Plagiarism Policy

The Competitive Research Journal Archive ("CRJA") takes the issue of plagiarism very seriously. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and expect all authors submitting to our archive to do the same. This policy outlines the definition of plagiarism, the consequences of engaging in it, and the procedures for identifying and addressing plagiarism.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's work as your own, without giving them proper credit. This includes:

  • Direct plagiarism: Copying verbatim from another source without quotation marks or attribution.
  • Paraphrasing plagiarism: Rephrasing another person's work without acknowledging the original source.
  • Mosaic plagiarism: Combining parts of different sources without proper attribution.
  • Self-plagiarism: Reusing significant portions of your own previously published work without proper citation.

Consequences of Plagiarism

Any instance of plagiarism identified in a submission to the CRJA will be taken seriously and may result in the following consequences:

  • Rejection of the submission: If plagiarism is identified before publication, the submission will be rejected outright.
  • Withdrawal of publication: If plagiarism is identified after publication, the article will be withdrawn from the archive.
  • Notification of relevant authorities: In serious cases, the author's institution or funding body may be notified.
  • Public disclosure: The CRJA may publicly disclose the author's name and the nature of the plagiarism.

Procedures for Identifying and Addressing Plagiarism

The CRJA employs several methods to identify plagiarism, including:

  • Similarity detection software: We use advanced software to compare submitted manuscripts with a vast database of academic publications and websites.
  • Manual review: Editors and reviewers carefully scrutinize all submissions for potential plagiarism.
  • Reader reports: We welcome reports of suspected plagiarism from readers.

If plagiarism is suspected, the CRJA will follow these procedures:

  • The author will be contacted and informed of the suspected plagiarism.
  • The author will be given an opportunity to respond and explain the situation.
  • The CRJA editorial team will review the evidence and make a decision on whether plagiarism has occurred.
  • The author will be informed of the decision and the consequences.

Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting to the CRJA are responsible for ensuring their work is original and properly cited. This includes:

  • Citing all sources used in your research, even if they are not directly quoted.
  • Using quotation marks for direct quotes.
  • Paraphrasing accurately and attributing the source.
  • Avoiding self-plagiarism by properly citing your own previously published work.