Plagiarism Policy

International Review of Sustainable Economics and Finance

Upholding Academic Integrity

Introduction

IRSEF is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic honesty and professional ethics. Plagiarism—whether intentional or accidental—undermines research credibility and scholarly integrity. Therefore, IRSEF enforces a strict zero-tolerance plagiarism policy to ensure originality of all published content.

What Constitutes Plagiarism?

Plagiarism refers to using another individual’s intellectual work without proper acknowledgment, including:

  • Direct Copying: Verbatim use of content from other sources without quotation and citation

  • Paraphrasing Without Credit: Rewording someone else’s ideas or findings without attribution

  • Data Misuse: Using graphs, tables, images, or datasets from external works without reference

  • Self-Plagiarism: Reusing one’s own published or submitted material without disclosure or proper citation

Plagiarism Threshold

Standard Allowed Similarity
IRSEF Internal Policy Maximum 10%
HEC Benchmark Up to 19%

Although HEC Pakistan allows up to 15% similarity, IRSEF maintains a stricter 10% standard to foster academic excellence and originality.

Plagiarism Detection and Responsibility

All manuscripts are checked using industry-standard plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin).
Authors are solely responsible for ensuring the originality of their submission.
Manuscripts exceeding the similarity threshold will be flagged and reviewed by the editorial board.

Handling of Plagiarism Cases

Type of Violation Editorial Action
Minor (e.g., missing citations or minor overlap) Returned to author for revision and correction
Major (e.g., large-scale copying, lack of attribution) Immediate rejection. If published, the article will be retracted
Repeated or severe violations Author(s) blacklisted; institutional notice may be issued

Author Declaration Required

All authors must submit a Statement of Originality, confirming:

  • The manuscript is original and unpublished

  • All external sources are properly credited

  • The work is not under consideration elsewhere

Appeals Process

If authors believe a plagiarism judgment was made in error, they may:

  • File a formal appeal to the editorial office

  • The IRSEF Editorial Board will re-evaluate the manuscript and issue a final decision

AI-Generated Content Policy

IRSEF strictly prohibits the use of AI-generated content (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Gemini, etc.) in any part of a manuscript.
Submissions containing AI-generated text, analysis, or interpretation will be rejected or retracted.
Manuscripts must reflect original human scholarship and independent research only.

Transparency and Retraction Policy

In cases of plagiarism-related retraction, IRSEF will publish a formal retraction notice to maintain transparency and protect the academic community.

This policy aligns with the ethical publishing standards of HEC, COPE, and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).