Passion Scientific Refereed Journal for Human Studies is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and publication ethics. The journal rejects all forms of plagiarism, unauthorized reuse of published work, and other practices that violate academic integrity.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to the use of ideas, text, data, results, or other scholarly material belonging to others, in whole or in part, without appropriate acknowledgment or citation of the original source.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Verbatim copying of text without appropriate citation or acknowledgment.
• Paraphrasing the ideas of others without appropriate citation.
• Using data, results, figures, tables, or other scholarly materials without proper attribution.
• Self-plagiarism, including the reuse of substantial portions of an author’s previously published work without appropriate disclosure or citation.
• Presenting previously published work, or a substantial part of it, as new and original work.

Similarity Screening

• All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened using appropriate plagiarism and similarity-detection tools before being sent for peer review.
• A similarity percentage alone is not considered conclusive evidence of plagiarism. The Editorial Board evaluates similarity reports in their scholarly context, taking into account the nature of the research, the way the material is used, the presence of appropriate citations, and legitimate exclusions such as references and commonly used scholarly terminology, where appropriate.
• The Editorial Board may request clarification or revisions from the authors before peer review if the similarity screening identifies material that requires attention.
• The Editorial Board reserves the right to take appropriate action based on the nature, extent, and circumstances of the suspected violation.

Handling Cases of Plagiarism

1. Before Peer Review

If plagiarism or unauthorized use of published material is identified before peer review, the Editorial Board may:

• Reject the manuscript.
• Return the manuscript to the author for correction when the issue is considered correctable.
• Request clarification or additional information from the author when necessary.

The decision will depend on the nature and extent of the violation and its impact on the originality of the manuscript.

2. During Peer Review

If plagiarism is identified during the peer-review process, the Editorial Board may suspend the review process, investigate the case, and take appropriate action, including rejection of the manuscript when the violation is confirmed.

3. After Publication

If plagiarism or a substantial breach of academic integrity is discovered after publication, the journal will investigate the matter and take appropriate action in accordance with its Retraction & Updates Policy. Such action may include retraction of the article and publication of an official retraction notice stating the reason for the retraction.

Authors’ Responsibility

Authors bear full responsibility for the originality of their submitted manuscripts and for the proper use and acknowledgment of all sources and scholarly materials.

Submission of a manuscript to the journal constitutes an acknowledgment by the authors that the work is original, that all sources and previously published works used in the manuscript have been appropriately cited, and that the manuscript does not contain plagiarism or unauthorized use of others’ work.

Confidentiality and Integrity

The journal handles suspected plagiarism cases with confidentiality and integrity. Editorial decisions are based on the available evidence and the nature of the suspected violation, in accordance with the journal’s ethical policies and procedures.