Plagiarism Policy

The International Journal of Medical and Allied Health Sciences (IJMAHS) maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. All submitted manuscripts are checked for originality to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record and uphold the highest ethical publishing standards.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to: 
■ Copying text, ideas, figures, or data from another source without proper citation 
■ Self-plagiarism (reusing one's previously published work without disclosure) 
■ Submitting a manuscript that has been published elsewhere 
■ Using AI-generated text without proper authorship declaration 
■ Inadequate paraphrasing or patchwriting

Similarity Check

All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using advanced similarity detection tools. A similarity index above 10% (excluding references) may lead to:
■ Immediate rejection 
■ Request for revision 
■ Notification to the author's institution (in severe cases)

Types of Plagiarism Considered Serious Misconduct

IJMAHS considers the following as major violations: 
■ Substantial copying from previously published work 
■ Republishing the same article in multiple journals 
■ Fabrication or manipulation of data, images, or results 
■ Submitting translated versions of previously published articles

Action Taken on Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected at any stage (submission, review, or after publication), IJMAHS may: 
■ Reject the manuscript 
■ Request extensive revisions 
■ Withdraw or retract the published article 
■ Ban the author(s) from future submissions 
■ Inform relevant academic institutions or funding bodies

Responsibility of Authors

Authors must ensure: 
■ All content is original 
■ All sources are properly cited 
■ Permissions are obtained for copyrighted material 
■ The manuscript has not been submitted or published elsewhere

Editorial and Reviewer Responsibility

Editors and reviewers are required to: 
■ Evaluate manuscripts fairly and confidentially 
■ Report suspected plagiarism to the editorial office 
■ Follow COPE guidelines in handling ethical concerns

Ethical Compliance

IJMAHS follows the ethical standards recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Any case of suspected plagiarism is handled according to COPE's flowcharts and best practice guidelines.