Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Policy

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Birat Journal of Health Sciences (BJHS) is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, and ethical standards in medical and health sciences research.

Plagiarism refers to presenting another person's words, ideas, research findings, data, images, or intellectual property as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment or citation.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to BJHS, including original research articles, review articles, case reports, editorials, and other scholarly contributions.

3. Originality Requirement

All submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work and must not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all borrowed information, ideas, data, figures, and references are appropriately acknowledged.

4. Similarity Index

BJHS evaluates textual similarity as part of its editorial screening process.

Similarity reports should be assessed in context, considering properly cited quotations, references, standard medical terminology, and commonly used scientific expressions.

A high similarity score does not automatically establish plagiarism, while a low similarity score does not guarantee originality.

Manuscripts containing substantial unattributed similarities may be returned for correction or rejected.

5. Plagiarism Detection

BJHS supports the use of recognized plagiarism-detection software to identify potential textual overlap in submitted manuscripts.

The editorial team evaluates similarity reports to determine whether the identified similarities constitute plagiarism, inappropriate citation, or acceptable scholarly overlap.

6. Types of Plagiarism

Plagiarism may include:

  • Verbatim Plagiarism: Copying text without proper quotation or attribution.

  • Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rewriting another author's work without appropriate acknowledgment.

  • Self-Plagiarism: Reusing previously published material without disclosure or appropriate citation.

  • Conceptual Plagiarism: Presenting another researcher's ideas, theories, or findings without acknowledgment.

  • Data and Image Plagiarism: Reusing research data, figures, tables, or images without appropriate attribution or authorization.

7. Consequences of Plagiarism

Where plagiarism is identified, BJHS may take appropriate editorial action, including:

  • Requesting clarification or manuscript revision.

  • Rejecting manuscripts containing substantial plagiarism.

  • Investigating suspected research misconduct.

  • Issuing corrections or retractions for published articles where justified.

  • Informing relevant institutions when serious misconduct is established and notification is appropriate.

8. Author Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Submit original and scientifically accurate research.

  • Properly acknowledge and cite all sources.

  • Avoid plagiarism, duplicate publication, and inappropriate text recycling.

  • Obtain required permissions for copyrighted materials.

  • Maintain transparency regarding research data and authorship.

  • Comply with recognized medical research and publication ethics.

Birat Journal of Health Sciences (BJHS) promotes responsible scientific publishing and expects all contributors to uphold the highest standards of research integrity and academic honesty.