Plagiarism and Data Fabrication

1. Policy Statement

International Journal of Transformative Elementary Education (IJTEE) upholds the principles of academic integrity and expects all submitted manuscripts to adhere to the highest standards of ethical research and scholarly writing. This policy outlines IJTEE's stance on plagiarism, data fabrication, detection, verification, and response procedures. IJTEE adheres to the ethical standards and guidelines recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) about Plagiarism in a submitted manuscript and Plagiarism in a published article

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is presenting another person's ideas, words, or work as one's own without appropriate attribution. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct copying of text without quotation marks or citation.
  • Paraphrasing substantial sections of another's work without acknowledgment.
  • Submitting work published elsewhere, in whole or in part, without proper citation (self-plagiarism).
  • Using images, data, tables, or graphs without permission or citation.

IJTEE considers all forms of plagiarism a serious violation of publication ethics and data fabrication or falsification as grave scientific misconduct.

3. Definition of Data Fabrication and Falsification

Data fabrication involves making up data or results and reporting them as real. Data falsification is manipulating research data, materials, or processes to misrepresent the findings. Both constitute scientific misconduct and will result in manuscript rejection or article retraction if discovered post-publication.

4. Screening and Detection

All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using similarity detection software (e.g., Turnitin and/or Grammarly). The similarity threshold is 20%, excluding references, standard phrases, and properly cited content.

Manuscripts that exceed this limit or exhibit unoriginal content may be returned for revision or rejected.

5. Procedures in Cases of Violation

If plagiarism or data manipulation is suspected:

  • The editorial board will conduct an initial investigation.
  • Authors will be contacted for clarification and allowed to respond.
  • Depending on the outcome, the following actions may be taken:
    • Request for correction and proper citation (minor cases).
    • Manuscript rejection.
    • Article retraction (if published).
    • Notify the author's institution or ethics board.

Severe or repeated violations may lead to a permanent ban on future submissions to IJTEE, underscoring the importance of strict adherence to our guidelines.

6. Author Responsibilities

Authors must ensure that:

  • All sources are appropriately cited.
  • The manuscript is original and has not been published elsewhere.
  • All data are authentic and adequately analyzed.
  • Permissions are secured for any reused content or translated material.

Authors must also disclose any prior publication of the manuscript in any form.

7. Editorial Responsibilities

The editorial board is responsible for:

  • Implementing robust plagiarism screening processes.
  • Investigating suspected cases of misconduct with transparency and fairness.
  • Preserving the academic integrity of the journal by retracting published work when warranted.