Originality Protection
Every manuscript must be original, properly referenced and free from copied content.
Protecting Original Scholarship, Human Accountability and Research Integrity
International Journal of Arts, Commerce, Science and Technology (IJACST) maintains a strict Plagiarism Prevention and Generative AI Ethics Policy to protect academic originality, author accountability, peer-review credibility and the long-term reliability of the scholarly record.
This policy is designed for authors, reviewers, editors, universities, colleges, research supervisors, ISSN evaluation bodies, indexing reviewers and academic institutions seeking a transparent and trustworthy publication framework.
AI Ethics Governance
AI use must remain transparent, limited, human-verified and accountable to authors.
Human Accountability
Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.
Peer Review Integrity
Only manuscripts cleared through integrity screening proceed to peer review.
Zero Tolerance for Plagiarism, Fabrication and Unethical AI Use
IJACST does not accept manuscripts containing plagiarism, fabricated data, manipulated citations, fake references, duplicate publication, undisclosed AI-generated content or unethical use of generative artificial intelligence.
Original
Properly Referenced
Human-Verified
Ethically Prepared
Free from Copied Content
Free from Fake References
Transparent About AI
Accountable to Authors
Direct, Paraphrased, Self and Structural Plagiarism
IJACST defines plagiarism as presenting another person’s words, ideas, data, images, theories, structure, interpretation, tables, figures or research logic as one’s own without proper acknowledgment.
Direct Plagiarism
Copying text word-for-word without quotation, citation or proper attribution.
Paraphrased Plagiarism
Changing wording while keeping another author’s idea, argument or logic without citation.
Mosaic Plagiarism
Combining copied phrases from multiple sources and presenting them as original writing.
Self-Plagiarism
Reusing one’s own previously published text, data or sections without disclosure.
Duplicate Publication
Submitting or publishing substantially the same manuscript in more than one journal.
Salami Slicing
Dividing one study into weak overlapping manuscripts to inflate publication count.
Translation Plagiarism
Translating a published work and presenting it as original without attribution.
Image, Table and Data Plagiarism
Using graphs, tables, datasets, photographs or figures without permission or citation.
Similarity Percentage Is a Tool, Not the Final Ethical Judgment
IJACST may use similarity-checking tools and editorial review to detect text overlap, improper citation, copied structure and duplicate submissions. Final judgment depends on editorial context, citation quality, source overlap and academic honesty.
Generally Acceptable
May be acceptable when overlap is properly cited and limited to standard material.
Editorial Review
May require correction, rewriting, citation improvement or editorial clarification.
Major Revision / Rejection
Substantial similarity may require major revision or rejection depending on context.
Normally Rejected
Normally rejected before peer review when similarity reflects unethical copying.
What May Be Excluded from Similarity Calculation
For fair evaluation, IJACST may exclude standard academic and technical material from the final similarity interpretation. Editors may still examine excluded material if citation manipulation or unethical reuse is suspected.
References
Bibliography
Author Affiliations
Standard Declarations
Ethical Approval Statements
Funding Statements
Standard Equations
Properly Quoted Text
Authors Must Submit Only Genuine Scholarly Work
Before submission, authors must confirm that the manuscript is original, all sources are properly cited, no part is copied without acknowledgment, the manuscript is not under review elsewhere, data and results are genuine, and AI assistance is disclosed where applicable.
Responsible Use of AI Without Weakening Human Scholarship
Generative AI tools may assist authors in limited ways, but they cannot replace human scholarly judgment, critical thinking, originality, data interpretation or accountability. Authors must ensure that AI use does not introduce plagiarism, false information, fabricated references, biased interpretation or unsupported academic claims.
ChatGPT
Gemini
Claude
Copilot
Grammarly AI
Translation Tools
Summarization Tools
Reference Formatting Tools
AI Tools Cannot Be Authors or Co-Authors
IJACST does not allow AI tools to be listed as authors, co-authors or contributors because authorship requires responsibility and accountability that AI systems cannot provide.
Cannot Take Legal Responsibility
Cannot Approve Final Manuscript
Cannot Disclose Conflicts
Cannot Respond to Editors
Cannot Sign Copyright Forms
Cannot Defend Data Accuracy
Cannot Accept Accountability
Cannot Correct Record Later
Authors Must Clearly Declare AI Assistance
Authors must disclose meaningful AI use during manuscript preparation. Disclosure should identify the AI tool name, version or provider where available, purpose of use, section affected and human verification process.
Suggested AI Disclosure Statement
“AI tool [name/version] was used for [specific purpose]. The authors reviewed and verified all AI-assisted content and accept full responsibility for the final manuscript.”
Limited Supportive Use Allowed — Fake Scholarship Prohibited
Permitted AI Use
- Grammar correction
- Language polishing
- Improving readability
- Translation assistance
- Formatting references
- Checking spelling
- Organizing author’s own notes
Prohibited AI Use
- Generating complete manuscripts without human scholarship
- Fabricating data or survey responses
- Inventing citations or DOI links
- Creating fake references
- Producing unsupported conclusions
- Impersonating reviewers or authors
- Hiding plagiarism or paper-mill writing
Visual and Data Integrity Protection
Authors must not use AI tools to create or alter research images, graphs, maps, tables, laboratory images, field photographs or datasets in ways that mislead readers. AI-assisted visuals must be disclosed if they affect scholarly interpretation.
Fake Microscopy Images
Fabricated Charts
Synthetic Survey Data
Manipulated Graphs
Fake Maps or Field Evidence
AI-Created Participant Data
Confidentiality Comes First
Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscripts, unpublished data, reviewer reports or editorial correspondence into public AI tools. This protects manuscript confidentiality, author intellectual property, reviewer anonymity, editorial independence and ethical investigation records.
Manuscript Confidentiality
Author Intellectual Property
Reviewer Anonymity
Editorial Independence
Unpublished Research Data
Ethical Investigation Records
Algorithmic Screening Plus Human Editorial Judgment
IJACST uses a multi-layer integrity screening process before peer review. Only manuscripts that pass integrity screening proceed to double-blind peer review.
Initial Technical Check
Formatting, authorship details, missing declarations and submission completeness are checked.
Similarity Screening
Text overlap, duplicate content, copied sections and suspicious similarity patterns may be examined.
AI-Risk Review
Editors may examine unnatural writing, fake references, unsupported claims and AI-style hallucinations.
Manual Editorial Assessment
Human editors review context, citation quality, originality, methodology and scholarly contribution.
Decision Before Peer Review
Only integrity-cleared manuscripts proceed to double-blind peer review.
Signals of Plagiarism, Paper Mills or AI Misuse
Fake DOI Links
Template Language
Unnatural Citation Patterns
Inconsistent Methodology
Unverifiable Data
Sudden Author Changes
Fabricated Affiliations
AI-Style Repetitive Wording
Title-Method-Finding Mismatch
Suspicious Reviewer Emails
Rejection, Retraction, Institutional Notice and Submission Ban
Depending on seriousness, IJACST may take corrective, investigative or post-publication action. Retraction is used to correct the scholarly record, not merely to punish authors.
Pre-Review or Editorial Action
Return for correction, rejection before peer review, withdrawal from review or author notification.
Formal Investigation
Institutional clarification, evidence review, correction notice or expression of concern may follow.
Post-Publication Action
Retraction, DOI metadata update, indexing notification or future submission restriction may be applied.
Community Vigilance Protects Academic Integrity
Readers, reviewers, authors, institutions and scholars may report suspected plagiarism, AI misuse, fake references, duplicate publication, manipulated data or unethical authorship.
Reports Should Include
- Article title
- DOI or manuscript ID
- Description of concern
- Evidence or source links
- Suspected copied source
- Reporter contact details
- Institutional details, if relevant
Official Integrity Contact
editor@ijacst.com
Subject Line:
Plagiarism or AI Ethics Concern – [Article Title / DOI]
Frequently Asked Questions
Plagiarism and Generative AI Ethics FAQ
What similarity percentage is acceptable?
A similarity score up to 10% may generally be acceptable if the overlap is properly cited and limited to standard academic material. Final judgment depends on editorial review.
Can AI tools be listed as authors?
No. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot take responsibility for scholarly integrity.
Is grammar correction using AI allowed?
Yes. Limited grammar correction, language polishing and readability improvement may be allowed if the authors verify the final text.
Is AI disclosure mandatory?
Yes. Meaningful AI use should be disclosed clearly in the manuscript.
What happens if fake references are found?
Fake references, fabricated DOI links or AI hallucinated citations may lead to rejection or post-publication investigation.
Can reviewers use AI to review manuscripts?
Reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts into public AI tools. Confidentiality must be protected.
What happens after plagiarism is detected?
The manuscript may be revised, rejected, investigated or retracted depending on the severity and publication stage.
Original Research, Responsible AI and Trustworthy Publishing
IJACST supports ethical innovation. AI can help improve language and accessibility, but scholarship must remain human-led, evidence-based, original, transparent and accountable.