Plagiarism Policy

BHĀRATĀYANA | भारतायन | ভারতায়ন

AI-Assisted Interdisciplinary Journal of Indian Knowledge Systems

Commitment to Academic Integrity

BHĀRATĀYANA is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical scholarly publishing. The journal considers plagiarism a serious breach of research ethics and does not tolerate any form of intellectual dishonesty.

All manuscripts submitted to BHĀRATĀYANA are expected to represent the original work of the author(s) and to acknowledge appropriately the ideas, words, data, images, and intellectual contributions of others.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

For the purposes of this journal, plagiarism includes the use of another person's intellectual work without appropriate acknowledgment or permission. This applies regardless of whether the copied material appears in print, digital, visual, or translated form.

Plagiarism may involve text, ideas, data, figures, tables, images, computer code, translations, or any other scholarly content.

2. Forms of Plagiarism

The journal recognizes, but is not limited to, the following forms of plagiarism:

• Direct Plagiarism – copying text verbatim without proper quotation or citation.

• Mosaic (Patchwork) Plagiarism – combining copied phrases or ideas from multiple sources while presenting them as original work.

• Paraphrasing Plagiarism – closely rewording another author's work without appropriate attribution.

• Self-Plagiarism – reusing one's own previously published work without proper citation or editorial disclosure.

• Duplicate Publication – submitting substantially the same manuscript to more than one journal or publishing the same research multiple times.

• Translation Plagiarism – translating another author's work into a different language without proper acknowledgment.

• Image and Figure Plagiarism – reproducing figures, photographs, tables, illustrations, or graphical materials without permission or appropriate citation.

• Data Plagiarism – presenting another person's research data or findings as one's own.

3. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• every submitted manuscript is original;

• all sources are accurately cited;

• quotations are clearly identified;

• reused material is appropriately acknowledged;

• necessary permissions have been obtained where required;

• the manuscript does not infringe the intellectual property rights of others.

Submission of a manuscript constitutes the authors' declaration that the work complies with this Plagiarism Policy.

4. Similarity Assessment

As part of the editorial screening process, submitted manuscripts may be evaluated using recognized plagiarism-detection software and editorial assessment.

The similarity report is considered as one component of the evaluation process. Editorial decisions are based not only on similarity percentages but also on the nature, context, and significance of any identified overlap.

Legitimate overlap arising from references, standard methodological descriptions, legal terminology, or properly quoted material is evaluated separately from unethical copying.

5. Editorial Evaluation

Where substantial similarity or suspected plagiarism is identified, the Editorial Office may:

• seek clarification from the author(s);

• request revision and proper attribution;

• conduct additional editorial investigation;

• consult reviewers or subject experts where appropriate.

Each case is evaluated individually, taking into account the extent, intent, and scholarly significance of the overlap.

6. Editorial Actions

If plagiarism or other forms of intellectual misconduct are confirmed, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• return the manuscript for correction;

• reject the submission;

• suspend editorial processing;

• withdraw the manuscript from consideration;

• retract a published article;

• publish a correction or retraction notice where appropriate;

• notify the author's institution, funding agency, or other relevant authority in cases of serious misconduct.

Editorial actions are determined according to the seriousness of the violation and the principles of fairness and due process.

7. Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

Authors should not substantially reproduce their own previously published work without appropriate citation and editorial disclosure.

Where earlier publications form part of the background to the current research, they should be clearly cited, and the new contribution should be explicitly identified.

Redundant or duplicate publication is considered inconsistent with responsible scholarly publishing.

8. Artificial Intelligence and Plagiarism

The use of Artificial Intelligence tools does not exempt authors from their responsibility to ensure originality.

Authors must verify that AI-assisted content:

• does not reproduce copyrighted material without permission;

• does not contain fabricated references or quotations;

• is appropriately reviewed and revised by the authors;

• complies with the journal's Human–AI Collaboration Policy.

Undisclosed or inappropriate AI-generated copying may be treated as academic misconduct.

9. Appeals

Authors who believe that a plagiarism-related editorial decision has been made in error may submit a written explanation with supporting evidence to the Editorial Office.

The Editorial Board will review the matter independently, and its decision shall be considered final.

10. Commitment to Ethical Scholarship

BHĀRATĀYANA believes that originality, proper attribution, and intellectual honesty are fundamental principles of scholarly communication.

The journal encourages authors to contribute authentic, well-documented, and ethically conducted research that advances Indian Knowledge Systems while respecting the intellectual contributions of others.

Author Declaration

By submitting a manuscript to BHĀRATĀYANA, authors confirm that:

• the manuscript is their original scholarly work;

• all borrowed ideas, text, data, images, and other materials have been properly acknowledged;

• no part of the manuscript has been plagiarized or inappropriately reproduced;

• the submission complies fully with the journal's Publication Ethics and Plagiarism Policy.

BHĀRATĀYANA | भारतायन | ভারতায়ন

Committed to originality, academic integrity, ethical scholarship, and responsible dissemination of knowledge.