Plagiarism and AI Policy

1. INTRODUCTION

JIBER is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical scholarship. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes a serious violation of publication ethics and is strictly prohibited. Additionally, with the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, JIBER recognizes the need for clear and transparent guidelines regarding the responsible use of such tools in research and manuscript preparation. This policy outlines the journal's stance on plagiarism and AI usage, ensuring fairness, accountability, and adherence to COPE best practices.

2. DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is defined as the unethical act of presenting someone else's ideas, words, data, or intellectual property as one's own original work, without proper attribution or acknowledgment. At JIBER, plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

 
 
Type of Plagiarism Description
Direct (Verbatim) Plagiarism Word-for-word copying of text from another source without using quotation marks and without proper citation.
Mosaic (Patchwork) Plagiarism Piecing together phrases, sentences, or ideas from various sources and presenting them as original work, often by changing a few words while retaining the original structure and meaning.
Self-Plagiarism (Text Recycling) Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without proper citation or acknowledgment. This includes submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously (redundant or duplicate submission).
Paraphrasing Plagiarism Rewording someone else's ideas without significantly changing the structure, meaning, or content, and failing to provide a proper citation to the original source.
Data Fabrication and Falsification Inventing, manipulating, or misrepresenting research data to support a hypothesis or conclusion. While technically distinct, this is treated with equal severity.

3. PLAGIARISM SCREENING AND DETECTION

A. Screening at Submission

  • All manuscripts submitted to JIBER are screened for plagiarism upon arrival using professional plagiarism detection software, such as Turnitin or iThenticate.

  • The acceptable similarity index (excluding bibliography, quotations, and common phrases) is set at below 20% .

  • A similarity index between 20% and 30% may be returned to the authors for significant revision and proper attribution before entering the peer-review process.

  • A similarity index above 30% will result in an automatic desk rejection without further review.

B. Screening Throughout the Process

  • Plagiarism checks are conducted at multiple stages: at submission, after revision, and before final publication.

  • The editorial board reserves the right to perform additional checks at any time, even post-publication, if ethical concerns are raised.

4. AUTHORS' RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING PLAGIARISM

Authors submitting to JIBER must:

  • Ensure that their manuscript is entirely original and has not been published previously in any language.

  • Properly cite and reference all sources of information, ideas, and data derived from others, whether published or unpublished.

  • Use quotation marks (" ") for any verbatim text taken from other sources and provide the exact page number(s) in the citation.

  • Obtain written permission from copyright holders for the use of any third-party figures, tables, or lengthy quotations that are not in the public domain or covered by fair use.

  • Disclose any duplication or overlap with their own previously published work and clearly distinguish new contributions.

  • Declare that the manuscript is not under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere (concurrent submission is strictly prohibited).

5. POLICY ON THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

JIBER acknowledges that AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grammarly, and similar large language models) can be valuable aids in the research and writing process. However, their use must be ethical, transparent, and responsible. The following rules govern AI usage:

A. Permitted Uses of AI (Acceptable)

AI tools may be used for:

  • Language editing and proofreading: Improving grammar, spelling, clarity, and fluency.

  • Literature organization: Assisting with reference management, summarization of existing literature, or generating search queries.

  • Data analysis: Supporting statistical computation, coding, or data visualization (provided the underlying raw data is human-verified).

  • Translation: Translating a manuscript from one language to another, provided the final content is thoroughly reviewed and verified by the author.

B. Prohibited Uses of AI (Unacceptable)

The following uses of AI are strictly prohibited and constitute a breach of publication ethics:

  • AI as a Co-Author: AI language models cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship requires significant intellectual contribution, accountability, and the ability to take responsibility for the work—qualities that AI systems do not possess. AI cannot approve the final version, agree to publication, or declare conflicts of interest.

  • Generating Substantive Content: Using AI to generate the core intellectual content of a manuscript (e.g., research questions, hypotheses, methodology, theoretical arguments, discussion, conclusions) is not allowed. AI-generated text lacks originality, critical reasoning, and scholarly contribution.

  • Citing Fictional References: AI tools are known to generate plausible but entirely fictitious ("hallucinated") citations. Authors must verify all references manually and ensure their accuracy.

  • Bypassing Plagiarism Detection: AI must not be used to "paraphrase" existing text in a way that attempts to evade plagiarism detection software.

  • Data Fabrication: AI must not be used to generate synthetic research data or simulate results without explicit disclosure and rigorous human validation.

C. Transparency and Disclosure Requirements

Authors must explicitly disclose any use of AI tools in their manuscript. This disclosure should be placed in the Methodology section or the Acknowledgment section (or a dedicated "AI Usage Statement" section). The statement must include:

  • The name of the AI tool and its developer (e.g., "ChatGPT-4 by OpenAI" or "Grammarly Premium").

  • The specific purpose for which it was used (e.g., language editing, literature summarization, data coding).

  • A clear declaration that the authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the entire work, and that they have personally reviewed and verified all content.

Example Disclosure Statement:

During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [Name of AI tool] for [specific purpose, e.g., language proofreading and reference formatting]. After using this tool, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the final content of the publication.

If no AI tools were used, a statement such as "No artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript" is encouraged but not mandatory.

D. Reviewers' Use of AI

Reviewers are also subject to AI guidelines:

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must never upload or input any part of a manuscript (including abstracts) into an AI tool without explicit written permission from the editorial office, as this violates the confidentiality of the peer-review process.

  • Reviewers may use AI for language assistance in writing their review reports, but must ensure that their assessments remain their own independent, critical evaluations.

6. HANDLING OF PLAGIARISM AND AI MISUSE CASES

JIBER follows COPE's flowcharts for handling allegations of misconduct. The following actions will be taken based on the stage at which plagiarism or AI misuse is detected:

 
 
Stage of Detection Action Taken
During Initial Screening (Pre-Review) The manuscript will be desk-rejected immediately. The authors will be notified of the reason and may be banned from future submissions for a defined period in severe cases.
During Peer Review The manuscript will be rejected without further consideration. The reviewers' efforts will be acknowledged, but the authors will be reported for misconduct.
After Acceptance but Before Publication The acceptance will be revoked. The manuscript will not be published, and the authors will be sanctioned.
After Publication (Post-Publication) If plagiarism or AI misuse is discovered after publication, JIBER will:
1. Issue a formal Correction if the issue is minor.
2. Publish an Expression of Concern if an investigation is pending.
3. Issue a Retraction of the article if the violation is severe or intentional, following COPE guidelines. A retraction notice will be published and linked to the original article. The authors' institutions may also be notified.

7. AUTHORS' ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY

Regardless of any AI tools used, the author(s) retain full and ultimate responsibility for:

  • The originality, accuracy, and validity of the research, data, and conclusions.

  • Ensuring that all sources and contributions are appropriately acknowledged.

  • Responding to any inquiries, critiques, or ethical concerns raised by the journal, reviewers, or readers.

No use of AI tools can be used as a defense against allegations of plagiarism or research misconduct.

8. REPORTING PLAGIARISM OR AI MISUSE

Readers, reviewers, or other researchers who suspect plagiarism or unethical AI use in any JIBER publication are encouraged to report their concerns confidentially to the editorial office. All reports will be investigated thoroughly and expeditiously in accordance with COPE procedures.