Plagiarism Policy

The Early Childhood Education Indonesian Journal (ECEIJ) is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct and requires all submitted manuscripts to demonstrate appropriate attribution of ideas, data, quotations, and previously published works.

This policy applies to all authors submitting manuscripts to ECEIJ and supports the journal's commitment to transparent, responsible, and ethical research publication.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of another person's words, ideas, data, research findings, images, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment or citation. Plagiarism may occur in several forms, including:

Direct plagiarism: Copying text or material from another source without proper quotation and citation.
Mosaic plagiarism: Combining words or phrases from one or more sources without appropriate acknowledgment.
Paraphrasing plagiarism: Rewriting another person's ideas or arguments without providing a proper citation.
Data and image plagiarism: Using tables, figures, photographs, instruments, or research data from other sources without appropriate acknowledgment or permission where required.
Self-plagiarism and redundant publication: Reusing substantial portions of one's previously published work without appropriate disclosure, citation, or justification.
Unattributed use of AI-generated content: Presenting AI-generated material as original scholarly work in a manner that violates the journal's authorship, disclosure, or research-integrity requirements.

2. Plagiarism Screening

All manuscripts submitted to ECEIJ may be screened for textual similarity using plagiarism-detection software, such as Turnitin or other equivalent tools available to the editorial team.

The screening process is intended to identify overlapping text and potential cases of plagiarism before publication. Similarity reports are assessed by the editor in context, considering the nature of the overlap, the quality of citations, quoted material, references, standard terminology, and other relevant factors.

A similarity score alone does not determine whether plagiarism has occurred. Editorial decisions are based on a careful assessment of the manuscript and the nature and extent of any problematic overlap.

3. Similarity Threshold

ECEIJ may establish a maximum similarity threshold as part of its editorial screening procedures. Any applicable threshold will be communicated through the journal's author guidelines or submission requirements.

Manuscripts exceeding the journal's stated threshold may be returned to authors for revision or rejected, depending on the extent and nature of the similarity. Manuscripts with lower similarity scores may also be rejected if the screening reveals evidence of plagiarism or other ethical violations.

The journal evaluates originality and appropriate source attribution rather than relying exclusively on a numerical similarity score.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to ECEIJ are responsible for ensuring that their work meets the journal's originality and ethical requirements. Authors must:

Submit original scholarly work that has not been published previously in substantially the same form or is not under consideration by another journal.
Cite all sources used in developing the research, arguments, theoretical framework, methods, and discussion.
Use quotation marks and appropriate citations when reproducing exact wording from other sources.
Provide appropriate acknowledgment and permissions for copyrighted figures, tables, photographs, instruments, and other materials when required.
Disclose relevant prior publications and overlapping manuscripts.
Ensure that all references are accurate and that cited sources genuinely support the statements made.
Verify the accuracy and originality of any material produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools and comply with the journal's AI-use disclosure policy.

Authors are fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their manuscripts.

5. Editorial Handling of Plagiarism

When potential plagiarism is identified during submission, peer review, or after publication, the editorial team will assess the available evidence and determine the appropriate course of action.

Depending on the seriousness of the case, the journal may:

Request an explanation from the authors.
Return the manuscript for correction and proper citation.
Require substantial revision before further consideration.
Reject the manuscript.
Issue a correction or expression of concern for a published article, where appropriate.
Retract a published article when serious plagiarism or other misconduct is established.
Notify the relevant institution or other appropriate parties when warranted by the circumstances.

Authors will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to allegations before a final determination is made, except where urgent action is necessary to protect the scholarly record or comply with applicable obligations.

6. Plagiarism Discovered After Publication

If plagiarism is identified after an article has been published, ECEIJ will investigate the concern in accordance with its publication ethics procedures.

Where the evidence supports a finding of serious plagiarism or other significant publication misconduct, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the circumstances. Any action will be taken to protect the integrity of the scholarly record and inform readers appropriately.

7. Consequences of Plagiarism

Confirmed plagiarism may result in rejection of the submitted manuscript, withdrawal of an accepted manuscript, retraction of a published article, or other appropriate editorial action.

The response will depend on the severity of the misconduct, the extent of the unattributed material, whether the conduct appears intentional, the authors' response, and the potential effect on the integrity of the scholarly record.

Repeated or serious violations may also be referred to the authors' affiliated institutions or other relevant bodies, where appropriate.

8. Commitment to Academic Integrity

ECEIJ encourages responsible scholarship, accurate citation practices, transparency, and respect for intellectual property. The journal seeks to ensure that all published articles contribute original and ethically produced knowledge to the field of early childhood education.

By implementing this policy, ECEIJ aims to protect authors' intellectual contributions, maintain readers' trust, and uphold the integrity and credibility of academic publishing.