Plagiarism Policy

Journal of Computer Science and Informatics Engineering (CoSIE) is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, and responsible scholarly publishing. This policy should be read together with the journal's Publication Ethics policy. All submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work, appropriately acknowledge the contributions of others, and must not be under consideration by another journal. Plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, duplicate publication, and other forms of publication misconduct are unacceptable.

All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism or text-similarity detection software during the editorial process before peer review. Additional screening may be conducted during revision or before final publication when necessary. The purpose of screening is to identify potential textual overlap that requires editorial assessment. A similarity report is a screening tool and does not, by itself, establish whether plagiarism has occurred.

As a general screening guideline, CoSIE expects manuscripts to have a similarity index of no more than 25%, excluding the reference list, properly identified quotations, and commonly used terminology where these are appropriately handled by the screening process.

The similarity percentage is not the sole basis for editorial decisions. A score below 25% does not automatically demonstrate that a manuscript is free from plagiarism, and a score above 25% does not automatically establish plagiarism.

Editors evaluate the similarity report in context and retain responsibility for determining whether the identified overlap is legitimate, requires clarification or revision, or indicates possible plagiarism or other publication misconduct.

When evaluating a similarity report, the editorial team considers the following factors:

• Sources of similarity: whether the matching material comes from published articles, books, websites, the authors' previous publications, or other sources.
• Location and distribution: whether the overlap is concentrated in a particular section, spread across the manuscript, or associated with a single source.
• Citation and quotation practices: whether borrowed ideas, text, data, figures, and other materials are appropriately cited, attributed, and quoted where necessary.
• Methodological descriptions: whether similarities arise from standard technical terminology, conventional methodological descriptions, or commonly used expressions.
• Substantive content: whether the overlap affects the originality of the research question, theoretical contribution, analysis, results, or conclusions.
• Previous publications: whether overlapping material indicates legitimate reuse with disclosure or inappropriate duplicate publication or text recycling.

The editorial team may consult the original sources, request clarification from the authors, or conduct additional checks before making a decision.

CoSIE considers the following practices unacceptable:

• Direct plagiarism: presenting another person's words or work as one's own without proper acknowledgment.
• Mosaic plagiarism: combining or modifying material from one or more sources without adequate attribution.
• Idea or data plagiarism: using another person's ideas, findings, data, figures, tables, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment.
• Inappropriate self-plagiarism or text recycling: reusing previously published material without sufficient disclosure or justification, particularly where it misrepresents the originality of the submission.
• Duplicate or redundant publication: publishing substantially overlapping research without appropriate disclosure or justification.
• Improper attribution: omitting relevant citations or misrepresenting the origin of ideas, data, or other material.

These concerns are assessed based on the available evidence and the nature and seriousness of the suspected conduct, rather than the similarity percentage alone.

When potential plagiarism or inappropriate text overlap is identified, CoSIE will take action proportionate to the evidence and seriousness of the concern.

1. Initial assessment: the editor examines the similarity report, identifies the relevant sources, and assesses the nature, location, extent, and context of the overlap.
2. Clarification or revision: where the concern appears to involve correctable citation problems or limited inappropriate overlap, the editor may request an explanation, additional attribution, or revision.
3. Further investigation: where substantial or potentially serious misconduct is suspected, the editor may compare the original sources, request supporting information from the authors, and consult other editors or relevant experts where appropriate.
4. Rejection: a manuscript may be rejected when substantial plagiarism, extensive unattributed copying, duplicate publication, deliberate misrepresentation, or other serious publication misconduct is established. Serious cases may warrant rejection without further review.
5. Post-publication action: if credible concerns arise after publication, the editorial team will investigate them in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics policy. Depending on the findings, CoSIE may publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, and may contact relevant institutions when justified.

Decisions will be made by the editorial team based on the evidence and applicable publication ethics standards. A similarity score alone will not be treated as conclusive proof of misconduct.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original and that all sources, quotations, ideas, data, figures, and other third-party materials are properly acknowledged. Authors must disclose relevant overlap with their previous publications and must not submit manuscripts that are simultaneously under consideration by another journal. Authors must cooperate with reasonable editorial requests for clarification or supporting documentation concerning originality and attribution. Authors remain responsible for the academic integrity of their submissions regardless of whether similarity-detection software identifies the relevant material.

This Plagiarism Policy forms part of CoSIE's broader commitment to publication ethics and research integrity. Suspected plagiarism and other forms of publication misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics policy and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

CoSIE reserves the right to take appropriate editorial action when evidence of plagiarism or publication misconduct is identified, including before peer review, during revision, before publication, or after publication.