Plagiarism Policy

Preamble:

"Journal of Religion and Society" (JRS) is committed to publishing original and high-quality research in the field of religious studies. The Journal adheres to the highest standards of academic integrity and expects all authors to contribute original work that is free from plagiarism. This policy outlines the Journal's definition of plagiarism, procedures for identifying and addressing plagiarism, and consequences for authors who violate this policy.

1. Definition of Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the act of presenting the work of another person as one's own without proper attribution. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Direct copying: Copying text or data from another source without quotation marks or citation.
• Paraphrasing: Closely rephrasing someone else's ideas or wording without proper citation.
• Self-plagiarism: Reusing significant portions of your own previously published work without proper citation.
• Mosaic plagiarism: Combining snippets of text from multiple sources without proper citation, creating the appearance of original work.
• Ghostwriting: Submitting a manuscript written by someone else as your own work.

2. Identification and Detection of Plagiarism:

JRS employs various methods to detect plagiarism, including:

• Similarity checks: All manuscripts submitted to JRS are screened using plagiarism detection software.
• Expert review: Reviewers are trained to identify plagiarism and may flag suspicious passages for further investigation.
• Reader feedback: Readers may report instances of suspected plagiarism to the editor.

3. Consequences of Plagiarism:

Any author found to have plagiarized in a manuscript submitted to JRS will face the following consequences:

• Rejection of the manuscript: The plagiarized manuscript will be rejected immediately and will not be considered for further publication.
• Notification of institutions: JRS may notify the author's institution about the plagiarism.
• Blacklisting: JRS may blacklist authors who have committed plagiarism, preventing them from submitting future manuscripts to the Journal.
• Publication of an erratum: If a plagiarized manuscript has already been published, JRS may publish an erratum highlighting the plagiarism and correcting the record.

4. Author's Responsibility:

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work and for citing all sources properly. To avoid plagiarism, authors should:

• Conduct thorough research and cite all sources used in their work.
• Use quotation marks and proper citation formatting when directly quoting from another source.
• Paraphrase in their own words, ensuring that they are not simply copying the original text.
• Obtain permission to use copyrighted material.
• Be familiar with and adhere to JRS's style guide for referencing and citations.