Plagiarism Policy
Trends in Computer Science and Information Technology (TCSIT) upholds the highest standards of academic integrity. We follow strict plagiarism detection and prevention policies to ensure that all published research is original and free from unethical practices.
▪ Plagiarism Definition
Plagiarism is the act of copying or using another author's ideas, text, or research findings without proper citation. It includes:
- Direct Plagiarism: Copying verbatim from another source without attribution.
- Self-Plagiarism: Reusing one’s previously published work without disclosure.
- Mosaic Plagiarism: Mixing copied phrases with original text without proper citation.
- Unintentional Plagiarism: Failing to properly paraphrase or cite sources.
▪ Plagiarism Detection
TCSIT employs advanced plagiarism detection software to ensure the originality of submitted manuscripts. We use iThenticate to check all submissions for similarity before peer review.
▪ Acceptable Similarity Index
The acceptable similarity percentage for submitted manuscripts is as follows:
- Overall Similarity: Less than 15%.
- Single Source Similarity: Not exceeding 5% from any single source.
If a manuscript exceeds these thresholds, it may be returned to the author for revision or rejected outright.
▪ Consequences of Plagiarism
TCSIT follows strict policies for handling plagiarism cases:
- Minor Plagiarism (10-15% similarity): Authors are asked to revise and properly cite sources.
- Moderate Plagiarism (15-30% similarity): The manuscript is returned for substantial revision or rejected.
- Severe Plagiarism (>30% similarity): The submission is immediately rejected and the author’s institution may be notified.
▪ Plagiarism in Published Articles
If plagiarism is detected in a published article, the following actions will be taken:
- The article will be marked with an official Plagiarism Notice.
- In severe cases, the article may be retracted and removed from indexing databases.
- Authors may be banned from future submissions to the journal.
- The author’s institution may be notified for further disciplinary action.
▪ Ethical Publishing Compliance
TCSIT strictly follows the ethical publishing guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
We encourage authors, reviewers, and editors to follow COPE’s best practices to maintain research integrity.
▪ Author Responsibilities
Authors submitting manuscripts to TCSIT must:
- Ensure their work is entirely original and properly cited.
- Use quotation marks and references for any direct quotes.
- Obtain permission to use copyrighted materials.
- Disclose if their work has been previously submitted or published elsewhere.
▪ Reviewer and Editor Responsibilities
Peer reviewers and editors play a key role in maintaining plagiarism-free publishing. Their responsibilities include:
- Identifying possible plagiarism in submitted manuscripts.
- Ensuring that content is properly cited and referenced.
- Reporting any ethical concerns related to duplicate publications.
- Maintaining confidentiality of the review process.
Maintaining Research Integrity Through Ethical Publishing!