1. Purpose

The Journal of Soft Computing Exploration is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in research and publication. Plagiarism, in all its forms, constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. This policy outlines the procedures and measures taken to prevent and address plagiarism.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the unethical practice of using words, ideas, data, or other materials produced by another person without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism can be categorized as follows:

• Direct Plagiarism: Copying text verbatim from another source without citation.
• Self-Plagiarism: Reusing significant portions of one’s own published work without appropriate acknowledgment or permission.
• Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rephrasing another’s work without proper citation.
• Mosaic Plagiarism: Combining various sources and presenting them as original work.

3. Screening Process

The Journal of Soft Computing Exploration employs a rigorous screening process to detect plagiarism in all submitted manuscripts:

• Initial Screening: All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial screening using industry-standard plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate).
• Manual Review: Manuscripts flagged by the software are further reviewed manually by the editorial team to assess the extent and nature of the plagiarism.

4. Responsibilities

• Authors: Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work and proper citation of sources. Submitting a manuscript indicates that the work is original, not previously published, and not under consideration elsewhere.
• Editors and Reviewers: Editors and reviewers are responsible for identifying potential plagiarism and reporting it to the editorial board. They must evaluate manuscripts based on their originality and adherence to ethical standards.

5. Consequences of Plagiarism

Upon detection of plagiarism, the following actions may be taken:

• Minor Plagiarism: If minor plagiarism is detected (e.g., small portions of text), the authors will be asked to correct the text and provide proper citations.
• Major Plagiarism: If major plagiarism is detected (e.g., extensive copying), the manuscript will be rejected, and the authors may be banned from submitting future manuscripts to the journal.
• Published Work: If plagiarism is detected in a published article, the article will be retracted, and a retraction notice will be published in the journal. The authors’ institution(s) may also be notified.

6. Procedures for Handling Allegations of Plagiarism

• Initial Assessment: Upon receiving a plagiarism allegation, the editorial board will conduct an initial assessment to determine its validity.
• Investigation: If the allegation is valid, a formal investigation will be conducted, and the authors will be given an opportunity to respond.
• Decision: Based on the investigation, the editorial board will make a final decision regarding the manuscript or published work.

7. Ethical Conduct and Training

The Journal of Soft Computing Exploration is dedicated to promoting ethical conduct in research and publication. The journal provides training and resources to authors, editors, and reviewers to help them understand and avoid plagiarism.

8. Conclusion

Maintaining the integrity of academic work is crucial for the advancement of knowledge. The Journal of Soft Computing Exploration is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and will take all necessary measures to prevent and address plagiarism.

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This policy should be communicated clearly to all authors, editors, and reviewers associated with the Journal of Soft Computing Exploration