Plagiarism policy

 

The journal “Political Science and Security Studies Journal” is committed to publishing only original material, i.e., material that has neither been published elsewhere nor is under consideration for publication elsewhere.

The journal uses plagiarism detection software to identify instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts: StrikePlagiarism. Manuscripts containing plagiarism or unreferenced textual borrowings may be rejected by the Editorial Board prior to publication.

Plagiarism Before Publication

The journal “Political Science and Security Studies Journal” evaluates each case of suspected plagiarism individually and on its merits. If plagiarism is detected by editors, peer reviewers, or editorial staff at any stage before publication — whether prior to or after acceptance, during editing, or at the proof stage — the author(s) will be notified and required to revise the manuscript by either rewriting the affected sections or properly quoting and citing the original source.

Plagiarism Screening Policy

Manuscripts in which a significant volume of text matches or indications of improper textual borrowing are identified shall be assessed with due consideration of the nature, extent, and context of such matches.

If the text originality score is 75% or higher — that is, text matches do not exceed 25% — the manuscript may be returned to the authors for revision, including appropriate paraphrasing and proper citation formatting.

If the text originality score is below 75% — that is, text matches exceed 25% — the manuscript may be rejected without further editorial peer review. Authors are advised to review the identified text matches, eliminate indications of potential violations of academic integrity, and, where appropriate, submit a substantially revised manuscript as a new submission.

The percentage of text matches is determined using specialized text similarity detection software; however, the final decision is made by the Editorial Board based on an expert assessment of the nature, extent, sources, and context of the identified matches.

Plagiarism After Publication

If plagiarism is identified after publication, the journal will conduct a formal investigation. If confirmed, the Editorial Office will contact the author’s institution and, where appropriate, relevant funding bodies.

The affected article may be marked accordingly in the PDF version. Depending on the severity of the violation, the article may also be formally retracted.

Recommendations for Avoiding Plagiarism

Authors are encouraged to follow the recommendations below in order to avoid plagiarism and improper textual borrowing:

  • use quotation marks for text taken verbatim from a source;
  • do not alter quoted text within the context of a sentence;
  • use appropriate punctuation for quotations within quotations;
  • use ellipses — three dots — to indicate omitted parts of a quotation;
  • use brackets to indicate any added words or clarifications;
  • limit the use of direct quotations;
  • paraphrase or synthesize information from multiple sources using the author’s own words while providing appropriate citations.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce illustrations, tables, and figures from other sources. Such permissions must be indicated beneath each reproduced item.

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism refers to the reuse of one’s previously published material without proper citation or permission from the copyright holder.

Once a manuscript is published, copyright may belong to the publisher or another rights holder. Therefore, authors should not reuse substantial portions of their own previously published work without appropriate citation and, where required, permission.

Limited reuse of short excerpts from an author’s own work is acceptable provided that proper quotation and referencing are applied and that the originality of the new manuscript is not compromised.

Note: The final decision regarding plagiarism, text similarity, and originality is made by the Editorial Board based on the similarity report, expert assessment, academic context, and the requirements of publication ethics.