Plagiarism Policy

The Pakistan Journal of Gastroenterology (PJG) upholds the highest standards of integrity and academic honesty in all its publications. Plagiarism, in any form, is strictly prohibited and is regarded as a serious violation of ethical standards.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using another person's work, ideas, or expressions without proper acknowledgment or permission and presenting them as one’s own. This includes, but is not limited to:

- Direct Plagiarism: Copying text word-for-word from another source without attribution or quotation marks.
- Self-Plagiarism: Reusing substantial portions of one’s own previously published work without proper citation or acknowledgment.
- Mosaic Plagiarism: Blending phrases, ideas, or concepts from another source with one’s own work without proper attribution.
- Accidental Plagiarism: Unintentionally failing to cite sources or paraphrasing content without acknowledgment due to negligence or misunderstanding of citation rules.

Policy and Procedures

Manuscript Submission and Initial Screening

- All manuscripts submitted to PJG undergo a rigorous plagiarism check using iThenticate software. This screening occurs before the manuscript is sent for peer review.
- Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submission is original and free from plagiarism. Submissions that fail the plagiarism check will either be returned to the authors for revision or rejected outright, depending on the extent of the plagiarism.

Plagiarism Detection

- PJG uses advanced plagiarism detection tools to identify any instances of plagiarism in submitted manuscripts. Journal staff carefully review any flagged content to determine the extent and nature of the plagiarism.
- PJG may cross-check manuscripts with previously published works, including articles, books, theses, conference papers, and web content, to ensure the originality of the submission.

Consequences of Plagiarism

- Minor Plagiarism: If minor plagiarism (e.g., isolated sentences or small passages) is detected, authors will be notified and required to correct the text, provide proper citations, and resubmit the manuscript.
- Moderate to Severe Plagiarism: If significant portions of the manuscript are found to be plagiarized, the submission will be rejected, and the authors will be informed of the reason for rejection.
- Serious Cases of Plagiarism: If severe plagiarism is detected after publication, or in cases of extensive plagiarism, PJG will retract the published article. The authors' institutions and any relevant funding bodies will be notified of the breach of ethics. A formal notice of retraction, outlining the reasons for the retraction, will be published in the journal.

Author Responsibilities

- Authors must ensure that their work is original and properly cited. Any previously published work that overlaps with their submission must be fully disclosed to PJG.
- Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use third-party materials and must properly attribute these materials according to PJG’s guidelines.

Appeals

- Authors who believe their work was incorrectly flagged for plagiarism may appeal the decision by providing a detailed explanation and supporting evidence to the editorial board. The board will review the appeal and make a final decision.

Preventive Measures

- PJG encourages authors to familiarize themselves with ethical publication standards and proper citation practices. The journal may provide resources and guidance to help authors avoid unintentional plagiarism.

Education and Awareness

PJG is dedicated to educating authors, reviewers, and editors about the importance of maintaining academic integrity and proper attribution of sources. The journal will regularly update its guidelines and resources to reflect best practices for avoiding plagiarism.