Plagiarism Policy

Purpose
Digital & Social Review is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. This policy defines plagiarism and outlines the procedures for its identification and handling to ensure the originality and credibility of all published work.

Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism constitutes the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, words, or creative works without appropriate acknowledgment. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Verbatim copying of text without quotation marks and citation.

  • Paraphrasing substantial ideas or content without proper attribution.

  • Reusing one's own previously published work without transparent citation (self-plagiarism).

  • Presenting data, research designs, or creative concepts from another source as one's own.

Screening Process
All submitted manuscripts undergo screening using plagiarism detection software. The editorial team also conducts manual checks for scholarly misuse. A manuscript may be rejected at any stage if plagiarism is detected.

Levels of Plagiarism and Corresponding Actions

  1. Minor Overlap/Insufficient Citation: Instances of minimal text overlap without deliberate intent to deceive, or minor omissions in citation.

    • Action: The manuscript is returned to the author with specific corrections required before peer review can proceed.

  2. Significant Plagiarism: Substantial sections of text, data, or ideas are appropriated without proper attribution.

    • Action: The manuscript is immediately rejected. All authors of the manuscript are notified of the reason. Future submissions from the corresponding author may be subject to additional scrutiny.

  3. Severe Plagiarism: Extensive, deliberate plagiarism, including wholesale copying of another work.

    • Action: The manuscript is rejected. All authors are banned from submitting to the journal for a period determined by the Editor-in-Chief. The institution(s) of the corresponding author may be notified.

Post-Publication Identification
If plagiarism is identified in a published article, the journal will investigate and take appropriate action. Actions may include:

  • Issuing a correction or an expression of concern.

  • Retracting the article with a clear retraction notice stating the reason.

  • Notifying the authors' institutions.

Author Responsibilities
Authors are solely responsible for ensuring the complete originality of their work. By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

  • The work is original and has not been published previously.

  • All sources are properly cited.

  • They have obtained necessary permissions for copyrighted material.

Policy Review
This policy is reviewed periodically to maintain alignment with evolving academic standards.