Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Policy

The Journal Draft is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical publishing. All submissions are thoroughly checked for plagiarism—including direct copying, self-plagiarism, and inappropriate reuse of text, figures, or ideas—before entering the peer-review process.

Our plagiarism policy is guided by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and reflects international best practices in scholarly publishing.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

1.1 Direct Plagiarism

Copying text word-for-word from another source without proper citation.

1.2 Mosaic / Patchwork Plagiarism

Rephrasing or mixing copied phrases, ideas, or data from multiple sources without attribution.

1.3 Self-Plagiarism

Reusing significant parts of one’s own previously published work without citation or permission, including:

  • Reusing text

  • Republishing similar datasets

  • Duplicate or redundant publication

1.4 Data, Image, and Code Plagiarism

Using:

  • Published or unpublished data

  • Medical images or graphs

  • AI models, code, or algorithms
    without proper acknowledgment or authorization.

1.5 Idea Plagiarism

Presenting someone else’s hypothesis, concept, or research idea as your own.

2. Plagiarism Screening Process

To ensure integrity, all manuscripts undergo the following screening:

2.1 Pre-Review Similarity Check

Every manuscript is checked using reputable plagiarism-detection tools (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate, Grammarly, Crossref Similarity Check, or equivalent).

2.2 Similarity Threshold

While no fixed percentage perfectly defines plagiarism, The Journal Draft follows these guidelines:

  • Acceptable: ≤ 15% similarity (excluding references, titles, methods)

  • Borderline: 15%–25% → requires revision and justification

  • Unacceptable: > 25% or any instance of copied sentences, figures, or tables without citation

2.3 Manual Editorial Assessment

Similarity reports are reviewed by editors to determine:

  • Whether matches are acceptable overlaps (e.g., methods, standard terminology)

  • Whether plagiarism is minor, substantial, or severe

3. Handling Detected Plagiarism

3.1 Minor Plagiarism

(e.g., improper citation, small copied passages)

The authors will be:

  • Notified

  • Asked to revise the manuscript

  • Required to correct citations and rewrite overlapping text

3.2 Major Plagiarism

(e.g., large copied sections, duplicated data)

Actions include:

  • Immediate rejection

  • Notification of all authors

  • Possible ban from submitting for a defined period (e.g., 1 year)

3.3 Severe Plagiarism / Ethical Misconduct

(e.g., fully copied paper, falsified data, stolen work)

Actions may include:

  • Permanent rejection

  • Blacklisting of authors

  • Notification of the authors’ institution or funding agencies

  • Retraction if already published

4. Post-Publication Plagiarism

If plagiarism is discovered after publication:

The Journal Draft will:

  • Investigate the claim according to COPE guidelines

  • Contact the authors for explanation

  • Issue corrections, expressions of concern, or a formal retraction, depending on severity

  • Update indexing databases and the online journal archive

5. Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting to The Journal Draft must:

  • Ensure that all work is original and properly cited

  • Disclose prior presentations, preprints, or related manuscripts

  • Maintain accurate records of data, images, and code

  • Obtain permissions for reused content

  • Avoid submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously

By submitting, authors acknowledge that the manuscript may be screened at any time—before, during, or after publication.

6. AI-Generated Content Transparency (For AI in Medicine Journal)

Because The Journal Draft specializes in AI in medicine:

Authors must:

  • Clearly describe any AI tools used for text, image generation, analysis, or coding

  • Ensure that AI does not introduce fabricated data or references

  • Take full responsibility for accuracy and originality of content

  • Not use AI to generate fabricated patients, clinical data, or diagnostic images

Failure to comply may result in rejection or post-publication retraction.

7. Ethical Commitment

The Journal Draft is dedicated to promoting transparent, original, and responsible scientific communication. Upholding strong anti-plagiarism standards helps ensure credibility, trust, and integrity in the rapidly evolving field of AI in medicine.