Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Policy

  1. Purpose and Scope

Journal Of Nursing Practice (JNP) requires original scholarly work, accurate attribution, and responsible use of previously published material.

This policy explains how the journal identifies, assesses, and handles suspected plagiarism and inappropriate overlap in all manuscript types. General investigation procedures are provided in the Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy. Amendments to published articles are governed by the Corrections and Retractions Policy.

  1. Plagiarism and Inappropriate Overlap

Plagiarism involves presenting another person’s words, ideas, methods, data, images, or other scholarly contributions as one’s own without adequate acknowledgment.

Examples include:

  • Copying text without appropriate quotation and citation.
  • Closely paraphrasing a source while retaining its wording or structure without adequate attribution.
  • Translating material from another language and presenting it without acknowledgment.
  • Reproducing data, figures, tables, or ideas without proper attribution.
  • Using material from unpublished manuscripts or confidential documents without authorization.
  • Using AI or other tools to disguise copied material or obscure its source.

Citation alone does not justify extensive copying. Permission requirements and attribution requirements must both be considered.

  1. Author Responsibilities

Authors must distinguish their original contributions from material derived from other sources.

Verbatim text must be clearly marked as a quotation and cited appropriately. Paraphrases must accurately represent and acknowledge the source.

Authors must obtain permission where required by the material’s license or applicable law. Reproduced or adapted material must carry an appropriate credit line.

Authors must disclose relevant prior publications, related manuscripts, and overlapping material. References must accurately support the statements for which they are cited.

  1. Similarity Screening

JNP uses similarity-checking software, supplemented by editorial assessment, to identify potentially overlapping material.

Screening is conducted during initial assessment and may be repeated after substantial revision or before publication. Editors may also examine concerns raised by reviewers, readers, or other sources.

A similarity report identifies textual matches; it does not determine whether plagiarism has occurred. No similarity percentage alone establishes plagiarism or guarantees originality.

Editors examine the matched sources, attribution, extent and location of overlap, originality of the contribution, and significance of the material involved. References, quotations, standard terminology, and methodological descriptions are assessed in context.

Authors must not alter wording solely to evade detection while retaining unacknowledged copied content.

  1. Assessment and Classification

Editors distinguish among:

  • Acceptable overlap: Properly attributed quotations, conventional terminology, or other justified similarities that do not misrepresent originality.
  • Limited attribution or text-reuse problems: Localized deficiencies that may be corrected without replacing the manuscript’s substantive contribution.
  • Substantial or serious concerns: Extensive unattributed copying, appropriation of ideas or findings, misleading reuse of data or images, or overlap that undermines the originality of the work.

Classification depends on the nature and significance of the material, not fixed word counts or percentages. Overlap involving results or original contributions may be serious even when the overall similarity score is low.

  1. Reuse of Authors’ Previous Work

Authors must cite and disclose relevant reuse of their own published material. Prior authorship does not remove attribution or permission requirements.

Text recycling is assessed according to its extent, location, transparency, and effect on the originality of the manuscript. Methodological overlap is not automatically acceptable.

Previous dissemination through a thesis, preprint, conference presentation, or proceedings must be disclosed where relevant. Editors will assess whether the submission provides an appropriate original contribution and complies with applicable publication and licensing requirements.

Translation does not make an existing publication an original work. Any proposed secondary publication requires explicit editorial consideration, transparent acknowledgment, and necessary permissions.

  1. Handling Suspected Plagiarism

An editor without a relevant conflict will examine the evidence and request clarification where appropriate.

Limited, remediable problems may result in a request for revision, correct attribution, or permission documentation. Substantial concerns may lead to suspension of review or production, rejection, or further assessment under the Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy.

Rewording alone is insufficient where the concern involves appropriated findings, ideas, or substantial unoriginal content.

Actions must be proportionate and documented. JNP does not impose automatic submission bans or identical sanctions on all authors solely on the basis of a similarity score.

Concerns about published articles will be assessed under the same principles. Any necessary amendment will follow the Corrections and Retractions Policy.

  1. Reporting Concerns and Appeals

Reports may be sent to jnpstrada@gmail.com, identifying the manuscript or article, suspected source material, and supporting evidence.

Authors may submit a reasoned appeal with relevant evidence. Reports, clarification, investigation, and appeals will be handled under the journal’s Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy and Publication Ethics Policy.

Relevant similarity reports, source comparisons, correspondence, and decisions will be retained in the editorial records.