Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism Policy
Every manuscript is checked for similarity before it reaches a reviewer. This page states the threshold we apply, what is excluded from the count, and exactly what happens at each level of overlap.
Last reviewed August 2026 · Applies to all submissions to JMVRA (ISSN 2984-8911)
Plagiarism is the use of another person’s words, ideas, data, figures or results without appropriate credit and permission. It applies whether the source is another author, a co-author, or the submitting author’s own earlier work. Submitting a paper to JMVRA is a declaration that the work is original and that every borrowed element is attributed.
Types of Plagiarism We Screen For
Direct Plagiarism
Copying text word-for-word from another source without quotation marks or citation.
Mosaic / Patchwork
Borrowing phrases from a source and weaving them into your own sentences without credit.
Self-Plagiarism
Reusing substantial portions of your own previously published work without citing it. Being the original author does not exempt the text.
Figure & Data Plagiarism
Reproducing tables, figures, images or datasets without permission and attribution, including redrawn versions of another author’s figure.
Translated Plagiarism
Translating text from another language and presenting it as original. Similarity software often misses this; reviewers do not.
Salami Slicing
Splitting one study into several minimal-increment papers to inflate a publication count.
Similarity Thresholds and What Happens
| Similarity | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Below 10% | Accepted. The manuscript proceeds to peer review in the normal way. |
| 10% – 20% | Returned to the author for revision. The flagged passages are identified and must be rewritten or properly cited before the paper is reconsidered. |
| Above 20% | Rejected without review. The author may submit a substantially rewritten manuscript as a new submission. |
| Any level, with intent | Rejected, and the author’s institution may be notified. Applies where copying is deliberate and concealed regardless of the percentage. |
Excluded From the Similarity Count
- Properly quoted and cited material — direct quotations inside quotation marks with a full citation.
- The reference list — bibliographic entries necessarily match their sources.
- Standard method descriptions — established protocols, instrument settings and statistical procedures that have only one accurate phrasing.
- Common terminology and definitions — accepted technical terms, formulae and legal or statutory text quoted verbatim.
- Author’s own preprint — where the preprint is declared at submission and cited. See the Preprint & Self-Archiving Policy.
How a Case Is Handled
Do
- Run your own similarity check before submitting
- Cite your own earlier papers as you would anyone else’s
- Put every borrowed sentence in quotation marks with a citation
- Obtain written permission for reproduced figures and tables
- Paraphrase by understanding and rewriting, not by swapping synonyms
Don’t
- Assume common knowledge needs no citation when the phrasing is borrowed
- Reuse your own published paragraphs silently
- Redraw a figure from another paper and present it as new
- Use text-spinning tools to lower a similarity score
- Split one study across multiple minimal papers
Consequences After Publication
Plagiarism discovered after publication is handled under the Retraction Policy or the Correction Policy, depending on how much of the paper is affected. Where the finding is serious, the author’s institution is informed and future submissions from that author may be declined. A retracted paper is never deleted — the record stays visible and permanently marked, because removing it would break every citation already made to it.
Where the Plagiarism Policy Applies
The stages of a paper’s journey this policy governs are highlighted.
Applies at: Prepare · Submit · Review · After
Plagiarism Policy in Brief
Every manuscript submitted to JMVRA is checked with similarity software before it reaches a reviewer. The score is read by an editor, not applied automatically: references, properly quoted text and common phrases are excluded, and the editor looks at where the overlap comes from.
The policy sets out the accepted level of similarity and what happens above it — from a request to revise to rejection. Plagiarism discovered after publication can lead to a correction or retraction. Checking your own paper before submission is the simplest way to avoid problems.
