Plagiarism Policy

The International Journal of Comparative Social Science Studies (IJCSSS), published by Scholar Club Pvt Ltd, upholds the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical scholarship. All manuscripts submitted to IJCSSS must be the authors’ original work and must properly credit any sources, ideas, or materials derived from other researchers.

Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct Copying: Using text from another source without quotation marks or proper citation

  • Improper Paraphrasing: Rewriting another researcher’s ideas or findings without acknowledgment

  • Misuse of Data or Visuals: Using tables, figures, images, or datasets from other works without credit

  • Self-Plagiarism: Reusing previously published or submitted work without proper disclosure or citation

Similarity Threshold
In line with the standards of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, IJCSSS enforces a maximum similarity index of 19%. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be returned for correction or rejected to maintain scholarly integrity.

Detection and Author Responsibility
All submissions are screened using industry-standard plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin). Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work and accurate citation of all sources. Manuscripts that do not meet these standards will not proceed to peer review.

Handling Violations

  • Minor Overlaps: Small citation or reference errors → Manuscript returned for correction

  • Major Plagiarism: Extensive copying or failure to attribute → Immediate rejection or retraction if published

  • Repeated or Severe Cases: Authors may be blacklisted, and their affiliated institutions may be notified

Author Declarations
All authors must submit a Statement of Originality, confirming:

  • The manuscript is original and unpublished

  • All external sources are properly cited

  • The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere

AI-Generated Content Policy
IJCSSS does not allow AI-generated content (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Gemini) in manuscripts.

❌ Submissions containing AI-generated text, analysis, or interpretation will be rejected or retracted.
✅ Only original human research and scholarly work is acceptable.

Transparency and Retraction
Confirmed cases of plagiarism will result in a formal retraction notice to ensure transparency and maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.