Plagiarism Policy
Journal of Management Science, Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University
Notes:
- This policy was developed with reference to the standards of COPE, TCI, and the international practices of leading publishers including Elsevier, Wiley, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis, and IEEE.
- This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to the system from June 15, 2026
- Date of announcement: May 12, 2026
Background and Rationale
The global academic community is currently facing unprecedented challenges to scholarly integrity. The Retraction Watch database reports that more than 3,500 articles were retracted in 2025, with 80 percent of those retractions attributed to plagiarism and duplicate publication. Furthermore, the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence technologies such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini has made plagiarism increasingly difficult to detect, as AI-generated content can more readily evade initial screening than content produced through traditional means.
Within the Thai academic context, a survey conducted in 2025 found that 67 percent of Thai journals indexed in the TCI database had yet to establish a clear AI-related policy. This finding underscores the urgent need to align journal standards with international best practices, including those set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the quality assessment criteria of the Thai-Journal Citation Index Centre (TCI) for the 5th evaluation cycle.
The Journal of Management Science, Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University, as a TCI Group 2 indexed journal, recognizes that the publication of plagiarized work causes harm across three key dimensions:
Dimension 1 — Journal Credibility Publishing plagiarized work inflicts permanent damage on the journal's reputation and trustworthiness, adversely affects its Impact Factor, and may result in removal from the Thai-Journal Citation Index (TCI) database — consequences that are extremely difficult to reverse in the short term.
Dimension 2 — Academic Integrity Plagiarism constitutes a fundamental violation of scholarly ethics. Editors bear the responsibility of safeguarding the peer review system, which serves as the cornerstone of academic progress. Neglecting this issue inevitably erodes the broader academic community's trust in the journal.
Dimension 3 — Intellectual Property Protection Original authors hold legitimate rights to their work. Allowing plagiarized content to pass through the publication process constitutes an infringement of those rights and of copyright law, potentially giving rise to disputes and legal action.
For these reasons, the Journal of Management Science, Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University hereby establishes this Plagiarism Prevention Policy, with the objective of providing clear, fair, and internationally consistent guidance for authors, reviewers, and editors. The Journal is firmly committed to the principle that plagiarism screening is not merely a technical matter, but an act of preserving the true value and integrity of scholarly research.
Definition and Types of Plagiarism
The Journal defines plagiarism as the act of presenting another person's work, text, or ideas as one's own without proper attribution. This encompasses the following forms:
Type
Description
Direct Plagiarism
Copying continuous passages verbatim without modification or attribution
Mosaic Plagiarism
Blending copied text from multiple sources with one's own writing
Paraphrasing Plagiarism
Rewording or restructuring sentences from a source without acknowledging the origin of the ideas
Self-Plagiarism
Reusing one's own previously published work without citing the original source
Translation Plagiarism
Translating another's work from a different language without disclosing the source
AI-Generated Plagiarism
Using AI to generate content and submitting it as one's own work without disclosure
Citation Manipulation
Citing non-existent sources, citing incorrectly, or coercing citations to an editor's own work
Similarity Index Criteria
The Journal screens all submitted manuscripts using CopyCatch (developed by NECTEC), the primary plagiarism detection tool of the ThaiJO system, supplemented by other tools as appropriate. The following criteria apply:
Similarity Index
Interpretation
Editorial Action
Below 15%
Within acceptable range
Proceed to Peer Review as normal
15–25%
Requires case-by-case consideration
Conduct a detailed review of the report; similarity in the methodology section may be acceptable, or the manuscript may be returned for revision
Above 25–30%
High risk
Preliminary rejection; investigate intent and issue a formal warning
Above 40%
Clear plagiarism
Immediate rejection and possible submission ban
Important Note: The Similarity Index serves only as a preliminary indicator and is not a definitive criterion. Editors must consider the context and nature of matched sources — such as reference lists, standard scientific phrasing, and discipline-specific terminology — which may legitimately overlap. Additionally, if a single source accounts for more than 5% of similarity, even when the overall score is low, this constitutes a warning sign requiring further investigation.
Process for Handling Plagiarism
Step 1 Automated Screening: All manuscripts are screened using CopyCatch prior to being sent to peer reviewers.
Step 2 Editorial Analysis: The editor assesses the context and origin of similarities, not merely the percentage score.
Step 3 Manual Verification: In complex cases, additional verification is conducted via Google Scholar or relevant academic databases.
Step 4 Author Inquiry: The author is given the opportunity to respond in a neutral, non-accusatory manner, with a response window of at least 7–14 days.
Step 5 Decision and Documentation: All reports, rationale, and correspondence with the author are formally recorded.
Violation Levels and Corresponding Measures
- Minor Violation (e.g., omission of a citation) The author is requested to revise and add the missing citation. This does not affect the publication outcome.
- Moderate Violation (e.g., paraphrasing without attribution) The manuscript is returned for Major Revision and re-screened upon resubmission.
- Serious Violation (e.g., Translation Plagiarism, clear Self-Plagiarism) The manuscript is rejected and the author's affiliated institution is notified.
- Severe Violation (e.g., data fabrication, fake references) The manuscript is rejected immediately, the affiliated institution is notified, and a submission ban of 2–5 years may be imposed.
Implementation and Review
This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted from June 15, 2026 onward, and covers all authors, reviewers, and editorial board members across all manuscript types.
The Journal will review and update this policy every 6 months, or whenever significant changes occur in international academic standards. All revisions will be published on the journal's website.
Contact and Consultation
For any queries regarding this policy, the editorial board is available for consultation prior to manuscript submission.
Email: jmssnru@gmail.com (Subject: Plagiarism Policy Inquiry) Phone: 081 596 5492
Effective Date: June 15, 2026 Last Reviewed: May 12, 2026 Next Scheduled Review: January 2027
