Plagiarism Policy

Crossroads maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy regarding plagiarism and academic dishonesty in all its manifestations, including direct copying, paraphrasing without attribution, duplicate submission, self-plagiarism, or unauthorized use of others’ intellectual property in any form—text, images, data, or AI-generated content. Plagiarism is both an ethical violation and a breach of legal standards and is treated by Crossroads as a serious transgression against academic integrity.

All submitted manuscripts must represent original work. Authors are required to screen their submissions using reputable plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate) prior to submission and ensure that appropriate acknowledgments, citations, and permissions are in place where external sources or previously published content are used.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to independently verify manuscripts using Turnitin (Instructor Version) or other reliable similarity-checking platforms. Any content found to be plagiarized or AI-generated without appropriate disclosure and citation will be rejected outright or returned for revision, without being considered for peer review.

AI-generated content (e.g., using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) is not permitted unless explicitly declared and used with proper attribution, following responsible authorship practices. Ghostwriting via AI tools without disclosure is grounds for immediate rejection.

Submission Screening Process

  • Every manuscript undergoes a pre-review plagiarism screening.

  • Submissions with high similarity indexes or evidence of unethical reuse are immediately returned or rejected.

  • The Chief Editor and Section Editors review similarity reports to determine whether overlaps fall within acceptable academic and ethical boundaries.

  • Citations, quotations, and paraphrased materials must be properly credited in line with academic standards (APA 7th edition or MLA 9th Edition).

Categorization of Plagiarism Levels

  • Similarity Below 10%:
    Considered acceptable if proper citations are included. Manuscript proceeds to peer review after editorial verification.

  • Similarity Between 10% and 20%:
    Returned to authors with the similarity report and specific instructions for revision. Manuscripts must be resubmitted after content refinement and proper reattribution.

  • Similarity Above 20%:
    Automatically rejected. A detailed plagiarism report, signed by the Publishing Office, is sent to the authors along with a formal notification.

Self-Plagiarism

Redundant publication or excessive recycling of one’s own previously published content (text, data, or ideas) without citation is not acceptable. Any overlapping content must be disclosed and cited, and prior permissions must be obtained where necessary.

Use of Third-party Content

If authors include figures, tables, datasets, or substantial excerpts from previously published work (including their own), they must:

  • Obtain prior written permission from the copyright holders (where applicable).

  • Include proper attribution and source citation.

  • Provide proof of permissions to the editorial team upon request.

Author Responsibilities

  • Ensure that all submitted content is free from plagiarism and appropriately cited.

  • Submit a plagiarism report along with the manuscript, if required by the journal.

  • Confirm that all listed authors have contributed meaningfully and agree with the submission.

Editorial Actions in Cases of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected at any stage (before or after publication), the Editorial Board will:

  1. Reject the manuscript (if under review), or

  2. Retract the article (if already published), with a formal retraction notice and notification to the author(s)' institution(s), in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Ethical Reference:
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). (2019). Core practices. https://publicationethics.org/core-practices