Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Leadership, Ethics, Governance, and Sustainable Innovation (JLEGSI) is committed to preserving academic honesty and originality in all its publications. To maintain the integrity of the scholarly record, the journal enforces strict anti-plagiarism measures and ethical standards. All manuscripts are screened for originality, proper citation and responsible use of sources before and during the review process.

Plagiarism Screening

All submissions are subjected to rigorous similarity checks using recognised plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin.

This screening process is conducted before the peer review stage to ensure that submitted manuscripts:

• Represent the original work of the authors;
• Contain proper citations and acknowledgements for all referenced material; and
• Do not reproduce text, data, figures, or ideas from other sources without appropriate attribution.

The editorial team may request clarification, revision, or supporting documentation from authors if potential overlap or duplication is detected.

Types of Unethical Practices

JLEGSI defines plagiarism and related forms of misconduct to include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Direct Plagiarism: Copying another’s work word-for-word without quotation marks or citation.
• Self-Plagiarism: Republishing significant portions of one’s own previously published work without disclosure or permission.
• Mosaic Plagiarism: Incorporating ideas, phrases, or data from multiple sources without proper attribution.
• Image or Data Plagiarism: Reusing, manipulating, or fabricating data, figures, or tables without authorisation or acknowledgment.
• Inadequate Paraphrasing: Rephrasing source material too closely without sufficient transformation or citation.

Investigating Allegations of Plagiarism

If plagiarism or misuse of material is suspected or reported, the Editor-in-Chief will conduct a fair and confidential investigation in accordance with the COPE Flowcharts for Handling Allegations of Misconduct (2023).

The investigation may involve:

• Re-evaluating the manuscript through plagiarism detection tools;
• Requesting a detailed explanation from the author(s); and
• Consulting independent reviewers or institutional authorities, if necessary.

Authors will be given an opportunity to respond to the findings before a final decision is made.

Actions and Outcomes

If plagiarism, copyright infringement, or other unethical practices are confirmed, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• Article Rejection or Retraction

The manuscript will be rejected immediately, or if already published, retracted from the journal’s online platform with a formal retraction notice.

• Correction or Clarification

Minor citation omissions or unintentional overlaps may be corrected through a Correction (Erratum or Corrigendum), following editorial review.

• Institutional Reporting

In severe or repeated cases, the journal will notify the author’s affiliated institution, department, or funding agency for further investigation and action.

• Submission Ban

Authors found guilty of deliberate plagiarism may be barred from submitting to JLEGSI for a specified period.

Preventive Measures

To promote responsible research and ethical writing practices, JLEGSI:

• Encourages authors to use plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin, Grammarly, QuillBot) prior to submission.
• Requires authors to submit a Declaration of Originality confirming that the manuscript is their own work and has not been published or submitted elsewhere.