PLAGIARISM POLICY

Plagiarism Policy

VIDWAN Journal of Law and Justice maintains a strict policy against plagiarism and all forms of academic misconduct. Every manuscript submitted to the journal undergoes plagiarism screening using recognized similarity detection software (such as Turnitin or equivalent tools) before it is considered for peer review. The Editorial Board carefully evaluates similarity reports to ensure originality, proper citation, and adherence to accepted standards of academic integrity.

Authors are required to certify that their submitted manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Proper acknowledgment and citation must be provided for all ideas, quotations, data, statutes, judicial decisions, figures, tables, and other materials derived from previously published or unpublished sources.

Authors must acknowledge their understanding of the journal's Plagiarism Policy and Copyright Policy while submitting their manuscript or signing the applicable copyright or publishing agreement. Manuscripts containing unpublished data or copyrighted material must include appropriate permissions from the copyright holder whenever required.

What Constitutes Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Copying text, ideas, legal arguments, data, tables, figures, or other intellectual work without proper acknowledgment.

  • Paraphrasing another author's work without appropriate citation.

  • Presenting another person's research, analysis, or legal interpretation as one's own.

  • Self-plagiarism, including the reuse of substantial portions of previously published work without proper disclosure or citation.

  • Duplicate or simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals.

  • Fabrication or falsification of research findings, legal references, or supporting data.

Even when material is properly cited, authors remain responsible for obtaining any necessary copyright permissions before reproducing copyrighted content.

Citation Requirements

Authors must accurately acknowledge all sources used in the preparation of their manuscript. During the double-blind peer-review process, references to an author's own previously published work should be anonymized where required to preserve reviewer anonymity.

If a manuscript is simultaneously under consideration elsewhere, authors must immediately notify the Editorial Office. Parallel submission without disclosure is considered unethical and may result in rejection or other editorial action.

Editorial Assessment

The primary objective of the journal's plagiarism screening process is to ensure transparency, originality, and academic integrity. The Editorial Board evaluates similarity reports by considering the nature, context, and source of matched content rather than relying solely on an overall similarity percentage.

Where clarification is necessary, authors may provide explanations regarding reused material in their cover letter during submission.

Originality Requirements

To maintain high publication standards, the journal expects manuscripts to demonstrate substantial originality.

  • Legal, social sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary research: An originality level of 80% or higher is generally expected.

  • Similarity resulting from properly cited quotations, statutes, judicial decisions, references, bibliography, or standard legal terminology may be considered acceptable at the discretion of the Editorial Board.

The final decision regarding manuscript originality rests solely with the Editors based on the quality, context, and significance of the similarity identified.

AI-Generated Content Policy

VIDWAN Journal of Law and Justice permits the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools only as writing or language-assistance aids. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, legal analysis, citations, and conclusions presented in their manuscripts.

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools where their contribution is substantial. AI systems must not be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the integrity or accuracy of scholarly work.

Similarity arising from properly cited AI-assisted content or other published sources may be acceptable where appropriate attribution has been provided. As a general guideline, a similarity index between 10% and 20% may be considered acceptable when the matched material is correctly cited and does not compromise the originality of the manuscript. However, every manuscript is assessed individually, and the Editorial Board reserves the right to reject submissions that exhibit excessive similarity or evidence of plagiarism, regardless of the reported percentage.