JEMPI: Journal of Educational Management, Policy and Innovation is committed to maintaining originality, academic integrity, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing. All manuscripts submitted to JEMPI are subject to plagiarism and similarity screening as part of the editorial evaluation process.

1. Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate similarity-detection software or other editorial verification methods before being forwarded for peer review. Additional screening may also be conducted during the editorial process or before final publication when considered necessary by the editor.

The purpose of similarity screening is to identify potentially problematic textual overlap and to assist editors in evaluating the originality and integrity of the submitted manuscript.

2. Interpretation of Similarity Results

A similarity percentage is not used as the sole basis for determining plagiarism. Editors evaluate the similarity report substantively by considering the location, pattern, source, and context of the detected similarities.

Similarity originating from properly cited quotations, reference lists, standard methodological terminology, institutional names, commonly used academic expressions, or other legitimate sources of textual overlap may be treated differently from unattributed copying.

As an editorial guideline, JEMPI generally expects the overall similarity level to be 20% or lower. However, this percentage is not an automatic acceptance or rejection threshold. A manuscript below 20% may still contain plagiarism, while a manuscript above 20% may require further editorial assessment depending on the nature of the detected similarities.

3. Forms of Unacceptable Practice

JEMPI does not tolerate plagiarism or other forms of inappropriate textual or intellectual appropriation, including:

• copying text, ideas, data, tables, figures, or other materials from another source without appropriate attribution;
• substantial paraphrasing of another person's work without proper citation;
• self-plagiarism or redundant reuse of previously published material without appropriate disclosure and citation;
• duplicate or substantially overlapping publication;
• citation manipulation or fabricated references;
• unattributed translation of previously published material;
• presenting another person's intellectual contribution as the author's own; and
• other practices that may misrepresent the originality or provenance of scholarly work.

4. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original and that all sources have been properly acknowledged. Authors must:

• provide accurate citations for ideas, data, quotations, and materials derived from other sources;
• use quotation marks or other appropriate formatting for direct quotations;
• appropriately cite their own previously published work when reused;
• avoid submitting the same or substantially similar manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously;
• ensure that tables, figures, instruments, and other materials comply with applicable copyright and permission requirements; and
• respond transparently to editorial questions concerning similarity or originality.

5. Editorial Actions Before Publication

When significant similarity or suspected plagiarism is identified before publication, the editorial team may take one or more actions depending on the nature and severity of the issue, including:

• requesting clarification from the author;
• returning the manuscript for revision;
• requiring correction of citations or attribution;
• conducting additional editorial investigation;
• suspending the review process; or
• rejecting the manuscript.

Serious cases involving deliberate plagiarism, extensive unattributed copying, duplicate publication, fabricated citations, or other substantial breaches of publication ethics may result in rejection without further peer review.

6. Similarity Detected During Peer Review

Editors and reviewers may identify problematic overlap that was not detected during the initial screening. When this occurs, the editor may request further examination of the manuscript and may suspend the peer-review process until the issue has been resolved.

Reviewers are expected to report suspected plagiarism or inappropriate similarity to the editor rather than contacting the authors directly.

7. Post-Publication Plagiarism

If plagiarism or serious inappropriate overlap is identified after publication, JEMPI will investigate the matter in accordance with its publication ethics and post-publication policies.

Where necessary, the journal may contact the author's institution, research organization, or other relevant party after an appropriate editorial assessment.

Possible actions may include:

• publication of a correction;
• publication of an Expression of Concern;
• retraction of the article; or
• other appropriate measures consistent with scholarly publishing ethics.

8. Editorial Judgment and Fair Assessment

Similarity screening is an editorial support mechanism and does not replace scholarly judgment. Decisions are based on the substance and context of the detected overlap rather than on a numerical similarity score alone.

JEMPI is committed to handling similarity and plagiarism concerns fairly, consistently, confidentially, and in accordance with accepted principles of publication ethics.