International Journal of Adolescent and Pediatric Health

Plagiarism and Research Integrity Policy

International Journal of Adolescent and Pediatric Health (IJAPH)
Published by PT Inovasi Multi Guna, Indonesia

1. Commitment to Originality and Research Integrity

The International Journal of Adolescent and Pediatric Health (IJAPH) is committed to maintaining high standards of originality, research integrity, transparency, and responsible scholarly publishing.

Manuscripts submitted to IJAPH must represent the authors' original scholarly work and must not contain plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, fabricated or falsified material, or undisclosed duplicate or redundant publication.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that ideas, words, data, figures, tables, images, and other materials originating from other sources are appropriately acknowledged, cited, and, where required, used with appropriate permission.

Manuscripts must not be simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

Relevant previous dissemination of substantially related material, including preprints, conference proceedings, reports, theses, or other publications, should be disclosed to the Editorial Office where appropriate.

2. Plagiarism and Inappropriate Text Reuse

Plagiarism and related forms of inappropriate reuse may include, but are not limited to:

  • copying text from another source without appropriate quotation, citation, or attribution;
  • paraphrasing another person's ideas or work without proper acknowledgment;
  • using data, figures, tables, images, or other materials without appropriate acknowledgment or permission where required;
  • presenting another person's ideas, findings, or intellectual contributions as one's own;
  • reusing substantial portions of an author's previously published work without appropriate citation or disclosure;
  • submitting substantially the same findings as a new publication without appropriate disclosure; and
  • manipulating or reusing scholarly material in a manner that misrepresents the originality or provenance of the work.

IJAPH evaluates suspected plagiarism and inappropriate reuse in accordance with recognized principles of publication ethics, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

3. Similarity Screening

Manuscripts submitted to IJAPH may be screened using appropriate similarity-detection software as part of the editorial assessment process.

A similarity report is used as a screening aid and not as an automatic determination of plagiarism.

IJAPH does not use a fixed similarity percentage as the sole basis for determining plagiarism.

Similarity may legitimately arise from:

  • references;
  • standard methodological terminology;
  • commonly used technical expressions;
  • properly attributed quotations;
  • author affiliations;
  • descriptions of established procedures; or
  • previously disclosed material.

The editorial team considers:

  • the amount and nature of overlapping material;
  • the source of the overlap;
  • whether appropriate citation or attribution has been provided;
  • where the overlap occurs within the manuscript;
  • whether original data, findings, or ideas have been reproduced;
  • whether the overlap represents legitimate reuse, minor text similarity, redundant publication, or substantial plagiarism; and
  • the authors' explanation where clarification is required.

Depending on the assessment, a manuscript may proceed to peer review, be returned for revision or clarification, or be rejected.

4. Handling Suspected Plagiarism

When potential plagiarism or inappropriate reuse is identified, the editorial team will evaluate the available evidence before reaching a decision.

Possible actions may include:

  • requesting clarification from the corresponding author;
  • requesting appropriate citation, quotation, attribution, or revision;
  • requesting an explanation of overlapping or previously disseminated material;
  • seeking additional documentation where necessary;
  • rejecting the manuscript when substantial plagiarism or serious misconduct is reasonably established; or
  • taking other proportionate editorial action.

IJAPH distinguishes between minor or inadvertent citation problems and substantial plagiarism or deliberate misrepresentation.

No finding of misconduct will be made solely on the basis of an automated similarity score.

5. Plagiarism Identified After Publication

If substantial plagiarism or inappropriate reuse is identified after publication, IJAPH will evaluate the issue in accordance with its Correction, Retraction, and Withdrawal Policy.

Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, actions may include:

  • publishing a correction;
  • issuing an editorial notice or expression of concern where appropriate;
  • retracting the article;
  • requesting clarification from the author(s);
  • contacting an institution or other appropriate authority where serious misconduct is reasonably established; or
  • taking other actions necessary to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Post-publication actions will be proportionate to the evidence and seriousness of the issue.

6. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must disclose relevant previous publication or dissemination that substantially overlaps with the submitted manuscript.

IJAPH does not permit undisclosed duplicate or redundant publication in which substantially the same data or findings are presented as a new publication without appropriate disclosure, justification, or citation.

Legitimate secondary publication or reuse may be considered only where it complies with applicable ethical and copyright requirements and is fully disclosed to the journal.

Preprints, academic theses, conference abstracts, or other forms of previous dissemination are not automatically considered duplicate publication. Authors should disclose them when relevant so that the editorial team can assess the relationship with the submitted manuscript.

7. Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies

IJAPH recognizes that artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies may be used responsibly in research and manuscript preparation.

Their use must comply with principles of:

  • transparency;
  • human accountability;
  • confidentiality;
  • accuracy;
  • privacy; and
  • research integrity.

Authors

AI systems or AI-assisted technologies must not be listed as authors or co-authors, because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly work.

Human authors remain fully responsible for:

  • the accuracy of submitted material;
  • originality;
  • appropriate citation and attribution;
  • verification of AI-assisted output;
  • protection of confidential and personal information;
  • interpretation of findings; and
  • the integrity of the final manuscript.

Authors should disclose substantive use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies where such use materially contributed to manuscript preparation, research methods, data processing, analysis, image generation, interpretation, or other scholarly content.

Where disclosure is required, authors should identify, as appropriate:

  • the AI tool or technology;
  • its purpose; and
  • how it was used.

If AI forms part of the research methodology, sufficient information should be provided in the relevant Methods section to support transparency and reproducibility.

Routine tools used solely for basic spelling, grammar, formatting, reference management, or similar non-substantive assistance generally do not require separate disclosure unless their use materially affects scholarly content.

Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.

They must not upload unpublished manuscripts, peer-review materials, confidential author information, participant data, or other protected content into external AI systems when appropriate confidentiality and data protection cannot be assured.

AI-assisted technologies must not replace the independent scholarly judgment of editors or reviewers.

8. Editorial Assessment and Actions

Editorial responses to plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, duplicate publication, or related research integrity concerns will be proportionate to the nature, seriousness, evidence, and circumstances of the case.

Possible actions include:

  • requesting clarification;
  • requesting revision;
  • requesting supporting documentation;
  • rejecting a manuscript;
  • publishing a correction;
  • issuing an expression of concern;
  • retracting an article;
  • contacting relevant institutions or authorities where serious misconduct is reasonably established; or
  • taking other appropriate measures necessary to protect the scholarly record.

IJAPH does not determine misconduct or impose editorial action solely on the basis of a numerical similarity score.

9. Appeals and Clarifications

Authors may appeal an editorial decision related to plagiarism, duplicate publication, or research integrity.

An appeal should include:

  • a clear explanation of the grounds for appeal;
  • relevant supporting evidence; and
  • any information necessary to clarify the disputed issue.

Where practicable, the appeal should be assessed by an editor who was not materially conflicted in the original decision.

Submission of an appeal does not guarantee reversal of an editorial decision.

Appeals should be sent to:

Editorial Office: editorialijaph@img.co.id

10. Ethical Framework

IJAPH's plagiarism and research integrity practices are guided by recognized principles and relevant guidance including:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and relevant guidance;
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations;
  • the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement;
  • Research Ethics Policy;
  • Peer Review Policy; and
  • Correction, Retraction, and Withdrawal Policy.

Reference to external ethical guidance does not imply organizational membership, accreditation, certification, or endorsement unless explicitly stated.

IJAPH applies these principles in a fair, evidence-based, transparent, and proportionate manner to protect authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

Contact

For questions regarding plagiarism, research integrity, or publication ethics, please contact:

Publisher: PT Inovasi Multi Guna
Publisher Email: hello@img.co.id
Editorial Email: editorialijaph@img.co.id
Phone/WhatsApp: +62 851 2131 1860
Publisher Website: https://img.co.id
Journal Website: https://journal.img.co.id/index.php/ijaph