Plagiarism Policy

The Al-Fath Journal of Educational and Psychological Research strictly prohibits all forms of plagiarism and unethical copying. Plagiarism is defined as the use of substantial portions of previously published work, including text, ideas, or data, without proper acknowledgment.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened using Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Software to ensure originality. Manuscripts identified as plagiarized during the initial review stage are rejected immediately and will not be considered for publication.

The journal applies the following similarity thresholds:

Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 20% are rejected.
Any single source contributing more than 5% similarity is considered unacceptable.

In such cases, the manuscript will be returned to the author for revision and resubmission after addressing the plagiarized content.

If plagiarism is detected after publication, the Editor-in-Chief will initiate a preliminary investigation, which may involve a specialized committee. If misconduct is confirmed beyond acceptable limits, the journal will notify the author’s affiliated institution and any relevant funding bodies. The published article will be clearly marked as plagiarized, linked to the original source, and may be formally retracted.

Types of Plagiarism

The journal recognizes the following forms of plagiarism:

Full Plagiarism:
Submission of previously published content without any modification, including text, ideas, or structure, presented as original work.
Partial Plagiarism:
Incorporation of content from multiple sources with minor rephrasing, without proper citation or acknowledgment.
Self-Plagiarism:
Reuse of an author’s own previously published work, in whole or in part, without proper citation. This includes republishing the same work in another journal.

Policy and Actions Against Plagiarism

The journal is committed to protecting intellectual property and promoting original scholarly work. Manuscripts containing plagiarized material violate the journal’s standards of academic integrity, quality, and innovation.

Authors are required to adhere to ethical research practices and avoid plagiarism in all forms. If plagiarism is suspected in a submitted or published manuscript, the journal will:

Contact the author(s) and request a formal explanation within two weeks.
Refer the case to a Fact-Finding Committee for further investigation if necessary.

If no response is received within the specified timeframe, the journal will notify the relevant authorities, including the author’s affiliated institution (e.g., Dean, Director, or Vice-Chancellor), to take appropriate action.

Sanctions and Corrective Measures

If plagiarism is confirmed, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

Immediate removal of the manuscript from the journal website and third-party indexing platforms.
Retraction of the published article and labeling it clearly as a “Plagiarized Manuscript.”
Notification of the author’s institution to initiate disciplinary action.
Suspension or permanent banning of the author(s) from submitting to the journal (for a period ranging from 3 to 10 years or permanently).
Public disclosure of the author(s)’ names and affiliations on the journal’s website.
Implementation of any additional measures recommended by the Fact-Finding Committee or the Editorial Board.

Reporting Misconduct

The journal provides a formal mechanism for reporting allegations of plagiarism or research misconduct. Authors, reviewers, and readers are encouraged to report concerns using the designated reporting form available on the journal’s official website.