Plagiarism Screening Statement

Pedagogy Scientia: Elementary School Research Journal is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, and ethical publication standards. Every manuscript submitted to this journal will be screened for plagiarism before being processed further in the editorial and peer-review stages. This policy is applied to ensure that all published articles are original, properly cited, and free from unethical duplication or academic misconduct.

Similarity Checking

All submitted manuscripts may be checked using plagiarism detection tools such as Turnitin, iThenticate, or other equivalent similarity-checking software. The editorial team will examine the similarity report to identify possible plagiarism, excessive textual overlap, improper paraphrasing, duplicate publication, self-plagiarism, or inappropriate citation practices.

Similarity Threshold

Manuscripts submitted to Pedagogy Scientia: Elementary School Research Journal are expected to have a low similarity level. The recommended maximum overall similarity is:

The similarity percentage may exclude references, quotations, article metadata, common terminology, and standard methodological expressions. However, the final decision is not based only on the percentage, but also on the editorial assessment of the similarity report, citation accuracy, and the originality of the manuscript.

Types of Plagiarism

The journal does not tolerate any form of plagiarism or academic misconduct, including:

• copying text, ideas, data, tables, figures, or findings from other sources without proper citation;
• paraphrasing another author’s work without appropriate acknowledgment;
• using large portions of previously published work without permission or citation;
• self-plagiarism or duplicate publication of the author’s own previous work without proper disclosure;
• submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time;
• using fabricated, falsified, or manipulated data in the manuscript;
• improper use of artificial intelligence tools without author responsibility, verification, and disclosure when required.

Editorial Actions

If plagiarism or excessive similarity is detected, the editorial team may take one or more of the following actions:

• return the manuscript to the author for revision before review;
• request clarification from the author regarding the similarity report;
• reject the manuscript before entering the peer-review process;
• reject the manuscript during or after the peer-review process;
• withdraw the manuscript from the publication process;
• retract the article if plagiarism is discovered after publication;
• notify the author’s institution or relevant parties in cases of serious ethical violation.

Author Responsibility

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring the originality of their manuscripts before submission. Authors must properly cite all sources, avoid excessive textual similarity, and ensure that all borrowed ideas, data, tables, figures, and quotations are appropriately acknowledged. Authors are also encouraged to check their manuscripts using similarity-checking tools before submitting them to the journal.

Plagiarism Before Publication

If plagiarism is identified before publication, the manuscript may be returned to the author for correction, rejected, or withdrawn from the editorial process depending on the severity of the case. Manuscripts with serious plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical academic practices will not be accepted for publication in Pedagogy Scientia: Elementary School Research Journal.

Plagiarism After Publication

If plagiarism or serious ethical misconduct is discovered after publication, the editorial team will conduct an investigation. If the allegation is proven, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction notice. The published article may be withdrawn from the journal website when necessary, while maintaining a transparent record of the editorial action.

Commitment to Originality

Through this plagiarism screening policy, Pedagogy Scientia: Elementary School Research Journal seeks to protect the integrity of scholarly communication, maintain public trust in academic publication, and ensure that every published article contributes original and ethical knowledge to the field of elementary school education.