Definition and Forms of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use or close imitation of the language, ideas, data, images, or intellectual work of others without proper acknowledgment and the presentation of such work as one's own. Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. Any verbatim material must be identified by appropriate quotation and citation. Reproduction of copyrighted text, tables, figures, educational assessment instruments, and other third-party material requires permission where the applicable law or license does not otherwise authorize its use.

Undisclosed substantial reuse of the author's previously published work, duplicate submission, inappropriate text recycling, citation manipulation, and misleading paraphrasing are also assessed under the journal's publication ethics policies. Authors must distinguish original analysis from quoted, translated, adapted, and paraphrased sources, including Qur'anic and Hadith texts, educational policy documents, interview transcripts, and instructional materials.

Similarity Screening Using Turnitin

The journal's selected screening policy provides for manuscript similarity assessment using Turnitin when the service is available through the editorial office. Reports should be reviewed by the managing editor in consultation with the editorial team. A similarity score is a preliminary screening indicator, not automatic proof of plagiarism. The assessment must consider the underlying sources and legitimate similarities, including bibliographies, quotations, standard methodological expressions, religious texts, and commonly used disciplinary terminology.

The editorial framework follows these approximate similarity bands, applied as guidelines rather than automatic acceptance or rejection rules:

• Above approximately 40%: extensive overlap will normally lead to rejection where its nature and extent are unacceptable, subject to editorial review and an opportunity for explanation.
• Approximately 20% to 40%: substantial revisions may be required, including correction of citations, improvement of paraphrasing, removal of inappropriate text reuse, and further assessment.
• Below approximately 20%: generally acceptable as an overall similarity level, although minor revisions or action on serious unattributed copying may still be necessary.

The editor must examine the distribution and seriousness of the matched text. A low score does not excuse plagiarism, and a higher score does not on its own prove misconduct. Where authors are asked to revise a manuscript, they should submit a revised file, a point-by-point response, and an updated similarity report when requested through the journal's editorial process.

Investigation, Revisions, and Editorial Decision

When potentially improper overlap is detected, the editorial team examines the evidence, may seek clarification from the authors and relevant parties, and determines whether attribution problems can be corrected or whether the manuscript warrants rejection. Authors receive an appropriate opportunity to explain suspected problems. A revised manuscript is evaluated for both reduced inappropriate overlap and overall scholarly integrity.

Post-publication discoveries of plagiarism may lead to a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or other proportionate action under the journal's Retraction and Correction and Allegations of Research Misconduct policies. Decisions are based on evidence, ethical standards, and independent editorial judgment rather than an isolated software score.