Plagiarism Prevention Policy

Indonesian Health Justice Review (IHJR) is committed to maintaining academic integrity and preventing plagiarism in all manuscripts submitted to and published by the journal. Plagiarism is considered a serious violation of research and publication ethics and will not be tolerated.

The journal follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and research integrity, including the relevant guidelines and best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Definition of Plagiarism

For the purposes of this policy, plagiarism refers to the presentation of another person's ideas, words, data, images, arguments, or other intellectual work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment.

Plagiarism may include, but is not limited to:

  • copying text from another source without proper citation or quotation;
  • presenting another person's ideas or arguments without appropriate attribution;
  • substantial or inappropriate paraphrasing without acknowledgment of the original source;
  • copying or reproducing tables, figures, images, datasets, or other materials without appropriate permission or attribution;
  • translating another person's work and presenting the translated material as original work without appropriate acknowledgment;
  • using substantial portions of one's own previously published work without appropriate citation or disclosure (self-plagiarism);
  • submitting substantially similar or overlapping manuscripts to more than one journal;
  • duplicate or redundant publication; and
  • any other practice that misrepresents the originality or provenance of scholarly work.

Plagiarism may occur intentionally or unintentionally. However, authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts comply with appropriate standards of citation, attribution, and originality.

2. Plagiarism Screening

All manuscripts submitted to Indonesian Health Justice Review may be subjected to plagiarism or similarity screening at one or more stages of the editorial process.

The journal may use recognized plagiarism-detection or similarity-checking software to identify potentially overlapping text and other forms of inappropriate similarity.

Similarity screening may be conducted:

  • upon initial submission;
  • before the manuscript is sent for peer review;
  • during revision;
  • before acceptance; and/or
  • after publication when a legitimate concern is raised.

A similarity report is considered an editorial screening tool, not an automatic determination of plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief or designated editor will assess the nature, location, context, and source of the similarities identified in the report.

3. Similarity Threshold

As a general editorial guideline, manuscripts should normally demonstrate an overall similarity level of no more than 20%, excluding legitimate similarities such as references, standard terminology, commonly used methodological expressions, and properly quoted or cited material.

However, the journal does not treat a specific similarity percentage as definitive evidence of plagiarism.

A manuscript with a similarity score below 20% may still constitute plagiarism if substantial unattributed material is identified. Conversely, a manuscript with a higher similarity score may not constitute plagiarism where the similarity is attributable to legitimate reasons, such as technical terminology, standard legal or medical expressions, methodology, references, or properly cited material.

The final determination is made by the editor based on the content and circumstances of each case.

4. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality and integrity of their manuscripts.

Before submission, authors should:

  • properly cite all sources used in the manuscript;
  • use quotation marks when reproducing exact wording from another source;
  • appropriately paraphrase and cite ideas derived from other works;
  • provide accurate references for all cited sources;
  • obtain permission where required for copyrighted material;
  • disclose substantial overlap with the authors' previous publications;
  • avoid submitting the same or substantially similar manuscript to multiple journals; and
  • carefully review the final manuscript to ensure that all sources and contributions are appropriately acknowledged.

Authors remain responsible for the content of their manuscripts even when plagiarism-detection or writing-assistance tools have been used.

5. Editorial Assessment

When a similarity report identifies potentially problematic overlap, the editor will assess:

  • the percentage and distribution of similarity;
  • the source or sources of the matching material;
  • whether the material has been appropriately cited;
  • whether the similarity occurs in quotations, references, methodology, or standard terminology;
  • the extent and significance of the overlapping material;
  • whether the overlap involves the authors' previous publications; and
  • whether there is evidence of intentional or misleading appropriation.

The editor may request an explanation from the authors where necessary.

6. Action Before Peer Review

If substantial plagiarism or inappropriate textual overlap is identified during initial screening, the manuscript may be rejected without peer review.

Depending on the circumstances, the editor may also:

  • request clarification from the authors;
  • request revision and appropriate attribution;
  • refer the matter to the Editor-in-Chief; or
  • initiate a formal publication-ethics investigation.

Serious cases may be treated as research or publication misconduct.

7. Action During Peer Review

If plagiarism is identified after a manuscript has entered peer review, the journal may suspend the review process while the matter is assessed.

Depending on the severity of the case, the manuscript may be:

  • returned to the authors for clarification;
  • rejected;
  • withdrawn from further consideration; or
  • subjected to a formal ethics investigation.

Reviewers who identify suspected plagiarism are encouraged to report the concern confidentially to the handling editor and provide relevant supporting information.

8. Plagiarism Identified After Publication

If credible evidence of plagiarism is identified after an article has been published, the journal will investigate the matter in accordance with its publication ethics procedures.

Depending on the findings, the journal may:

  • publish a correction;
  • publish an Expression of Concern;
  • retract the article;
  • amend the published record where appropriate; or
  • notify the relevant author's institution or research organization.

A retracted article will remain part of the journal's scholarly record but will be clearly marked as RETRACTED, together with an appropriate explanation of the reason for retraction.

9. Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

The reuse of an author's previously published text or material without appropriate citation or disclosure may constitute self-plagiarism or redundant publication.

Limited reuse of standard methodological descriptions or other unavoidable technical language does not automatically constitute misconduct. However, substantial reuse of previously published material without appropriate acknowledgment is not acceptable.

Authors must disclose any closely related manuscripts, conference papers, preprints, theses, or previously published works that substantially overlap with the submitted manuscript.

10. Translation and Cross-Language Plagiarism

Plagiarism may also occur when material is translated from another language without appropriate acknowledgment.

Authors must provide proper attribution when using ideas, arguments, findings, or substantial material from works published in another language.

Changing the language of a source does not make the underlying intellectual content original.

11. AI-Assisted Content and Plagiarism

The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools does not exempt authors from the journal's plagiarism and originality requirements.

Authors remain responsible for ensuring that AI-assisted content:

  • does not reproduce unattributed copyrighted or previously published material;
  • does not contain fabricated or unverifiable references;
  • does not misrepresent another author's work as original;
  • is appropriately reviewed and verified by the authors; and
  • complies with the journal's policies concerning responsible use of AI.

The journal may investigate suspected plagiarism or inappropriate content reuse regardless of whether the material was generated, paraphrased, translated, or otherwise assisted by AI tools.

12. Appeals and Explanations

Authors who believe that a plagiarism or similarity assessment has been incorrectly interpreted may submit a written explanation to the Editor-in-Chief.

The explanation should clearly identify:

  • the relevant section of the manuscript;
  • the source of the similarity;
  • the reason the similarity is legitimate, if applicable; and
  • supporting evidence or documentation where appropriate.

The journal will consider such explanations objectively and may conduct an additional assessment when warranted.

13. Confidentiality

Plagiarism investigations and related editorial communications will be handled confidentially to the extent reasonably possible.

Information concerning an allegation will only be shared with individuals who need the information to conduct or resolve the investigation, subject to applicable ethical and legal requirements.

14. Commitment to Academic Integrity

Indonesian Health Justice Review considers originality, proper attribution, and transparency to be fundamental principles of scholarly communication.

All authors, editors, reviewers, and other participants in the publication process are expected to contribute to the prevention and detection of plagiarism and to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal reserves the right to take appropriate editorial and ethical action whenever plagiarism or other forms of inappropriate content appropriation are identified.