Plagiarism & Research Misconduct Policy

Plagiarism Screening & Research Misconduct Policy

The Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. All submitted manuscripts are thoroughly checked for plagiarism and evaluated for any form of research misconduct before and during the review process.

1. Plagiarism Screening

All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism detection before entering peer review. The journal uses reliable plagiarism detection software to verify:

  • Text similarity
  • Improper paraphrasing
  • Duplicate publication
  • Overlapping submissions

The journal may use tools such as:

2. Acceptable Similarity Threshold

While some similarity is expected due to references, methods, or standardized terminology, the journal enforces the following guidelines:

  • Similarity above 20% may require revision
  • Similarity above 30% is generally unacceptable
  • Similarity in the results or discussion sections is strictly prohibited
  • Self-plagiarism in more than 10% of the manuscript is not allowed

Final decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief.

3. Types of Plagiarism

The journal considers the following forms of plagiarism as serious violations:

a. Direct plagiarism

Copying text verbatim without proper citation.

b. Mosaic plagiarism

Borrowing ideas, phrases, or structure without acknowledgment.

c. Self-plagiarism

Reusing one’s own previously published material without citation.

d. Duplicate submission

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously.

e. Fabrication and falsification

Inventing or manipulating data, images, or results.

f. Misrepresentation

Manipulating citations, authorship order, or affiliations.

4. Procedures for Suspected Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected at any stage:

Before peer review:

  • Manuscript is rejected immediately.
  • Authors are notified with a similarity report.

During peer review:

  • Review is paused.
  • Authors must provide clarification or revision.

After publication:

Depending on severity:

  • Correction
  • Expression of concern
  • Retraction
  • Ban on future submissions

All actions follow COPE guidelines.

5. Research Misconduct

The journal defines research misconduct as:

  • Fabrication of data
  • Falsification of results
  • Manipulation of images or figures
  • Unethical research involving humans or animals
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Ghostwriting or honorary authorship
  • Citation manipulation
  • Salami slicing (fragmenting results into multiple papers)

6. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Any allegations of misconduct are handled according to the COPE flowcharts:

  • The editorial board investigates the issue
  • Author(s) may be asked to provide raw data
  • Institutions may be contacted if necessary
  • A formal decision is communicated to authors

Sanctions may include:

  • Rejection or retraction
  • Blacklisting authors for up to 3 years
  • Notification of the author’s institution or funder

7. Author Responsibilities

Authors must ensure:

  • All work is original
  • All sources are properly cited
  • No part of the manuscript is under review elsewhere
  • Ethical approval is obtained for human or animal studies
  • Raw data is available upon request

8. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must report any suspicion of:

  • Plagiarism
  • Duplicate publication
  • Ethical violations
  • Data manipulation

Confidentiality is strictly maintained.

9. Editorial Responsibilities

The editorial team ensures:

  • Fair investigation
  • Confidential handling of cases
  • Decisions based on evidence and COPE standards
  • Transparent communication with authors

10. COPE Compliance

The journal strictly adheres to: