Plagiarism Policy

Agrofera: Agronomical Journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. All submitted manuscripts must be original and free from any form of plagiarism.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the use of others’ ideas, words, data, or work without proper acknowledgment. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct copying without citation
  • Paraphrasing without proper attribution
  • Self-plagiarism (reuse of one’s own published work without citation)
  • Data fabrication or falsification

2. Plagiarism Screening

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened using plagiarism detection software prior to the peer review process.

The journal generally applies the following similarity thresholds:

  • ≤ 20% similarity index: Acceptable (with proper citation)
  • > 20% similarity index: Subject to further evaluation or rejection

Editors may assess the nature of similarity, not only the percentage.

3. Policy on Detected Plagiarism

a. Before Review

If plagiarism is detected during the initial screening:

  • The manuscript will be rejected immediately
  • Authors may be asked to revise and resubmit, depending on severity

b. During Review

If detected during peer review:

  • The review process will be suspended
  • The manuscript may be rejected

c. After Publication

If plagiarism is identified after publication:

  • The article may be retracted
  • A formal notice of retraction will be issued

4. Self-Plagiarism Policy

Authors must not submit previously published work without proper citation.
Reuse of text must be limited, properly cited, and scientifically justified.

5. Ethical Compliance

The journal follows ethical guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Any suspected ethical misconduct will be handled according to COPE procedures.

6. Author Responsibility

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring that their manuscript is original and properly cited. All sources must be acknowledged appropriately.

7. Sanctions

In cases of serious plagiarism or ethical misconduct, the journal reserves the right to:

  • Reject the manuscript
  • Ban authors from future submissions for a certain period
  • Notify affiliated institutions if necessary