Plagiarism Policy

International Journal of Multidisciplinary and Current Research (IJMCR)

1. Introduction and Definition

The International Journal of Multidisciplinary and Current Research (IJMCR) is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Plagiarism is defined as the act of presenting the words, ideas, images, or work of others as one's own, without proper acknowledgment or citation.

This includes text copied from the internet, published books, research papers, or any other source.

Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and constitutes a serious violation of academic and professional ethics.

2. Types of Plagiarism

IJMCR considers the following forms of plagiarism to be strictly prohibited:

  • Direct Plagiarism: Copying the exact words of another author without using quotation marks and citing the source.
  • Source Plagiarism (Uncited Paraphrasing): Paraphrasing a source without proper attribution, making it appear as the author's original idea or wording.
  • Self-Plagiarism (Duplicate Submission): Re-using substantial portions of one's own published work (text, data, or figures) without acknowledgment or citation. This includes submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously.
  • Mosaic Plagiarism: Borrowing ideas, phrases, and terminology from a source and interleaving them with one's own writing without proper citation.
  • Data Fabrication: Presenting fabricated or manipulated data as if it were original research findings.

3. Plagiarism Detection and Screening

All submissions to IJMCR are subjected to rigorous screening before being sent out for peer review:

  • Initial Screening: All manuscripts are checked using industry-standard plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate, or similar institutional tools).
  • Acceptable Limit: The Editorial Board establishes an acceptable threshold for similarity index (typically 15–20%, excluding references and common phrases). Manuscripts exceeding this limit may be desk-rejected or returned for major revision and proper citation.

4. Policy on Duplicate and Concurrent Submission

  • Originality: Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not have been previously published or be under consideration elsewhere.
  • Concurrent Submission: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals at the same time is unethical and strictly prohibited.

5. Action and Sanctions

If plagiarism is detected at any stage of the publishing process (pre-review, during review, or post-publication), IJMCR will take appropriate action in accordance with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines:

Stage of Detection Action Taken
Pre-Review / During Review The manuscript will be immediately rejected. Authors may be notified and may be barred from submitting to IJMCR for a specified period (e.g., 1–3 years).
Post-Publication The article will be formally retracted. A retraction notice will be published clearly stating the reason for retraction (plagiarism).
Notification The authors’ institutions, funding agencies, and co-authors may be notified of the findings.