Plagiarism Policy

The Brooklyn Research and Publishing Institute (BRPI) is fully committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, originality, and transparency in scholarly publishing. Plagiarism, in any form, constitutes a serious ethical violation and undermines the credibility of both the author and the research record. BRPI enforces a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism and related unethical practices in manuscript preparation, submission, and publication.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism involves the presentation of another person’s ideas, words, data, images, or creative work as one’s own without proper acknowledgment or permission. It includes, but is not limited to, the following forms:

Verbatim Copying: Reproducing text, tables, figures, or any other content from previously published or unpublished works without quotation marks, attribution, or reference.

Paraphrasing without Attribution: Rewriting another author’s work, findings, or arguments with minor modifications in wording or structure while retaining the original meaning, without appropriate citation.

Self-Plagiarism (Text Recycling): Republishing or reusing substantial portions of one’s own previously published material without citation or clear acknowledgment of prior publication. This includes duplicate submission of the same or highly similar manuscripts to multiple journals.

Data or Image Plagiarism: Presenting data, graphs, tables, or images from other sources as original work without appropriate citation or authorization.

Idea Plagiarism: Adopting original concepts, hypotheses, methods, or frameworks from another researcher without due acknowledgment, even if the text itself is not copied.

Mosaic or Patchwork Plagiarism: Combining sentences, phrases, or elements from various sources to create a composite text without proper citation.

Plagiarism can occur both intentionally and unintentionally; however, intent does not mitigate responsibility. Authors are expected to exercise due diligence in ensuring that all content is properly attributed and that citation standards are strictly followed.

2. Screening and Detection

All manuscripts submitted to BRPI undergo plagiarism screening prior to peer review. Advanced plagiarism detection software (such as iThenticate or a comparable tool) is used to assess textual similarity between the submission and existing published literature, including journal articles, conference proceedings, theses, preprints, and online resources.

Editorial staff review all similarity reports manually to distinguish between legitimate similarity (e.g., properly cited quotations or references) and unethical text reuse. The decision regarding the acceptability of a manuscript is based on both quantitative similarity thresholds and qualitative assessment of citation integrity.

If plagiarism or excessive text overlap is detected at any stage—before or after publication—the editorial office takes immediate action in accordance with COPE guidelines.

3. Acceptable Similarity Thresholds

BRPI recognizes that certain levels of textual similarity may be unavoidable, particularly in methodology sections, technical descriptions, or references to established terminology. However, manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 15–20% (excluding references, quotations, and standard phrases) are subject to editorial scrutiny.

Any overlap identified within critical sections of the manuscript (abstract, results, discussion, or conclusion) is considered serious, regardless of the overall similarity percentage. Authors may be asked to revise the manuscript to eliminate overlapping material or to provide proper citations before further processing.

4. Editorial Actions in Cases of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected during pre-review assessment, the manuscript will be rejected outright, and the corresponding author will be notified with a detailed report. Authors may be barred from submitting to BRPI journals for a specified period, depending on the severity of the violation.

If plagiarism is detected after peer review but before publication, the editorial office will suspend the review process and request an explanation from the author(s). Unsatisfactory responses or confirmed ethical breaches will result in withdrawal of the manuscript from consideration.

If plagiarism is identified after publication, the journal will issue a formal retraction notice and mark the article as retracted in both the online and print versions. The retraction will include an explicit statement regarding the nature of the plagiarism. In severe cases, BRPI reserves the right to inform the authors’ affiliated institutions, funding bodies, or relevant regulatory authorities.

5. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work prior to submission. Proper acknowledgment must be provided for all sources, including prior publications, datasets, or third-party materials used in the manuscript. Authors are encouraged to perform their own plagiarism checks using reliable software before submission.

When reusing material—such as figures, tables, or substantial text—from previous publications, authors must obtain written permission from the original copyright holder and include appropriate credit lines. All co-authors share equal responsibility for the integrity of the submission.

6. Responsibilities of Editors and Reviewers

Editors and peer reviewers are also expected to remain vigilant for potential plagiarism or text overlap during manuscript evaluation. Any suspected instance should be reported to the editorial office for formal investigation. The editorial team ensures that all such concerns are handled confidentially, fairly, and in alignment with established ethical standards.

7. Educational and Preventive Measures

BRPI promotes awareness of plagiarism and research ethics among authors, reviewers, and editors. Educational resources, author guidelines, and examples of proper citation practices are provided to support the responsible conduct of research and writing.

Authors found to have engaged in minor or unintentional plagiarism may receive guidance on ethical writing and citation, provided the issue is promptly corrected before publication. However, repeated or egregious violations will not be tolerated.

8. Policy Enforcement and Acknowledgment

By submitting a manuscript to BRPI, authors acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to comply with this Plagiarism Policy. BRPI reserves the right to take corrective or disciplinary action as necessary to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

For further details on plagiarism matters, please contact the Executive Editor at editor@thebrpi.org.