Plagiarism Policy

Policy Statement

Human Biology Journal is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing. The journal considers plagiarism, duplicate publication, and other forms of inappropriate use of previously published work to be serious violations of publication ethics. All submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work and must appropriately acknowledge the contributions and ideas of other researchers.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when an author uses another person’s words, ideas, data, images, figures, tables, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment. It includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct Plagiarism: Reproducing text or material from another source without proper quotation, citation, or permission where required.
  • Mosaic Plagiarism: Combining phrases or passages from multiple sources without adequate attribution.
  • Paraphrasing Without Attribution: Presenting another author’s ideas or findings in different wording without appropriate citation.
  • Data and Figure Plagiarism: Using another person’s data, illustrations, photographs, tables, or other materials without proper acknowledgment or authorization where required.
  • Self-Plagiarism: Reusing substantial portions of one’s own previously published work without appropriate disclosure and citation.
  • Duplicate Publication: Submitting or publishing substantially the same work in more than one journal without appropriate disclosure or an accepted scholarly justification.

Manuscript Screening

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism-detection software and other appropriate editorial checks to identify similarities with previously published literature, online content, and other available sources.

Similarity reports are assessed carefully by the editorial team. A similarity score alone does not establish plagiarism, as properly cited material, standard terminology, references, and common scientific expressions may contribute to text similarity. Editorial decisions are based on the nature, extent, context, and attribution of the identified similarities.

Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to Human Biology Journal are responsible for ensuring that their work complies with accepted standards of academic integrity. Authors must:

  • Submit original work that is not improperly copied from other sources.
  • Cite all sources used in developing the manuscript.
  • Clearly identify and acknowledge quotations, adapted materials, previously published figures, and other third-party content.
  • Obtain permissions when required for the reproduction or adaptation of copyrighted material.
  • Disclose relevant overlap with their own previously published work and related manuscripts.
  • Ensure that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere when exclusive submission is required by the journal.

Handling Suspected Plagiarism

If plagiarism or inappropriate text reuse is suspected before publication, the editorial team may request an explanation from the authors, seek additional information, or conduct further investigation. Depending on the findings, the manuscript may be returned for clarification or correction, rejected, or subjected to other appropriate editorial action.

If plagiarism is identified after publication, the journal will investigate the matter and may issue a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, depending on the seriousness of the violation and the evidence available. Relevant parties or institutions may be contacted when appropriate and consistent with applicable ethical procedures.

All cases will be handled fairly, confidentially where appropriate, and in accordance with the principles of responsible scholarly publishing.

Consequences of Misconduct

Confirmed plagiarism or other serious breaches of publication ethics may result in manuscript rejection, withdrawal of an accepted manuscript, retraction of a published article, or restrictions on future submissions where justified by the circumstances. The journal reserves the right to take proportionate action based on the nature and severity of the misconduct.

Commitment to Publication Ethics

Human Biology Journal expects authors, editors, and reviewers to uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, proper attribution, and accountability in scholarly communication. The journal is committed to addressing suspected plagiarism responsibly and to protecting the integrity of the scientific record.

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