Plagiarism Policy

The Pakistan Journal of Agriculture (PJA) upholds the highest standards of academic integrity and maintains a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism in any form. Plagiarism includes copying text, data, images, figures, tables, or ideas from another source without proper citation. Self-plagiarism also falls under this category, which occurs when authors recycle their previously published content without appropriate attribution.

To ensure originality and compliance with ethical publishing standards, PJA follows the COPE Guidelines on Plagiarism & Misconduct and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Best Practice.

Plagiarism Screening & Policy

  • All submitted manuscripts are screened using Turnitin software before peer review.
  • Manuscripts with a high similarity index beyond acceptable limits will be immediately rejected without further processing.
  • If plagiarism is detected after publication, the Editor-in-Chief will initiate an investigation, which may lead to retraction or disciplinary action in consultation with the author’s institution.
  • Authors are required to ensure their work is free from plagiarism before submission.

Types of Plagiarism Considered

PJA recognizes the following forms of plagiarism:

  1. Full Plagiarism – Directly copying another author's work without any changes or citation.
  2. Partial Plagiarism – Combining copied content from multiple sources with modifications, but still without proper citation.
  3. Self-Plagiarism – Reusing significant portions of an author’s previously published work without reference, including publishing the same paper in multiple journals with minimal changes.

Actions Against Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected, the following actions may be taken:

  • Pre-Publication Plagiarism → Immediate rejection of the manuscript.
  • Post-Publication Plagiarism → Retraction, with a clear statement of plagiarism linked to the published article.
  • Serious Cases → Notification to the author’s institution, funding agency, or relevant authorities for further investigation.

Institutional Reporting & Consequences

  • PJA may notify the author’s affiliated institution (university, research organization, or funding body) if serious plagiarism is confirmed.
  • The journal reserves the right to ban authors with confirmed plagiarism from submitting future manuscripts for up to five years.
  • The plagiarized paper will be removed from PJA’s website and other indexing databases.

PJA remains committed to promoting ethical publishing practices and fostering original, high-quality research in agriculture and allied sciences. Authors are encouraged to adhere strictly to these ethical guidelines to maintain the integrity and credibility of their scientific contributions.