EDUPIJ is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and research ethics. Plagiarism in any form is strictly prohibited and is treated as a serious breach of ethical and legal standards.

Manuscripts submitted to EDUPIJ must be original works that:

• Have not been previously published in whole or in substantial part elsewhere (in print or online), and
• Are not simultaneously under review by any other journal or publication outlet.

During the submission process, authors are required to formally declare that their manuscript is original and not under consideration elsewhere. Authors bear full legal, ethical, and financial responsibility for any violations of this declaration.

Authors must obtain the necessary permissions from copyright holders for any tables, figures, images, questionnaires, or other textual/visual materials reproduced from previously published works, regardless of whether these are in print or electronic format. All such materials must be correctly cited and acknowledged.

For the purposes of this policy, plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Direct (Full) Plagiarism
  Reproducing text, ideas, data, images, or other content from another work without any or with only minimal modification, and without proper citation and acknowledgment, thereby presenting it as one’s own.
• Mosaic (Partial) Plagiarism
  Combining phrases, sentences, or paragraphs from multiple sources, or extensively rephrasing another author’s work, while retaining the original structure or line of argument, and failing to provide appropriate references.
• Self-Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication
  Reusing substantial portions of one’s own previously published work (text, data, figures, or ideas) without proper citation or clear disclosure; republishing the same or essentially similar content in more than one outlet; or fragmenting (“slicing”) a single research project into multiple publications in a way that unjustifiably inflates publication counts and compromises the integrity of the research record.

Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional; however, lack of intent does not excuse the violation. Any manuscript that presents others’ or one’s own prior work without proper attribution will be treated as an act of plagiarism.

While this policy focuses on plagiarism, EDUPIJ also recognizes that plagiarism frequently co-occurs with other forms of research misconduct. The following practices are considered serious violations of scientific research and publication ethics and may be investigated and sanctioned together with plagiarism:

• Data forgery or fabrication (e.g., presenting data that do not exist, or that have been falsified);
• Falsification or distortion of research records or results (e.g., selectively omitting data, misrepresenting methods, or reshaping findings to serve personal or institutional interests);
• Unjustified duplication or “salami slicing” (e.g., dividing a single study into multiple overlapping publications in a way that undermines the integrity of the research);
• Unfair or undeserved authorship (e.g., including individuals who did not contribute significantly to the research; omitting those who did; manipulating the order of authors without justification; or using personal influence to be listed as an author).

Such behaviors, when detected in manuscripts submitted to EDUPIJ, are subject to the same rigorous editorial and institutional procedures as plagiarism.

All manuscripts submitted to EDUPIJ are screened for similarity using industry-standard plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate or comparable tools).

• Authors may be required to upload a similarity report at the time of submission.
• The Editorial Office may also generate its own similarity report at any stage of the editorial and peer-review process, including after acceptance or publication.

As a general guideline (excluding the reference list, acknowledgments, and standard methodological descriptions):

• The overall similarity index should not exceed 20%, and
• The similarity to any single source should not exceed approximately 3%.

Manuscripts that show excessive similarity, or that raise concerns based on qualitative assessment (e.g., extensive verbatim passages even if within numerical limits), may:

• Be returned to the authors for revision and reduction of similarity, or
• Be rejected without external peer review.

These numerical thresholds are guidelines, not mechanical criteria; the final judgment is based on the nature, context, and significance of the overlapping content.

Plagiarism may be identified at any stage: during initial screening, peer review, revision, or after publication. When potential plagiarism is detected or reported:

1. Preliminary Assessment
   The Editorial Office reviews the similarity report and the manuscript to evaluate the extent and seriousness of the overlap.
2. Editorial Board Review
   If concerns persist, the Editor-in-Chief and/or assigned editors examine the case in detail, considering the type and degree of overlap, the sources involved, and the author’s publication history.
3. Request for Explanation from Authors
   The corresponding author is notified of the concerns and invited to provide a written explanation and supporting documentation (e.g., original data, prior publications) within a specified period, typically 15 days.
4. Evaluation of the Response
   The Editorial Board reviews the authors’ explanation. If the response is unsatisfactory, not supported by evidence, or not received within the given timeline, the Board proceeds on the basis of the available information.
5. Notification of Institutions and Relevant Bodies
   In serious or repeated cases, or when the authors do not respond adequately, EDUPIJ may inform the authors’ affiliated institutions, funding bodies, or relevant ethics committees and request a formal investigation.

Throughout this process, EDUPIJ adheres to internationally recognized best practices in publication ethics and may consult or follow guidance from organizations specializing in publication ethics.

If plagiarism is confirmed in a submitted but unpublished manuscript, EDUPIJ may:

• Reject the manuscript outright and record the decision internally;
• Impose a submission ban on the responsible author(s) for a specified period (typically two years);
• Inform the authors’ institution(s), when appropriate.

If plagiarism is confirmed in an already published article, EDUPIJ may take one or more of the following actions:

• Publish a formal notice of retraction or correction, clearly explaining the reasons;
• Remove the full-text PDF and other versions of the article from the journal’s website and issue archives, while maintaining bibliographic information and a clear indication that the article has been retracted;
• Mark the article as a “Plagiarized Article” in the journal records and metadata;
• Prohibit the responsible author(s) from submitting new manuscripts to EDUPIJ for a defined period (typically two years or longer in severe cases);
• Notify the authors’ institution(s), funding agencies, and other relevant bodies to enable further investigation and action under their regulations.

EDUPIJ reserves the right to adjust the severity of sanctions in proportion to the nature and seriousness of the misconduct, including repeated offenses.

• Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their submissions, properly citing all sources, obtaining required permissions, and closely checking similarity reports before submission.
• Reviewers and editors are encouraged to report any suspected instances of plagiarism or related misconduct they detect during the review process.
• Readers who become aware of possible plagiarism or inaccuracies in a published article are invited to report their concerns through the contact channels provided on the EDUPIJ website. All credible reports will be examined carefully and confidentially.