Plagiarism policy

The Medical Technology Journal of Applied Science (MTJAS) Plagiarism Policy

1. Definition and Stance

Plagiarism is the act of using another person's words, ideas, images, or data without proper attribution, thereby presenting them as one's own. This includes self-plagiarism, where an author reuses significant portions of their own previously published work without appropriate citation.

The Medical Technology Journal of Applied Science (MTJAS) has a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and ensuring the originality of all published content. Any manuscript found to contain plagiarism will be handled with serious measures, as outlined in this policy.

2. Plagiarism Detection and Threshold

All manuscripts submitted to MTJAS will be screened for plagiarism using the Turnitin detection software.

  • Turnitin Similarity Score: We require that all submitted manuscripts have a Turnitin similarity score of less than 22%.

  • Interpretation of the Score: It is crucial to understand that a high similarity score does not automatically equate to plagiarism. The Turnitin report is a tool that identifies text matches, which may include properly cited quotations, a standardized methods section, a bibliography, or common phrases. Conversely, a low score does not guarantee a manuscript is free of plagiarism, as sophisticated forms of misconduct may not be detected.

  • Editorial Review: The editorial team will manually review all Turnitin reports. They will carefully examine the flagged matches to differentiate between acceptable similarities (e.g., properly cited content or standard terminology) and actual instances of plagiarism.

3. Consequences of Plagiarism

If a manuscript is found to have a Turnitin score of 22% or higher, or if plagiarism is confirmed upon manual review, the following actions will be taken:

  • Initial Submission: The manuscript will be immediately desk rejected without being sent for peer review. The authors will be notified of the reason for rejection and provided with the Turnitin report for their reference.

  • Post-Acceptance: If plagiarism is detected after a manuscript has been accepted but before publication, the acceptance will be revoked, and the manuscript will be rejected.

  • After Publication: If plagiarism is discovered in a published article, the journal will formally retract the article and issue a public retraction notice. The notice will clearly state the reason for the retraction, and the authors may be subject to a ban from submitting future manuscripts to MTJAS. The authors' institutions may also be notified.

4. Author Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the authors to ensure their manuscript is original and free of plagiarism. We strongly encourage authors to use plagiarism detection tools before submitting their work and to follow proper citation and referencing guidelines for all sources, including their own previously published work.