Plagiarism & Fabrication Policy

Policy on Plagiarism, Fabrication, and Research Misconduct

The National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of academic and scientific integrity, recognizing these principles as essential to the advancement of credible health sciences research. In accordance with the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), this policy outlines strict standards for addressing research misconduct, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and other unethical practices. Through the articulation of these guidelines, NJHS reaffirms its dedication to promoting ethical research practices, ensuring transparency in the publication process, and maintaining public trust in scientific communication.

Ethical Foundations of Research and Publication

The National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) requires strict adherence to fundamental ethical principles that guide all stages of research, authorship, and publication. These ethical imperatives serve as the cornerstone of responsible scientific scholarship:

Originality: Manuscripts must present novel and original contributions to the scientific body of knowledge. All use of external sources, ideas, or intellectual property must be properly cited in accordance with established academic standards.

Integrity: Research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting must be conducted with the highest level of accuracy and honesty. Any form of data manipulation, selective reporting, or misrepresentation is strictly prohibited.

Transparency: Authors must fully disclose any potential conflicts of interest, funding sources, institutional affiliations, or other factors that could influence the research process or its interpretation.

Accountability: The corresponding author assumes primary responsibility for the integrity of the manuscript, ensuring the accuracy of all data, proper attribution of co-author contributions, and full compliance with ethical and publication guidelines.

Research Misconduct Policy

The National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) defines research misconduct as any intentional, reckless, or negligent violation of established ethical standards in the conduct, reporting, or dissemination of research. Such misconduct undermines the integrity of scientific inquiry and includes, but is not limited to, the following categories:

Plagiarism

The unauthorized use or representation of another’s intellectual work whether text, data, images, or ideas without proper attribution. Forms of plagiarism include:

Verbatim or near-verbatim reproduction of content without quotation marks and appropriate citation.
Paraphrasing or summarizing another’s work without acknowledgment of the original source.
Unauthorized use of data, figures, tables, or proprietary methods that are not part of the public domain.
Failure to clearly demarcate borrowed content, creating ambiguity regarding authorship or originality.
Redundant publication or “self-plagiarism,” involving the reuse of substantial portions of an author’s previously published work without appropriate cross-referencing or disclosure.

Fabrication and Falsification

The deliberate creation, manipulation, or omission of data, results, or research procedures to misrepresent findings. This includes:

Fabricating data, experimental results, or methodologies.
Falsifying data through inappropriate modification, suppression, or selective reporting.
Manipulation of images or figures (e.g., cropping, filtering, or duplicating) in a manner that distorts the original data or misleads readers.

Authorship Misconduct

Improper attribution of authorship, including:

Inclusion of individuals as authors who did not meet the ICMJE authorship criteria (gift authorship).
Exclusion of individuals who made significant intellectual contributions (ghost authorship).
Misrepresentation of author contributions.

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

Failure to declare any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could potentially influence the research process, interpretation of data, or presentation of findings.

Breach of Confidentiality

Unauthorized sharing or use of confidential information obtained through peer review, editorial processes, clinical trials, or collaborative research without permission.

Pre-Publication Screening

NJHS implements rigorous procedures to uphold research integrity and to prevent and detect misconduct prior to publication. These measures include:

Utilization of advanced plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate® by Turnitin LLC) to systematically screen all submitted manuscripts for textual similarity and potential overlap with previously published works.

Comprehensive editorial review to assess the accuracy and consistency of data presentation, verify the authenticity of images and figures, and ensure adherence to proper citation and referencing practices.

Post-Publication Oversight

The National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS) is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the scientific record. Any allegations of research misconduct raised after publication are treated with the utmost seriousness and are investigated thoroughly and impartially.

In addressing post-publication concerns, NJHS will:

Collaborate with relevant Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), funding agencies, and independent forensic experts as necessary to ensure a comprehensive and unbiased investigation.
Strictly adhere to the ethical standards and procedures outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Implement appropriate corrective actions based on the findings of the investigation, which may include issuing retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern to uphold transparency and trust in the scientific community.

Investigation Protocol for Alleged Misconduct

In cases of suspected misconduct, NJHS enacts a multi-tiered investigative protocol:

Preliminary Evaluation: The editorial board assesses the allegation’s validity, scope, and potential impact on the scholarly record.

Formal Inquiry: If warranted, a cross-disciplinary panel is convened to audit raw data, methodology, and author communications. Authors and affiliated institutions are formally notified and invited to respond.

Adjudication: Findings are reviewed by NJHS’s Ethics Oversight Committee, which determines culpability based on evidentiary sufficiency.

Corrective Actions: Outcomes may include manuscript retraction, issuance of corrigenda, author sanctions (e.g., publication bans), and notification of regulatory bodies.

Authorship Standards and Contributor ship Transparency

NJHS enforces ICMJE authorship criteria, mandating that all listed authors must have contributed substantively to:

Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
Final approval of the version to be published; AND
Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

A contributor ship statement, detailing individual roles, is required upon submission. Post-submission authorship alterations necessitate unanimous written consent from all original contributors.

Data Accessibility and Reproducibility

To bolster reproducibility, NJHS advocates for open science practices. Authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in repositories (e.g., Figshare) and provide granular methodological descriptions. Compliance with discipline-specific data-sharing mandates (e.g., NIH, WHO) is obligatory.

Availability of data	Template for data availability statement
Data openly available in a public repository that issues datasets with DOIs	The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in [repository name, e.g., “figshare”] at https://doi.org/[doi], reference number [reference number].
Data openly available in a public repository that does not issue DOIs	The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in [repository name] at [URL], reference number [reference number].
Data derived from public domain resources	The data that support the findings of this study are available in [repository name] at [URL/DOI], reference number [reference number]. These data were derived from the following resources available in the public domain: [list resources and URLs]
Embargo on data due to commercial restrictions	The data that support the findings will be available in [repository name] at [URL / DOI link] following an embargo from the date of publication to allow for commercialization of research findings.
Data available on request due to privacy/ethical restrictions	The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
Data subject to third party restrictions	The data that support the findings of this study are available from [third party]. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for this study. Data are available [from the authors / at URL] with the permission of [third party].
Data available on request from the authors	The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Data sharing not applicable – no new data generated	Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.
Author elects to not share data	Research data are not shared.
Data available in article supplementary material	The data that supports the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.
Data sharing not applicable–no new data generated, or the article describes entirely theoretical research.	Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure

All financial (e.g., grants, equity) and non-financial (e.g., advisory roles, personal relationships) COIs must be declared at submission. Editors and reviewers are similarly required to recuse themselves from manuscripts where conflicts arise.

Confidentiality and Institutional Collaboration

NJHS safeguards the anonymity of whistleblowers, authors, and reviewers throughout investigations. The journal liaises with institutional ethics committees to address systemic integrity breaches, promoting alignment with global research governance frameworks.

Policy Evolution and Compliance

NJHS periodically revises this policy to reflect emerging ethical challenges, technological advancements, and stakeholder feedback. Continuous engagement with COPE forums, researcher workshops, and integrity audits ensures the policy remains a benchmark for ethical publishing.

Note : If the author is found guilty of fabrication and plagiarism the paper will be declined from acceptance in the journal. NJHS will not be able to publish any article by the authors/co-authors for a period of 3-5 years. Such articles will be notified to the competent authorities (Parent Institutions of all authors, Higher Education Commission & Pakistan Medical & Dental Council etc.)