Plagiarism Policy

Voice of Academia (VoA) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. The journal strictly prohibits plagiarism and any form of academic misconduct.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened for plagiarism and text similarity prior to the peer review process. The Editorial Office uses plagiarism detection software, including Turnitin and iThenticate, to evaluate the originality of submitted manuscripts and to identify potential overlap with previously published works.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • presenting another author’s ideas, text, data, or results as one’s own without proper acknowledgment
  • copying text from published sources without appropriate citation
  • self-plagiarism or redundant publication of previously published work without disclosure
  • improper paraphrasing or close imitation of previously published content
  • submitting work that has been previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal.

Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts undergo similarity checking using plagiarism detection software. The Editorial Team reviews the similarity report to determine whether overlapping text is acceptable (for example, references, standard methodological descriptions, or properly cited quotations).

As a general guideline, the overall similarity index for submitted manuscripts should not exceed 20%. Manuscripts with a similarity index above this threshold may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected during the initial editorial screening before being sent for peer review.

In addition to the similarity percentage, the editors also assess the context and nature of the overlap to determine whether it constitutes plagiarism or acceptable academic citation.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted manuscripts:

  • are original and unpublished works
  • properly acknowledge all sources and references
  • include appropriate citations for all reused or adapted materials
  • comply with accepted standards of academic integrity.

If significant overlap with previously published work is detected, authors may be asked to revise the manuscript or provide clarification.

Handling of Plagiarism Cases

If plagiarism or unethical publication practices are identified during the review process or after publication, the journal will take appropriate action in accordance with internationally recognized publishing ethics guidelines.

Possible actions include:

  • rejection of the manuscript
  • request for revision or clarification
  • correction of the published article
  • retraction of the article if necessary
  • notification to the authors’ affiliated institutions when appropriate.

All suspected cases of plagiarism are handled following the ethical guidelines recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics and the best practices promoted by the Directory of Open Access Journals.