Plagiarism & Duplicate Publication

ACW Press is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and ethics in scholarly publishing. This policy outlines our approach to preventing and addressing plagiarism and duplicate publication in manuscripts submitted to our journals.

Definitions

• Plagiarism: The act of using someone else’s work or ideas without proper attribution. This includes copying text, data, images, or ideas from other sources, including one’s own previously published work, without appropriate citation.

• Duplicate Publication: Submitting a manuscript that overlaps substantially with one already published or under review in another journal. This includes both identical and slightly modified versions of previously published works.
  

Policy on Plagiarism

1. Originality: All manuscripts submitted to ACW Press journals must be the original work of the authors and must not contain any form of plagiarism.

2. Proper Attribution: Authors must ensure that all sources of information, data, and ideas are properly cited and attributed to the original source. This includes verbatim text, paraphrased content, data, and previously published ideas.

3. Use of Detection Tools: ACW Press employs advanced plagiarism detection software to screen all submitted manuscripts. Any manuscript found to contain significant plagiarism will be rejected immediately.

4. Self-Plagiarism: Authors should avoid reusing substantial portions of their previously published work without proper citation. If the manuscript contains text, data, or images that have been previously published, authors must clearly indicate this and provide appropriate citations.
   

Policy on Duplicate Publication

1. Exclusive Submission: Authors must ensure that their manuscript is not under consideration for publication elsewhere at the time of submission to an ACW Press journal.

2. Significant Overlap: Manuscripts that significantly overlap with previously published or concurrently submitted works will be considered duplicate publications and rejected. Minor overlap or extension of previous work must be clearly stated and justified.

3. Prior Publication: If parts of the manuscript have been published previously, authors must disclose this at the time of submission and provide the original source. ACW Press will evaluate the extent of overlap to determine if the new submission constitutes a duplicate publication.

4. Conference Papers: Manuscripts presented at conferences and now expanded or refined for journal publication must clearly acknowledge the original conference presentation. The manuscript should include substantial new content compared to the conference version.
   

Consequences of Policy Violations

1. Rejection: Manuscripts found to contain significant plagiarism or duplicate publications will be rejected without further consideration.

2. Retraction: If plagiarism or duplicate publication is discovered after publication, the article will be retracted, and a retraction notice will be published in the journal.

3. Author Notification: Authors will be notified of the rejection or retraction and provided with the reasons for the decision.

4. Institutional Notification: In cases of severe misconduct, ACW Press reserves the right to notify the authors' affiliated institutions and funding bodies.
   

Author Responsibilities

• Thorough Review: Authors are responsible for reviewing their manuscripts to ensure they are free from plagiarism and do not constitute duplicate publications.

• Transparency: Authors must disclose the origin of their data and ideas, providing appropriate citations and disclosures.

• Collaboration: Authors should collaborate with all co-authors to ensure that the manuscript adheres to ethical standards and that all co-authors approve the final version of the manuscript.

Editorial Responsibilities

• Detection: Editors will screen manuscripts using plagiarism detection tools and evaluate the results to identify potential plagiarism or duplicate publication cases.

• Decision-Making: Editors will make decisions based on the extent of overlap and the context of the reused content, ensuring fairness and adherence to ethical standards.

• Communication: Editors will communicate clearly with authors regarding any concerns about plagiarism or duplicate publication and provide guidance on addressing these issues.