Plagiarism

The Journal of Social Sciences and Media Studies (JOSSAMS) considers plagiarism and unethical text reuse serious violations of academic integrity. All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software, preferably Turnitin. The editorial team evaluates similarity reports considering:

  1. Appropriate citation practices
  2. Quotations
  3. References
  4. Commonly used Terminology
  5. Disciplinary Conventions

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their manuscripts. However, all manuscripts submitted to JOSSAMS must undergo plagiarism screening using Turnitin or other recognized detection software. Authors must comply with the following requirements:

  1. The overall similarity index must not exceed 19%, in accordance with the journal’s similarity requirements informed by the HEC Anti-Plagiarism Policy of Pakistan.
  2. Similarity from any single source must remain below 5%.
  3. All sources, quotations, and previously published materials must be appropriately acknowledged and cited.

Manuscripts exceeding the prescribed overall similarity threshold of 19% may be returned to authors for clarification and revision or rejected, depending on the nature and extent of the identified overlap. Where plagiarism or substantial unattributed duplication is established, the manuscript will be rejected.

Additionally, JOSSAMS aims for a 0% AI detection score in Turnitin AI reports. Any score above 0% will be subject to further editorial assessment and will not automatically result in rejection. Furthermore, where AI-generated content is suspected, the Editorial Team may seek clarification from the authors and assess the matter in accordance with the journal’s AI Use and Disclosure Policy. Manuscripts involving established undisclosed or inappropriate AI use may be rejected. The Editorial Team reserves the right to make the final decision based on the available evidence and the journal’s publication ethics and research integrity standards.