Plagiarism Policy

Journal of Education, Psychology and Inclusion (JEPI) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of originality, academic integrity, and responsible scholarly publication. The journal expects all submissions to be the authors’ own original work and to acknowledge appropriately the ideas, words, data, images, tables, figures, and other intellectual contributions of others. This policy is informed by recognized publication-ethics guidance, including COPE’s plagiarism guidance and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

For the purposes of this journal, plagiarism includes the unattributed use of another person’s text, ideas, data, interpretations, images, or other scholarly material in whole or in part. It may include direct copying, close paraphrasing without attribution, mosaic or patchwork copying, misleading citation practices, the reuse of substantial portions of previously published work without appropriate disclosure, and duplicate or overlapping submission or publication. JEPI also treats serious forms of self-plagiarism or redundant publication as publication-integrity concerns where prior publication is not transparently disclosed and editorially justified.

All manuscripts submitted to JEPI may be screened for textual similarity before peer review, during editorial assessment, or at any stage of the publication process. Similarity screening is used as a diagnostic tool and not as the sole basis for editorial decision-making. A similarity report does not, by itself, establish misconduct; editorial assessment will consider the nature, extent, location, and context of the overlap, including whether the overlap arises from properly cited quotations, standard methodological description, reference material, legitimate reuse with disclosure, or potentially inappropriate copying. This approach follows COPE guidance that journals should assess plagiarism proportionately and contextually rather than relying only on a numerical similarity threshold.

Where minor overlap, inadequate citation, or poor scholarly attribution is identified and does not appear to involve deliberate misconduct, the journal may return the manuscript to the author for correction, clarification, or resubmission. Where substantial plagiarism, duplicate submission, redundant publication, fabricated attribution, or other serious integrity concerns are identified, the journal may reject the submission, suspend review, request explanation from the author, or take other editorial action considered appropriate in light of the evidence. Editors may also seek clarification from the authors’ institution or other relevant bodies where necessary. JEPI will handle such cases in a fair and confidential manner, following established editorial-ethics procedures.

If plagiarism or redundant publication is identified after publication, the journal may publish a correction, editorial note, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the seriousness and implications of the case. Post-publication action will be guided by the journal’s responsibility to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record and will be taken in line with applicable COPE guidance on corrections and retractions.

Authors submitting to JEPI are therefore expected to ensure that their manuscripts are original, properly referenced, not under consideration elsewhere unless fully disclosed and editorially agreed, and compliant with accepted standards of scholarly attribution. Submission to the journal implies that all listed authors accept responsibility for the integrity of the work and for adherence to the journal’s ethical and editorial requirements.