Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Agricultural Science and Sustainable Agriculture (JASSA) maintains a strict policy regarding plagiarism. All manuscripts are screened for textual similarity using Turnitin prior to entering peer review.

1 Similarity Index Thresholds

To qualify for the formal peer-review process, the submitted manuscript must adhere to the following strict quantitative screening criteria:

  • Maximum Overall Index: A manuscript with an overall similarity index exceeding 20 percent is returned to the corresponding author for revision or is rejected outright, depending on the extent and apparent intent of the overlap.
  • Single Source Limit: Any single continuous match must not exceed 3 percent.
  • Exclusions: The similarity check configuration excludes the reference list and standard methodological phrasing. Reuse of standard agronomic protocol descriptions and instrument specifications is not treated as plagiarism where the source is cited.

2 Policy on Violations and Sanctions

If a manuscript violates the journal's originality criteria, the following policies apply:

  • Self-Plagiarism: Undisclosed reuse of an author's own previously published material, including republication of a single field trial across multiple articles divided by variable, is treated under the same policy as third-party plagiarism.
  • Post-Publication Sanctions: Instances of plagiarism identified after publication are handled in accordance with COPE retraction guidelines and are reported to the author's affiliated institution.