Plagiarism Policy

Innovations in Plant and Environmental Sciences Research (IPESR)

The Innovations in Plant and Environmental Sciences Research (IPESR) journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. All submitted manuscripts must be original works that have not been published previously and are not under consideration elsewhere. To ensure ethical publishing practices, IPESR follows a strict plagiarism screening and review process in accordance with international journal standards and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan plagiarism guidelines.

1. Plagiarism Screening

All manuscripts submitted to IPESR undergo plagiarism detection at two stages:

  1. During the initial submission screening
  2. Before final acceptance for publication

IPESR uses Turnitin (or an equivalent similarity-detection system) to identify overlapping text.

  • A similarity index above 18% (excluding references, template text, and acceptable overlaps) may result in the manuscript being returned to authors for explanation, revision, or rejection.
  • Any form of plagiarism, data fabrication, or unattributed copying is considered a violation of the journal’s ethical standards.

2. Types of Plagiarism

Plagiarism may take several forms. IPESR considers the following acts unacceptable:

a. Direct or Verbatim Plagiarism

Copying sentences, paragraphs, figures, tables, or any content from another work without proper citation.

b. Mosaic or Close Paraphrasing

Rewriting someone else's ideas with minor changes while keeping the structure or meaning intact without attribution.

c. Improper Citation

Using text from other sources while citing them, but failing to clearly distinguish quoted or copied material (e.g., missing quotation marks or inadequate referencing).

d. Use of Uncredited Digital or Creative Works

Using illustrations, maps, datasets, code, models, photographs, diagrams, designs, or digital files without proper permission or citation.

e. Self-Plagiarism (Redundant Publication)

Reusing substantial parts of one’s own previously published text, data, figures, or analyses without appropriate citation or justification.

3. Compliance With HEC Pakistan Plagiarism Policy

IPESR adheres to the plagiarism guidelines issued by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan, ensuring national-level compliance.
Authors are encouraged to review the policy to understand definitions, procedures, and consequences for plagiarism.

HEC Plagiarism Policy (reference link):

4. Purpose of This Policy

This policy aims to:

  • Educate authors, reviewers, and researchers about what constitutes plagiarism
  • Promote responsible and ethical writing practices
  • Provide a clear mechanism for detecting and addressing plagiarism
  • Maintain originality and scientific integrity in all research published in IPESR

5. Reporting and Handling of Plagiarism

a. Detection and Verification

When a similarity issue is identified, the editorial team reviews the overlap manually to determine whether it constitutes inappropriate duplication or acceptable similarity (e.g., methods or standard text).

b. Author Notification

If plagiarism is suspected, authors will be notified and asked for clarification or revision.

c. Consequences

Depending on severity, IPESR may:

  • Request revisions
  • Reject the manuscript outright
  • Ban the authors from future submissions (in severe or repeated cases)
  • Inform the authors’ institution or relevant authorities based on HEC guidelines

d. Reporting to HEC (if required)

Serious plagiarism cases may be reported to the institution or HEC through official channels, as per HEC procedures. Complaints may be submitted via:

  • Email or letter to respective institutions
  • HEC Quality Assurance Division
  • Online help portal (http://onlinehelp.hec.gov.pk)
  • HEC Call Centre: UAN (051) 111-119-432

6. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting to IPESR must:

  • Ensure their work is original and properly cited
  • Acknowledge reused or adapted content
  • Avoid multiple submissions or duplicate publication
  • Obtain permissions for copyrighted materials
  • Decline the submission of fabricated, falsified, or unethically sourced data

7. Editorial Responsibility

IPESR editorial staff and reviewers:

  • Evaluate manuscripts impartially
  • Ensure similarity reports are interpreted accurately
  • Maintain confidentiality during the investigation

Follow HEC and journal-specific procedures for ethical handling