Journal of Physical Science Advances (JPSA) maintains a strict position against plagiarism and all forms of unattributed appropriation of intellectual work. The journal expects every manuscript submitted for publication to demonstrate academic integrity, originality, appropriate attribution, and respect for the intellectual contributions of other researchers.
Plagiarism, whether intentional or resulting from inadequate citation practices, is treated as a serious breach of publication ethics. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts do not contain copied, improperly paraphrased, misrepresented, or otherwise unattributed material.
The journal does not consider the deliberate presentation of another person's research, language, ideas, data, or intellectual contribution as original work to be acceptable. A manuscript may be rejected if an ethical violation is established, regardless of the academic qualifications, institutional affiliation, or professional position of its authors, and author may be restricted from submitting future manuscripts and will be responsible for copyright infringement and plagiarism.
Plagiarism involves using another person's intellectual work without appropriate acknowledgement and presenting that material in a manner that misrepresents its origin or ownership. It can occur in written text as well as in research results, mathematical formulations, illustrations, experimental material, and other scholarly contributions.
The following practices are considered unacceptable:
Reproducing sentences, paragraphs, research findings, figures, tables, or other material from another source without appropriate acknowledgement or quotation. Presenting another person's work as one's own is unacceptable, irrespective of the amount of material reproduced.
Combining phrases, sentences, or passages taken from multiple sources, with only minor changes to wording or sentence structure, without proper attribution. Changing a few words or rearranging sentences does not make copied material original.
Restating another author's ideas, arguments, interpretations, or findings in different words without acknowledging the original source. Proper paraphrasing requires both genuine re-expression and appropriate citation.
Reusing substantial portions of one's previously published work without appropriate disclosure and acknowledgement. Submitting substantially overlapping manuscripts or republishing the same research as a new contribution without transparent disclosure is not acceptable.
Using another researcher's figures, photographs, illustrations, tables, datasets, experimental results, or other research materials without proper acknowledgement and, where required, permission from the rights holder.
Claiming another person's intellectual contribution as one's own, concealing the original source of research material, or misrepresenting the origin, ownership, or development of submitted work.
Every manuscript submitted to JPSA must represent a genuine scholarly contribution and must appropriately acknowledge the work on which it is based. Authors must not submit material that has been copied from other publications or that conceals the origin of previously published research.
Authors are expected to distinguish clearly between their own contributions and the work of other researchers. Statements, theories, methods, experimental findings, numerical results, and interpretations derived from existing literature must be supported by appropriate references.
Where a manuscript contains material from an author's own earlier publication, the earlier work must be acknowledged and the relationship between the two contributions must be made clear. Reuse must not create a misleading impression of new or independent research.
Submission of a manuscript to JPSA also requires authors to disclose relevant overlapping publications and related submissions. A manuscript must not be presented as an entirely new contribution when substantially the same work has already been published or is under consideration elsewhere.
Manuscripts may be examined for textual similarity as part of the journal's editorial assessment. Similarity screening is intended to identify passages that may require closer examination, including text matching published research, online material, and other available sources.
A similarity report is an assessment aid and does not, by itself, establish the presence or absence of plagiarism. Editorial evaluation must consider the nature, location, extent, and context of the matched material.
For example, properly cited technical terminology, standard methodological descriptions, bibliographic entries, and commonly used scientific expressions may produce text matches that do not necessarily constitute plagiarism. Conversely, a relatively small amount of copied material may represent a serious ethical violation if it involves another researcher's central findings, original interpretation, or intellectual contribution.
Accordingly, JPSA does not treat a numerical similarity percentage as the sole basis for an editorial decision. The editorial assessment focuses on whether the manuscript demonstrates appropriate attribution and genuine scholarly originality.
Authors bear primary responsibility for the originality and ethical integrity of the manuscripts they submit. All authors associated with a submission are expected to ensure that the work complies with the journal's plagiarism requirements.
Authors must:
Failure to disclose relevant overlap or provide appropriate attribution may result in editorial action, even where the material was included through an oversight or misunderstanding of citation practices.
Allegations and indications of plagiarism will be considered by the editorial team. The nature of the concern, available evidence, author explanations, and the stage of the publication process will be considered before an appropriate decision is made.
When potential plagiarism or substantial textual overlap is identified during initial screening or peer review, the editorial office may request an explanation, clarification, original source material, or a revised manuscript. The manuscript may be placed on hold while the concern is examined.
Where plagiarism or an unacceptable level of unattributed reuse is established, JPSA may reject the manuscript. Serious cases may also result in restrictions on further submissions by the responsible authors, subject to editorial review.
If plagiarism is identified after publication, the journal may investigate the matter and take appropriate corrective action. Depending on the seriousness and extent of the violation, this may include publication of a correction, an expression of concern, or retraction of the article.
In serious cases, or where further investigation is necessary, the journal may communicate with the authors' affiliated institutions, research supervisors, or other relevant authorities, where appropriate.
The journal reserves the right to withhold publication while an ethical concern is under examination. The seriousness of the violation and its impact on the integrity of the scholarly record will guide the editorial response.
Publication does not prevent the journal from examining concerns about plagiarism that arise at a later stage. Allegations concerning a published article may be investigated when supported by relevant information or evidence.
Where an investigation establishes that an article contains plagiarism or serious unattributed material, JPSA may take corrective action to protect the accuracy and integrity of the published scholarly record.
Depending on the circumstances, such action may include a correction, an expression of concern, or retraction. Any action taken should be communicated through an appropriate editorial notice so that readers are informed of the issue.
Researchers, readers, reviewers, and other interested individuals who identify possible plagiarism in a manuscript or published article may bring the matter to the attention of the journal's editorial office.
Reports should include sufficient information to allow the concern to be examined, such as the title or identification of the relevant JPSA article, the suspected source material, and a description of the passages or research content in question.
The journal may request additional documentation where necessary. Reports will be considered on the basis of the information available, and appropriate steps may be taken following editorial assessment.
JPSA considers originality, accurate attribution, and responsible research conduct essential to scholarly communication. The journal expects authors, reviewers, and editors to uphold these principles throughout the submission, review, and publication process.
The purpose of this policy is not only to address instances of plagiarism but also to protect the reliability of the scientific literature and maintain confidence in the research published by the journal.
