Plagiarism and Similarity Check Policy

The International Journal of Counseling and Applied Psychology (IJCAP) maintains a strict policy against plagiarism and unethical publication practices. All submitted manuscripts must be original works and free from any form of plagiarism or duplicate publication.

1. Similarity Check

  • Every manuscript submitted to IJCAP undergoes a plagiarism screening using reliable similarity detection software such as Turnitin or iThenticate.
  • The acceptable similarity index threshold is ≤20%, excluding references, direct quotations, and commonly used phrases.
  • Manuscripts exceeding this threshold will be returned to authors for revision or may be rejected outright.

2. Types of Plagiarism Considered Unacceptable

  • Direct plagiarism: Copying text, figures, or data from another source without acknowledgment.
  • Self-plagiarism: Republishing one’s own previously published work without proper citation or justification.
  • Mosaic plagiarism: Borrowing ideas or phrases from a source without using quotation marks or proper attribution.
  • Inaccurate citation: Presenting incorrect or fabricated references to support arguments.
  • Duplicate submission: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously.

3. Consequences of Plagiarism

  • If plagiarism is detected before publication, the manuscript will be rejected immediately.
  • If plagiarism is detected after publication, the article may be retracted in accordance with the Retraction, Withdrawal, and Correction Policy (R-W-C).
  • Authors found guilty of serious plagiarism may be blacklisted from future submissions to IJCAP and reported to their affiliated institutions.

4. Author Responsibility

  • Authors are responsible for ensuring that their work is completely original and properly cites all sources.
  • Authors must obtain permission for the use of copyrighted materials, including figures, tables, or extensive quotations.
  • By submitting to IJCAP, authors acknowledge that their manuscript will be screened for similarity and agree to the terms of this plagiarism policy.