Plagiarism Policy

1. Policy Statement

Wacana Equiliberium (Jurnal Pemikiran Penelitian Ekonomi), published by Universitas Islam Madura and managed by the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Islam Madura, is committed to maintaining the originality, integrity, transparency, and credibility of scholarly publications.

The journal strictly prohibits plagiarism, self-plagiarism, unauthorized reproduction of scholarly content, and other forms of inappropriate use of intellectual work.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal must represent original scholarly contributions and comply with established principles of research integrity and publication ethics.

This policy is implemented in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement and refers to relevant guidance provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Definition and Forms of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use or presentation of another person's words, ideas, research findings, data, figures, or intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment or authorization.

Forms of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

  • Direct Plagiarism: Reproducing another author's text without appropriate quotation or attribution.

  • Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rewriting or restructuring another author's ideas or expressions without proper acknowledgment.

  • Mosaic Plagiarism: Combining copied phrases, sentences, or ideas from multiple sources without sufficient attribution.

  • Self-Plagiarism and Inappropriate Text Recycling: Reusing substantial portions of previously published work without appropriate disclosure or citation.

  • Data and Figure Plagiarism: Presenting research data, tables, illustrations, images, or analytical results produced by others as original contributions.

  • Translation Plagiarism: Translating previously published materials without acknowledging the original source.

  • Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Publishing substantially overlapping scholarly work without appropriate disclosure, justification, or acknowledgment.

Plagiarism may constitute an ethical violation regardless of whether the copied or improperly attributed material produces a high overall similarity score.

3. Similarity Screening Procedure

Wacana Equiliberium uses Turnitin as a similarity-detection tool to support the editorial assessment of submitted manuscripts.

Similarity screening is conducted as part of the journal's editorial evaluation process to identify potential textual overlap with previously published scholarly literature, online resources, and other available documents.

The journal maintains a maximum overall similarity threshold of 20% as its routine manuscript screening standard.

The similarity score is evaluated in conjunction with the nature, location, and source of the detected overlap.

Where appropriate and technically supported, the editorial assessment may exclude reference lists, properly identified quotations, and insignificant standard expressions from the calculated similarity score.

Such exclusions do not exempt authors from the responsibility to provide appropriate attribution or comply with copyright requirements.

A similarity score exceeding 20% normally requires further editorial examination and, where appropriate, manuscript revision before the submission can proceed.

A similarity score of 20% or below does not automatically establish originality or guarantee manuscript acceptance.

The final determination of potential plagiarism is made through editorial assessment rather than automated similarity scores alone.

4. Editorial Evaluation of Similarity Reports

The editorial team evaluates Turnitin similarity reports by considering:

  1. The overall percentage of textual similarity.

  2. The extent of similarity attributable to individual sources.

  3. The nature and location of overlapping passages.

  4. Whether the relevant sources have been appropriately cited.

  5. Whether direct quotations are accurately identified.

  6. The presence of legitimate methodological terminology or standard technical descriptions.

  7. Potential overlap with authors' previously published research.

  8. The extent to which copied material affects the originality, intellectual contribution, or integrity of the manuscript.

Substantial unattributed copying from a single source may constitute a serious ethical concern even when the overall similarity score is below 20%.

Conversely, a high similarity score caused by appropriately cited material or legitimate overlap does not automatically establish plagiarism.

Editorial decisions must be based on a reasonable assessment of the available evidence.

5. Handling Suspected Plagiarism Before Publication

When potential plagiarism or unacceptable textual overlap is identified during manuscript evaluation, the editorial team may take the following actions:

Minor or Correctable Overlap

Where the overlap appears limited and does not substantially undermine the manuscript's originality, the authors may be requested to revise the affected passages, improve attribution, or provide clarification.

Substantial Textual Overlap

Where extensive similarity is identified, the manuscript may be returned to the authors for explanation and substantial revision, or rejected when the evidence justifies such action.

Serious or Deliberate Plagiarism

Manuscripts containing confirmed serious plagiarism, deliberate misappropriation of intellectual work, or fraudulent representation of scholarly contributions may be rejected.

Where appropriate, the journal may refer serious concerns to the authors' institutions or other relevant authorities in accordance with applicable ethical procedures.

Authors will ordinarily be given an opportunity to respond to substantive allegations before a final determination is made.

The journal refers to relevant COPE guidance when addressing suspected plagiarism and redundant publication.

6. Self-Plagiarism and Prior Publications

Authors must appropriately disclose and cite previously published work that is relevant to their submitted manuscripts.

The reuse of previously published material must not misrepresent existing research as a new or independent scholarly contribution.

Limited reuse of methodological descriptions or standard technical terminology may be acceptable when appropriately attributed and consistent with copyright requirements.

Authors submitting manuscripts derived from conference papers, theses, dissertations, preprints, or related publications must disclose relevant prior dissemination and explain the originality of the submitted contribution.

The editorial team evaluates such cases according to the extent of overlap, originality of the new contribution, applicable copyright arrangements, and the journal's publication policies.

7. Plagiarism Identified After Publication

Wacana Equiliberium is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published scholarly record.

Allegations of plagiarism involving published articles will be evaluated using available documentary evidence and appropriate editorial procedures.

Depending on the nature and severity of the confirmed concern, editorial actions may include:

  • Publishing a correction or clarification.

  • Publishing an expression of concern when serious questions remain unresolved.

  • Retracting an article when substantial plagiarism or other serious misconduct undermines its integrity.

  • Notifying relevant institutions or other journals when appropriate.

Any correction, expression of concern, or retraction will be clearly identified and linked to the affected article.

The journal aims to handle such matters fairly, transparently, and consistently with relevant COPE guidance.

8. Responsibilities of Authors, Editors, and Reviewers

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their manuscripts, providing accurate citations, disclosing relevant prior publications, and obtaining appropriate permissions for copyrighted materials.

Editors are responsible for interpreting similarity reports objectively, examining potential ethical concerns, and making appropriate editorial decisions based on available evidence.

Reviewers are expected to inform the handling editor when they identify substantial overlap, unattributed material, or possible plagiarism during manuscript evaluation.

All parties must maintain the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts and comply with the journal's publication ethics and peer-review policies.

9. Complaints and Appeals

Authors and other interested parties may submit concerns, explanations, or appeals regarding plagiarism assessments through the journal's official contact channels.

Appeals should identify relevant factual errors, procedural concerns, or additional evidence that warrants reconsideration.

The editorial team will evaluate complaints and appeals fairly and, when necessary, arrange an independent assessment to avoid conflicts of interest.

Official journal contact:

https://journal.uim.ac.id/index.php/equilibrium/about/contact

10. Policy Implementation and Review

The editorial management of Wacana Equiliberium is responsible for implementing this policy in coordination with the journal's publisher and managing institution.

The policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure its continued relevance to scholarly publishing standards, research integrity principles, and developments in similarity-detection technologies.

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