Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is a serious issue all around the world in the arena of manuscript writing. Plagiarism means “use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work.” Plagiarism is the use of others' published and unpublished ideas or words (or other intellectual property) without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from an existing source. It is potentially considered as the most prevalent form of scientific dishonesty discovered in research papers.

All manuscripts submitted for publication to UJPR are cross-checked for plagiarism using Turnitin.

The intent and effect of plagiarism is to mislead the reader as to the contributions of the plagiarizer. This applies whether the ideas or words are taken from abstracts, research grant applications, Institutional Review Board applications, or unpublished or published manuscripts in any publication format. Plagiarism is scientific misconduct and should be addressed as such. The most important reason behind plagiarism as spotted is lack of knowledge about the subject. And when the researchers are trapped with deficient time, in experienced writing skills and the pressure in order to get their work published in some decent journals, the authors surreptitiously take access others’ work and commit plagiarism.
The following plagiarism is considered by UJPR:

  • Full Plagiarism: Previously published content with no changes to the text, idea and grammar is full plagiarism. It involves presenting exact text from a source as one’s own.
  • Partial Plagiarism: If content is a mixture of multiple different sources, where the author has extensively rephrased text, then it is known as partial plagiarism.
  • Self-Plagiarism: When an author reuses complete or portions of their previously published research, then it is known as self-plagiarism. Complete self-plagiarism is a case when an author republishes their own previously published work in a new journal.

Authors report plagiarism in the following ways: 

  • Inform the editor of the journal where a plagiarized article is published by email at editor@ujpronline.com.
  • Send original and plagiarized articles with the plagiarized part highlighted.
  • If evidence of plagiarism is convincing, the editor should arrange for a disciplinary meeting.
  • Editor of the journal where the plagiarized article should communicate with the editor of the journal containing the original article to rectify the matter.
  • The author should be asked to provide an explanation.
  • In the case of non response in the stipulated time or an unsatisfactory explanation, the article should be permanently retracted.
  • The author should be blocked and debarred for submitting an article to a particular journal for at least 1 Yr.
  • The concerned head of the institution has to be notified.

Consequences of plagiarism:

Student Reputation

Their academic record can reflect the ethics offense, possibly causing the student to be barred from entering college from high school or another college. Schools, colleges, and universities take plagiarism seriously. Most educational institutions have academic integrity committees who police students. Many schools suspend students for their first violation. Students are usually expelled for further offenses.

Destroyed Professional Reputation

A professional person may find that the damage from plagiarism follows them for their entire career. Not only will they likely be fired or asked to step down from their present position, but they will surely find it difficult to get another respectable job. Depending on the offense and the plagiarist’s public stature, his or her name may become ruined, making any kind of meaningful career impossible.

Destroyed Academic Reputation

The consequences of plagiarism have been widely reported in the world of academia. Once scarred with plagiarism allegations, an academic’s career can be ruined. Publishing is an integral part of a prestigious academic career. To lose the ability to publish most likely means the end of an academic position and a destroyed reputation.

Legal Repercussions

The legal repercussions of plagiarism can be quite serious. Copyright laws are absolute. One cannot use another person’s material without citation and reference.  Some plagiarism may also be deemed a criminal offense, possibly leading to a prison sentence. Writers are well-aware of copyright laws and ways to avoid plagiarism. As a professional writer, to plagiarize is a serious ethical and perhaps legal issue.

Monetary Repercussions

Many recent news reports and articles have exposed plagiarism by journalists, authors, public figures, and researchers. Where an author sues a plagiarist, the author may be granted monetary restitution.