Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism Policy
Alkebulan: A Journal of West and East African Studies strongly condemns all forms of unethical copying or plagiarism. Plagiarism is identified when substantial portions of text are taken from previously available materials without proper attribution. To uphold academic integrity, all articles submitted to Alkebulan Journal undergo thorough plagiarism screening using the Plagiarism Checker X software.
Plagiarism is the unethical act of reproducing another person's ideas, methods, findings, or words without acknowledging the original author and source. Self-plagiarism occurs when an author reuses a significant portion of their previously published work without appropriate citation. This can range from duplicating the same paper in multiple journals to incorporating new data into a previously published study.
During the initial evaluation phase, manuscripts found to contain plagiarism are promptly rejected and are not considered for publication in the journal. The handling of plagiarized manuscripts is determined based on the severity of the plagiarism:
- Papers containing less than 10 percent plagiarism: The manuscript will be returned to the author for content revision, and upon resubmission with the revised article, it will undergo processing in the journal.
- Papers containing between 10 to 25 percent plagiarism: The manuscript will be returned to the author for content revision, and after the author submits the revised article, it will proceed to processing in the journal.
- Papers containing between 25 to 100 percent plagiarism: The manuscript will be rejected without further review. Authors are advised to revise the manuscript thoroughly before resubmitting it.
In cases where plagiarism is discovered after publication, the Editor-in-Chief will conduct a preliminary inquiry, possibly with the assistance of a specially formed committee. If the work is found to contain unacceptable levels of plagiarism, the journal will notify the author's institution/college/university and, if applicable, the funding agency.
A finding of misconduct will prompt Alkebulan Journal to publish an online statement on its website, acknowledging the plagiarism and citing the plagiarized content. The plagiarized paper will be formally retracted online, and a statement regarding the retracted paper will be included in the next published hard copy issue.
Authors are encouraged to report instances of plagiarism by following these steps:
- Inform the editor of Alkebulan Journal about the publication of a plagiarized manuscript.
- Submit both the original and plagiarized papers, highlighting the plagiarized content.
- If significant signs of plagiarism are identified, the editor may convene a meeting of the discipline committee.
- In cases where plagiarism is discovered post-publication, the Alkebulan: A Journal of West and East African Studies Editorial Board will respond in accordance with the guidelines established by COPE.
- If found guilty of plagiarism, the author responsible for submitting the plagiarized paper will be prohibited from submitting any new papers to Alkebulan: A Journal of West and East African Studies for a minimum of five years. The plagiarized paper will be retracted, and the relevant institution and funding agency will be notified.
