Kothanak: A Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
At Kothanak, we are firmly committed to academic integrity and originality. Plagiarism in any form is a serious violation of ethical scholarly conduct. In keeping with the best practices in international academic publishing and the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC), India, this policy outlines our approach to identifying, preventing, and addressing plagiarism.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
Copying or closely imitating the language, structure, or ideas of another work without proper acknowledgment
Presenting someone else's work, in part or whole, as one's own
Self-plagiarism: Reusing one's previously published work without appropriate citation or disclosure
Submitting translated works without crediting the original source
Using AI-generated content without attribution, where applicable
Manuscripts submitted to Kothanak must maintain a similarity index of less than 10% (excluding references, quotes, and common phrases) as per standard plagiarism detection tools.
Submissions exceeding this threshold may be returned for revision or rejected outright depending on severity.
All submitted manuscripts are screened using reliable plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, Urkund/Ouriginal) before being sent for peer review.
The editorial team reserves the right to rescreen revised submissions and take action based on the similarity report.
Depending on the nature and extent of plagiarism, the following actions may be taken:
Similarity: Common phrases or unintentional overlap
Action: Returned for correction
Similarity: Inadequate citation, patchwriting
Action: Returned for major revision or temporarily rejected
Similarity: Substantial copied material, including from self
Action: Rejection of submission; blacklisting of author(s); formal notice sent to institution
In confirmed cases, the journal may also issue a formal retraction of published content and inform relevant academic authorities or institutional ethics committees.
Authors must ensure that all sources are properly cited
Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere
Authors are advised to check for plagiarism in their work before submission using plagiarism detection tools
Kothanak adheres to the UGC's 2018 Regulations on the Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism. These include:
Institutional accountability for promoting academic honesty
Defined penalties for different levels of plagiarism
Encouragement of training and awareness among researchers
UGC Policy Link: UGC Academic Integrity Regulations 2018
For any queries related to plagiarism policy, authors may write to: info@kothanak.in
At Kothanak, we believe that original research, rooted in ethical scholarship, is the foundation of meaningful intellectual contribution. We welcome submissions that reflect honesty, creativity, and respect for academic tradition.
