the similarity report to ensure that the manuscript meets the journal’s originality and ethical standards.

  • Manuscripts with similarity below 15% may proceed to the peer review process.
  • Manuscripts with significant similarity, copied content, or unethical overlap may be rejected immediately or returned to the authors for correction.

Action Against Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected at any stage of the publication process, IJRGH will take appropriate action based on the severity of the issue.

Before Publication

If plagiarism is identified during the review process:

  • The manuscript will be immediately rejected.
  • Authors may be asked to provide clarification or revise the manuscript.
  • Serious ethical violations may result in submission restrictions.

After Publication

If plagiarism is discovered after publication:

  • The journal will conduct a formal investigation.
  • The published article may be corrected, marked as plagiarized, or completely retracted from the journal.
  • The journal may notify the author’s affiliated institution, university, healthcare organization, or funding agency regarding the misconduct.

Disciplinary Measures

In cases of confirmed plagiarism or ethical misconduct, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Immediate rejection of the manuscript
  • Retraction of the published article from the journal database
  • Temporary or permanent ban on future submissions from the author(s)
  • Notification to the author’s institution, university, hospital, research center, or funding organization
  • Public notice regarding the ethical violation if necessary

Author Responsibility

It is the responsibility of all authors to ensure that their manuscripts are original, ethically prepared, properly cited, and free from plagiarism before submission to the journal.

Authors must:

  • Properly cite all sources used in their research
  • Obtain permission for the use of copyrighted materials when necessary
  • Ensure that patient confidentiality and ethical standards are maintained
  • Ensure that their work complies with international ethical publishing standards

The International Journal of Research in General Medicine and Health (IJRGH) strongly supports ethical research practices and encourages authors, healthcare professionals, and researchers to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty, originality, scientific integrity, and professional ethics in scholarly publishing.