Plagiarism & Retraction Policy

Plagiarism & Retraction Policy

Journal of Social Governance and Public Administration (SOGPA) recognizes plagiarism and other forms of publication misconduct as unethical and unacceptable academic behavior. The journal is committed to preventing, detecting, and appropriately addressing plagiarism and maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin before the peer-review process and, where necessary, before final publication. The journal permits a maximum similarity index of 10%. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected, depending on the nature and extent of the similarity.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use, imitation, or presentation of another person's ideas, words, data, findings, or intellectual work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment or citation.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct copying of text without proper citation
  • Paraphrasing without appropriate attribution
  • Unauthorized use of figures, tables, or data
  • Duplicate publication
  • Self-plagiarism or redundant publication

Plagiarism Policy

Authors submitting manuscripts to SOGPA must ensure that:

  • The manuscript is original and has not been previously published elsewhere.
  • The manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.
  • All sources are properly cited and referenced.
  • Quoted material is clearly identified and appropriately cited.
  • Necessary permission is obtained for copyrighted materials when required.
  • The manuscript does not contain fabricated, falsified, or misleading information.

All authors are collectively responsible for the originality, accuracy, and academic integrity of their submitted manuscript.

Citation of Relevant SOGPA Articles

Authors are encouraged to consider and cite relevant articles previously published in SOGPA when such articles are directly related to the topic, theoretical framework, methodology, or findings of the submitted manuscript.

Any citation of SOGPA articles must be based on academic relevance and scholarly contribution and should not be included solely to increase citation counts or journal metrics.

Editors and reviewers must not require authors to cite articles published in SOGPA solely for the purpose of increasing the journal's citation metrics.

Levels of Plagiarism and Editorial Actions

1. Minor Plagiarism

Definition:
Limited portions of text show similarity without significant appropriation of the concepts, data, or findings of another work.

Editorial Action:
The authors may be asked to revise the manuscript and provide appropriate citation and acknowledgment.

2. Intermediate Plagiarism

Definition:
Significant text overlap or inappropriate paraphrasing is identified without adequate attribution.

Editorial Action:
The manuscript may be rejected, and the authors may be restricted from submitting manuscripts to the journal for a specified period.

3. Severe Plagiarism

Definition:
Substantial reproduction of another work's ideas, data, results, or significant sections without appropriate acknowledgment.

Editorial Action:
The manuscript will be rejected. The authors may be restricted from submitting manuscripts to SOGPA for an appropriate period. Repeated or serious violations may result in longer-term submission restrictions.

Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

Self-plagiarism occurs when authors reuse substantial portions of their previously published work without appropriate citation or disclosure.

The journal considers the following practices unethical:

  • Republishing identical or substantially similar manuscripts
  • Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously
  • Excessive reuse of previously published content without appropriate disclosure

Conference papers may be considered for submission if they have been substantially revised, appropriately cited, and comply with the journal's originality requirements.

Monitoring and Enforcement

The Editorial Team reserves the right to investigate suspected plagiarism or other forms of publication misconduct before or after publication.

If plagiarism is identified after publication, the journal may take appropriate action, including issuing a correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction, depending on the seriousness of the case.

The journal follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling publication misconduct and maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

Retractions and Corrections

Withdrawal of a manuscript after the peer-review process has begun is strongly discouraged. Any withdrawal request must be formally submitted by the corresponding author through the journal's official communication channel.

Grounds for Retraction

An article may be retracted when there is reliable evidence that it:

  • Contains fabricated, falsified, or unreliable findings
  • Contains plagiarism or redundant publication
  • Violates applicable research ethics standards
  • Uses copyrighted material without appropriate permission
  • Involves manipulated or compromised peer review
  • Contains an undisclosed conflict of interest that materially affects the integrity of the publication

Retraction Notices

Retraction notices issued by SOGPA will:

  • Clearly identify the retracted article
  • State the reason or reasons for retraction
  • Be linked to the original article
  • Remain freely accessible to readers
  • Use clear, objective, and transparent language

The original article will remain part of the scholarly record where appropriate, with a clear indication that it has been retracted.

Expressions of Concern and Corrections

The journal may publish an Expression of Concern when an investigation is ongoing or available evidence is insufficient to reach a final conclusion.

Corrections may be issued when:

  • An error affects part of the published article but does not invalidate the overall findings
  • Author or affiliation information requires correction
  • An honest error is identified that does not fundamentally invalidate the research

All correction, Expression of Concern, and retraction procedures are conducted in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics policy and applicable COPE recommendations.