Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Applied Scientific and Natural Studies (JASNS), published by Scholar Club Pvt Ltd, upholds the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical scholarship. All manuscripts submitted to JASNS must be the authors’ original work and must properly acknowledge any ideas, data, or materials derived from other researchers.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when the work or ideas of others are used without proper attribution. This includes:

Verbatim Copying – Directly using text from another source without quotation marks or proper citation.
Improper Paraphrasing – Rewriting someone else’s ideas, interpretations, or findings without acknowledgment.
Misuse of Data or Visuals – Using tables, figures, images, or datasets from external works without proper credit.
Self-Plagiarism – Reusing previously published or submitted work without disclosure or appropriate citation.

Similarity Threshold

In line with international best practices and HEC Pakistan guidelines, JASNS enforces a maximum similarity index of 19%. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be returned for correction or rejected outright to preserve the integrity and originality of the research.

Detection and Author Responsibility

All submissions are screened using recognized plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin. Authors are fully responsible for ensuring the originality of their work and the accurate citation of all sources. Manuscripts failing to meet these standards will not proceed to peer review.

Handling Violations

Minor Overlaps, such as small citation errors or missing references, will result in the manuscript being returned for correction. Major plagiarism, including extensive copying or failure to properly attribute sources, will lead to immediate rejection or retraction if already published. Repeated or severe violations may result in authors being blacklisted, and their affiliated institutions may be notified.

Author Declarations

All authors must submit a Statement of Originality confirming that the manuscript is original, unpublished, not under consideration elsewhere, and that all external sources have been properly cited.

Appeals Process

Authors may appeal plagiarism findings by submitting a formal request to the editorial office. The JASNS editorial board will review the appeal and issue a final decision.

AI-Generated Content Policy

JASNS strictly prohibits AI-generated content (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Gemini) in any manuscript. Submissions containing AI-generated text, analysis, or interpretation will be rejected or retracted. Only original human scholarship and independent research is acceptable.

Transparency and Retraction

In confirmed cases of plagiarism, JASNS will issue a formal retraction notice to maintain transparency and protect the integrity of the academic record.