Plagiarism & Similarity Screening Policy
The Journal of Innovative Research in Management Sciences (JIRMS) is committed to publishing original, ethical, and high-quality scholarly research. The Journal maintains a zero-tolerance approach to plagiarism and research misconduct and requires all submissions to comply with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan Anti-Plagiarism Policy, and internationally recognized standards of research integrity.
All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism and similarity screening using Turnitin as part of the Journal's editorial quality assurance process.
The Journal recognizes that similarity and plagiarism are not synonymous. Similarity reports are used as editorial assessment tools, while plagiarism is determined through human evaluation of the manuscript in its academic and ethical context.
Originality Requirements
Manuscripts submitted to JIRMS must be the authors' original work and must not contain plagiarized, fabricated, falsified, duplicate, or improperly attributed material.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all sources are accurately cited and acknowledged and that the submitted work complies with accepted standards of scholarly integrity.
Similarity Screening Process
JIRMS conducts similarity screening using Turnitin at two stages of the editorial process:
- Initial Screening: Before a manuscript enters the peer-review process, to assess originality and compliance with the Journal's editorial and ethical requirements.
- Pre-Acceptance Screening: After the final revised manuscript has been received and before the issuance of the acceptance letter, to ensure that originality has been maintained throughout the revision process.
Similarity Thresholds
In accordance with the HEC Anti-Plagiarism Policy, manuscripts submitted to JIRMS must satisfy the following similarity requirements:
- Overall Similarity Index: Less than 19%.
- Similarity from any Single Source: Less than 5%.
Compliance with these thresholds is a minimum editorial requirement. Meeting the prescribed similarity limits does not automatically guarantee acceptance, and exceeding them does not necessarily constitute plagiarism. Editorial decisions are based on a comprehensive assessment of the similarity report, including the nature, context, source, and significance of the matched text.
Editorial Assessment
The Editorial Office evaluates all similarity reports to distinguish legitimate textual overlap from potential plagiarism. Appropriate consideration is given to similarities arising from correctly cited quotations, references, standard methodological descriptions, technical terminology, legally reusable content, and other acceptable scholarly practices.
Where concerns regarding originality or potential plagiarism are identified, the Journal may request clarification or revision, reject the manuscript, or initiate further investigation in accordance with the Journal's Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy.
JIRMS may also employ AI-assisted tools, under human editorial oversight, to support the identification of AI-generated content, manipulated images, fabricated references, or other indicators of publication misconduct.
Research Integrity
JIRMS does not tolerate plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, fabricated or falsified data, or any other form of research or publication misconduct.
Confirmed cases are managed in accordance with the Journal's Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy and, where appropriate, the Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern Policy.
Compliance
JIRMS conducts originality assessment in accordance with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan Anti-Plagiarism Policy, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing developed by DOAJ, COPE, and OASPA.
