Anti-Plagiarism Policy
General Provisions
The anti-plagiarism policy establishes standards for ensuring academic integrity, defines procedures for detecting and responding to cases of plagiarism, and sets out the responsibilities of authors when submitting materials to the journal “Agora. Social Sciences Journal”.
This policy is based on COPE recommendations and international scholarly publishing practices.
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another person's ideas, data, texts, images, or research results as one’s own without proper citation of the source.
The following are considered as plagiarism:
- Direct plagiarism – verbatim copying of the text without citation or proper attribution.
- Mosaic plagiarism: Paraphrasing parts of a text while preserving its structure or key elements without referencing the source.
- Plagiarism of ideas – using concepts, hypotheses, models, or methods of another author without proper acknowledgment.
- Data plagiarism – using someone else's results, tables, graphs, or statistical materials without permission or citation.
- Self-plagiarism – reusing one's own previously published materials (text, data, graphs) without clearly indicating prior publication.
- Insufficient citation – referencing a source in a way that does not accurately reflect the actual extent of material used.
Plagiarism is a serious violation of ethical standards and can lead to the rejection of publication or withdrawal of the article.
Standards of integrity that authors must adhere to
The authors confirm that by submitting this manuscript for publication, they have:
- The text is original and does not violate copyright.
- All sources used are correctly cited.
- All data, figures, tables, or images belong to the authors or are used with permission.
- No part of the text has been published previously, except for materials with appropriate disclosure (preprint, conference abstracts, etc.).
- In the case of using their own previous works, authors are required to clearly indicate the fact of reuse and ensure that the new text possesses a significant scientific novelty.
Manuscript plagiarism check
- Initial Editorial Check
All submitted manuscripts undergo mandatory screening using text similarity and duplication detection systems (the publication uses the anti-plagiarism system – StrikePlagiarism).
The screening includes:
- Analysis of text similarities
- Search for duplication with the author’s previous works
- Analysis of tables, figures, and graphs, if necessary
- Verification of citation accuracy.
- Acceptability Criteria
The editorial board does not apply a fixed similarity threshold, as even minor similarities can be critical, and a high level of similarity may be acceptable in the methodological sections. Similarity is not considered plagiarism in the “Methods and Data” section if the description of these methods is standard for this type of research.
The decision was based on qualitative analysis rather than a numerical indicator.
Actions of the editorial board in case plagiarism is detected
- If plagiarism is detected before peer review
The manuscript will be automatically rejected without the possibility of resubmission. The authors have been informed of the reasons for rejection.
- If plagiarism is detected during peer review
The manuscript has been rejected. In cases of significant violations, the Editorial Office may notify the authors' official institutions.
- If plagiarism is detected after publication
Depending on the severity of the violation, the following actions may be taken.
- Publication of a correction if the violation does not affect the main conclusions.
- Publication of an expression of concern if an investigation is ongoing
- Complete retraction of the article in accordance with the Publication Retraction Policy.
- Informing relevant academic or administrative bodies.
The publication adheres to the principles of transparency and does not conceal facts of retraction or corrections.
Self-plagiarism
This journal distinguishes between:
- permissible reuse of individual text fragments (such as method descriptions and well-known theories), provided that proper citation of previous works is given;
- serious self-plagiarism, which involves duplicating substantial portions of previously published materials without appropriate disclosure, is considered a violation.
Authors are required to explicitly indicate the existence of previous publications on the topic and, if necessary, provide copies of earlier works for the editorial review.
Copyright Compliance
The authors bear full responsibility for obtaining permission to use materials subject to copyright.
The publisher does not assume legal responsibility for unauthorized use of materials by the authors.
Rules for Reviewers and Editors
Reviewers must notify the editorial office if they notice any instances of plagiarism or excessive duplication.
Editors are obliged to act in accordance with COPE recommendations and ensure an impartial and confidential investigation of the allegations.
Breaching the confidentiality of the manuscript by the reviewer (for example, checking it using public AI tools) is not permitted.
Explanation for authors in case of rejection
The editorial board provides authors with a justified explanation of its decision, including information about the nature of plagiarism. However, the editorial board is not obliged to carry out a detailed analysis or discuss the decision to reject in cases of serious violations of publication ethics.
Messages from academic institutions
In the event that serious plagiarism is detected, the Editorial Board may notify the administration of the institution where the author works or studies, as well as other relevant authorities (for example, ethics and integrity commissions).
Principles of Transparency
All processes of assessment, verification, and response to cases of plagiarism are conducted confidentially and independently, in accordance with COPE recommendations, and with documentary recordings of all decisions made by the editorial board.
