Plagiarism Policy

Caring & Sharing Nursing Journal (CSNJ) has zero tolerance for plagiarism and other forms of publication misconduct. Plagiarism is considered a serious violation of academic and research integrity.

1) Definition of Plagiarism

CSNJ defines plagiarism as presenting another person’s work—ideas, text, data, images, or other content—as one’s own without proper attribution. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct plagiarism: copying text word-for-word without quotation and citation

  • Mosaic plagiarism: patchwork copying or close paraphrasing without proper citation

  • Self-plagiarism / text recycling: reusing one’s own previously published text without disclosure and appropriate citation

  • Duplicate / redundant publication: submitting substantially similar work that has already been published or is under review elsewhere

  • Image/data plagiarism or manipulation: reusing, misrepresenting, or manipulating figures/data without disclosure

2) Similarity Screening

CSNJ screens submissions using Plagiarism Checker X as part of editorial assessment. Similarity reports are interpreted contextually and are not judged solely by a percentage score.

3) Author Responsibilities

Authors must ensure that:

  • all sources are properly cited and referenced

  • quotations are clearly marked and cited

  • any reused content (including their own prior publications) is disclosed and cited

  • third-party materials (figures/tables/images/instruments) have appropriate permissions and credit lines

4) Editorial Handling of Suspected Plagiarism

When plagiarism or unethical overlap is suspected, CSNJ will follow a documented process:

  1. Initial assessment by the editor using the similarity report and manual review

  2. Author clarification request (when appropriate) with a response deadline

  3. Editorial decision based on evidence:

    • minor overlap → revision request with proper citation/quotation

    • significant or unethical overlap → rejection

    • repeated or severe cases → additional editorial actions as appropriate

  4. Documentation of the case for internal records

5) Post-Publication Actions

If plagiarism is discovered after publication, CSNJ may take corrective actions to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record, including:

  • Correction (Erratum/Corrigendum)

  • Retraction

  • Expression of Concern
    Notices will be linked to the original article and clearly state the reason and basis of the action.

6) Sanctions (When Necessary)

In cases of serious or repeated misconduct, CSNJ may impose sanctions such as temporary restriction on submissions from the responsible author(s), with documented justification and editorial approval.