Plagiarism Policy

1. Introduction

The African Journal of Applied Sciences and Humanities (AJASH) is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and originality. This Plagiarism Policy reflects the journal’s firm stance against plagiarism and outlines the procedures and consequences associated with unethical academic behavior. The policy is aligned with international publishing standards, including those prescribed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the act of using someone else's work, ideas, data, or expressions without appropriate acknowledgment, thereby presenting them as one’s own. The following are considered forms of plagiarism:

Direct Plagiarism Copying text verbatim from another source without quotation marks or citation.

Paraphrasing Plagiarism Rewording another's ideas or findings without proper acknowledgment.

Self-Plagiarism Republishing one’s own previously submitted or published material without disclosure.

Fabrication & Falsification Inventing or altering research data, sources, or results dishonestly.

3. Policy Guidelines

3.1 Originality Requirement

Manuscripts submitted must be the original work of the authors and must not have been previously published or under consideration elsewhere. All content must be free of plagiarism.

3.2 Proper Citation

Authors must accurately reference all sources of information and direct quotations, strictly adhering to the IEEE referencing style as specified by the journal’s guidelines.

3.3 Declaration of Originality

All submissions must be accompanied by a signed declaration by the authors affirming the originality of the manuscript and confirming that it is free from ethical misconduct.

3.4 Plagiarism Detection

The journal employs licensed software, iThenticate, to evaluate all manuscripts. Any manuscript with a similarity index above acceptable thresholds will be subjected to review.

3.5 Response to Plagiarism

- Minor overlap: Revision and correction requested.
- Moderate plagiarism: Rejection with a formal warning.
- Severe offenses: Outright rejection and a future submission ban.

3.6 Appeal Process

Authors who believe an accusation is unwarranted may file an appeal to the Editor-in-Chief with evidence. The editorial board will review the case impartially.