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Plagiarism Policy

International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy (IJRGSE)

The International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy (IJRGSE) is committed to publishing original research and maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. This Plagiarism Policy outlines the journal’s approach to identifying, preventing, and addressing plagiarism and related ethical misconduct.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s work, ideas, data, or words without proper acknowledgment. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct copying of text without citation

  • Paraphrasing substantial portions of another work without attribution

  • Self-plagiarism (reuse of one’s own previously published work without proper citation or justification)

  • Data fabrication or falsification

  • Duplicate or redundant publication

Plagiarism in any form is considered unethical and unacceptable by IJRGSE.

2. Plagiarism Detection

All manuscripts submitted to IJRGSE are screened for plagiarism using reputable plagiarism detection software before and, if necessary, after peer review.

The editorial office evaluates similarity reports carefully to distinguish between acceptable overlap (such as references, methodology descriptions, or commonly used terminology) and unethical plagiarism.

3. Acceptable Similarity Thresholds

As a general guideline:

  • A similarity index of up to 15% may be acceptable, excluding references and properly cited content

  • Single-source similarity should not exceed 5%

Manuscripts exceeding these thresholds may be returned to authors for revision or rejected outright, depending on the severity and nature of the overlap.

4. Handling of Plagiarism Cases

4.1 Before Publication

If plagiarism is detected before publication:

  • The manuscript may be rejected immediately

  • Authors may be asked to revise and resubmit in cases of minor overlap

  • Serious cases may result in a ban on future submissions for a defined period

4.2 After Publication

If plagiarism is discovered after publication:

  • The article may be corrected, retracted, or removed

  • A retraction notice may be issued explaining the reason

  • Authors’ institutions may be notified in cases of serious misconduct

5. Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit manuscripts that substantially overlap with their own previously published or submitted work. Any reuse of content must be properly cited and clearly justified.

Conference papers or preprints must be disclosed at the time of submission.

6. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for:

  • Ensuring the originality of their work

  • Properly citing all sources used

  • Submitting manuscripts that comply with ethical and academic standards

  • Providing explanations when similarity reports raise concerns

7. Responsibilities of Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers play an important role in identifying possible plagiarism. Any suspected ethical misconduct identified during peer review will be reported to the editorial office for investigation.

8. Ethical Standards and COPE Compliance

IJRGSE follows the guidelines and best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling plagiarism and publication misconduct.

9. Appeals and Clarifications

Authors may appeal decisions related to plagiarism findings by submitting a written explanation with supporting evidence. All appeals will be reviewed fairly and transparently by the editorial board.