Plagiarism Policy

PLAGIARISM POLICY

Buletin Ilmiah Nagari Membangun (BINA)

1. Policy Statement

Buletin Ilmiah Nagari Membangun (BINA) is committed to maintaining academic integrity, scholarly originality, transparency, and publication ethics. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, duplicate publication, or the misappropriation of ideas, data, or intellectual contributions belonging to others without appropriate attribution.

All manuscripts submitted to BINA must constitute original scholarly work. Authors must appropriately acknowledge the sources of ideas, text, data, methods, figures, tables, photographs, and other materials obtained from third parties or previously published works.

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted for publication in BINA, as well as to published articles when credible evidence of suspected plagiarism becomes available.

2. Definition and Forms of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using another person's words, ideas, data, research findings, or intellectual contributions and presenting them as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment of the original source.

Forms of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Direct plagiarism: Copying text or other materials from a source without appropriate quotation and source attribution.

  2. Mosaic plagiarism: Combining sentences, phrases, or ideas from one or more sources without adequate acknowledgment.

  3. Inadequate paraphrasing: Making superficial changes to the wording or sentence structure of an original source without properly citing that source.

  4. Idea or data plagiarism: Presenting another person's ideas, data, findings, or interpretations as one's own.

  5. Image and material plagiarism: Using figures, tables, photographs, illustrations, or other materials without appropriate attribution or the required permission.

  6. Translation plagiarism: Translating material from another language and presenting it as original work without acknowledging the source.

  7. Unauthorized use of unpublished material: Using confidential or unpublished material without appropriate acknowledgment or the necessary authorization.

  8. Self-plagiarism and inappropriate text recycling: Reusing substantial portions of one's previously published work without appropriate citation, disclosure, or scholarly justification.

  9. Duplicate or redundant publication: Publishing work that substantially overlaps with a previous publication as though it were a new scholarly contribution, without adequate disclosure.

Textual similarity does not necessarily constitute plagiarism. Accordingly, the editorial assessment considers the context, sources, nature of the similarities, citation practices, and substantive content of the overlapping passages.

3. Manuscript Similarity Screening

All manuscripts submitted to BINA must undergo similarity screening before proceeding to the peer-review stage.

BINA uses Turnitin as its sole software tool for manuscript similarity screening. The screening is conducted by the journal manager or designated editorial team, and the resulting similarity report is retained as part of the manuscript's editorial records.

The screening process includes the following steps:

  1. Generating a manuscript similarity report using Turnitin.

  2. Ensuring that the reference list is excluded from the similarity calculation.

  3. Examining the overall similarity index after excluding the reference list.

  4. Reviewing the sources contributing to the detected similarities.

  5. Examining the context of similar passages, including the appropriateness of quotations and source citations.

  6. Determining the appropriate editorial action based on the screening results and the substance of the findings.

Additional screening may be conducted after manuscript revision or when necessary before a final acceptance decision is made.

4. Maximum Permissible Similarity Index

BINA establishes 25% as the maximum permissible similarity index based on the Turnitin report, excluding the reference list from the calculation.

This threshold serves as an initial criterion for editorial screening and must not be regarded as the sole basis for determining whether plagiarism has occurred.

The following provisions apply:

  1. Similarity index of 25% or less: A manuscript may proceed to the next stage of editorial processing, provided that no substantial plagiarism or other publication ethics violations are identified.

  2. Similarity index exceeding 25%: The manuscript does not meet BINA's maximum permissible similarity threshold. The editor will examine the Turnitin report and may return the manuscript to the author for revision or reject it, depending on the nature and severity of the identified concerns.

The reference list is excluded from the calculation of the 25% maximum similarity threshold. Therefore, the report used as the basis for editorial decisions must be generated using Turnitin settings that appropriately exclude the reference list, and these settings must be applied consistently.

5. Editorial Actions Before Publication

Depending on the screening results and the seriousness of the identified concerns, BINA may take one or more of the following actions:

  1. Return the manuscript to the author for corrections to quotations, citations, attribution, or other problematic passages.

  2. Request a revised manuscript and conduct an additional similarity screening using Turnitin.

  3. Suspend the editorial process while the suspected violation is investigated.

  4. Reject the manuscript if substantial plagiarism, unjustifiable duplicate publication, or a serious violation of scholarly originality is identified.

For minor and correctable issues, the editor may provide the author with an opportunity to revise the manuscript. However, substantial or serious plagiarism may warrant rejection without an opportunity to revise the problematic material.

All editorial decisions must be proportionate to the available evidence and consistently implemented in accordance with the journal's policies.

6. Suspected Plagiarism During Peer Review or After Acceptance

If a reviewer identifies suspected plagiarism or substantial textual overlap, the reviewer must confidentially report the findings to the editor.

Reviewers must not contact authors directly regarding suspected misconduct without authorization from the editorial team.

If credible concerns arise after a manuscript has been accepted but before publication, BINA may suspend the publication process while the matter is investigated. If a serious violation is established, the journal may revoke its acceptance decision and reject the manuscript.

Acceptance of a manuscript does not exempt the author from complying with publication ethics requirements.

7. Plagiarism Identified After Publication

BINA will investigate credible allegations of plagiarism involving published articles, regardless of when the allegations are raised.

The editorial team will examine the available evidence and, where necessary, request explanations or supporting documentation from the authors. Any action taken will depend on the nature and severity of the identified problem and may include:

  1. Publishing a correction when the issue can be appropriately rectified.

  2. Retracting the article when plagiarism or another serious violation substantially compromises the integrity of the publication.

  3. Notifying the relevant institution or competent authority when necessary.

Corrections and article retractions will be handled in accordance with BINA's policies on post-publication corrections and discussions, as well as relevant publication ethics guidelines.

8. Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to BINA are responsible for:

  1. Ensuring that their manuscripts constitute original scholarly work.

  2. Providing accurate citations and complete references.

  3. Clearly identifying direct quotations and appropriately acknowledging paraphrased ideas.

  4. Obtaining permission to use copyrighted material when required.

  5. Disclosing previous publications and substantial overlap with their earlier work.

  6. Avoiding simultaneous submission to multiple journals and redundant publication.

  7. Checking their manuscripts before submission to prevent inappropriate textual overlap.

  8. Cooperating with editorial inquiries concerning originality and publication ethics.

  9. Ensuring that all co-authors understand and comply with BINA's plagiarism policy.

The corresponding author is responsible for communicating the journal's originality and publication ethics requirements to all co-authors.

9. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors must implement this policy fairly, consistently, and confidentially. They are responsible for examining Turnitin reports, distinguishing legitimate textual similarities from potential plagiarism, documenting relevant evidence, and making proportionate editorial decisions.

Editors must also disclose and manage conflicts of interest that could compromise the objectivity of their assessments. Suspected violations must be addressed on the basis of evidence and established procedures, rather than solely on the percentage of textual similarity.

10. Confidentiality and Recordkeeping

Turnitin reports, source comparisons, correspondence, supporting evidence, and editorial decisions must be treated confidentially and retained in accordance with the journal's editorial recordkeeping procedures and applicable institutional requirements.

Information concerning suspected plagiarism may be shared only with parties who have a legitimate need to participate in the investigation or resolution of the case. The journal must maintain traceable records of screening results, subsequent actions, and the reasons for significant editorial decisions.

11. Complaints and Appeals

Authors who believe that a decision made under this policy involves a material factual error, procedural irregularity, or misinterpretation of the similarity evidence may submit an appeal in accordance with BINA's Complaints and Appeals Policy.

An appeal must identify the decision being challenged and provide relevant reasons and supporting evidence. Appeals will be considered objectively in accordance with the journal's established procedures.

12. Related Policies

This policy should be read in conjunction with other BINA policies, including:

  • Allegations of Publication Misconduct Policy.

  • Authorship and Contributorship Policy.

  • Complaints and Appeals Policy.

  • Conflicts of Interest Policy.

  • Ethical Oversight Policy.

  • Intellectual Property Policy.

  • Peer Review Process Policy.

  • Post-Publication Corrections and Discussions Policy.

  • Generative Artificial Intelligence Policy.

13. References

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Core Practices. https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Flowcharts. https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts

14. Policy Review

BINA reviews this policy periodically to ensure that it remains consistent with the journal's editorial practices, developments in publication ethics guidance, and the principles of transparency and accountability in scholarly publishing.

Any revision to this policy must be approved by the authorized editorial management and announced on BINA's official journal website.