Sanctions for Academic Misconduct

The determination of sanctions in cases of ethical misconduct within the Shifa Scientific Journal shall generally fall under the authority of the Editor-in-Chief and the Managing Editor. Nevertheless, in matters involving serious violations or gross academic misconduct, the Journal Ethics Committee shall be convened, and the final determination shall rest with the Committee.

Minor Self-Plagiarism:

Where the case concerns minor self-plagiarism—such as the reuse of a single paragraph from the author’s own previously published work without proper citation—the author shall be requested to revise and appropriately rephrase the relevant section so as to eliminate the ethical concern.

Substantial Self-Plagiarism:

Where self-plagiarism is deemed substantial—for example, the reuse of multiple overlapping paragraphs across two or more publications by the same author—the manuscript shall be rejected. In addition, the author shall be prohibited from submitting manuscripts to the Shifa Scientific Journal for a minimum period of two consecutive publication cycles.

Plagiarism of Others’ Work:

The plagiarism of another individual’s scholarly work, including any attempt to publish—or the successful publication of—such work under one’s own name, constitutes one of the most serious forms of academic misconduct. In such cases, one or more of the following sanctions may be imposed:

• Formal notification to the author’s affiliated institution.

• Official retraction of the published work, accompanied by the prominent marking of the article with the red stamp “Retracted” and a public announcement of its retracted status.

• Revocation of the author’s membership and all editorial affiliations with the Shifa Scientific Journal.

Resolution of Plagiarism Cases:

In all cases of plagiarism—including both plagiarism of others’ work and self-plagiarism—if the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing Editor, and the Journal Ethics Committee are unable to arrive at a final decision, the matter shall be resolved in accordance with the recommendations and guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Note:

Given that academic and publication misconduct may vary considerably in nature, scope, and severity, it is not feasible for this charter to prescribe sanctions for every conceivable form of unethical conduct. Accordingly, the assessment of misconduct and the determination of appropriate disciplinary measures shall remain the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and the Managing Editor, who shall render decisions based on the specific circumstances, degree of seriousness, and nature of each individual case.