Plagiarism Policy

Commitment to Academic Integrity

Buletin Dharmas Andalas (BDA) upholds the highest standards of academic integrity and strictly prohibits all forms of plagiarism. The journal ensures that all submissions maintain originality, proper attribution, and ethical research practices. Authors are responsible for submitting only original works that accurately represent their research contributions.

Plagiarism Screening Process

To ensure originality, all submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using Turnitin before the peer-review process. The screening process includes:

  • Automated similarity detection to compare submitted manuscripts against a vast database of published literature, online sources, and previously submitted works.
  • Manual verification by the editorial team to evaluate flagged similarities and ensure they comply with ethical citation standards.

Acceptable Similarity Index

  • The maximum similarity index allowed is 30%, including references.
  • Manuscripts with a similarity score above 30% will be automatically rejected without further review.
  • If the similarity index is between 20% and 30%, the manuscript may be returned to the author for revision and proper citation adjustments before further processing.

Types of Plagiarism Considered Unacceptable

BDA strictly prohibits the following types of plagiarism:

  1. Direct Plagiarism – Copying another author’s work word-for-word without proper citation.
  2. Self-Plagiarism (Redundant Publication) – Republishing one’s own previously published work without significant modifications or proper citation.
  3. Paraphrasing Plagiarism – Rewriting another author’s ideas or findings without proper attribution.
  4. Mosaic Plagiarism – Mixing words, phrases, or ideas from multiple sources without appropriate acknowledgment.
  5. Improper Citation – Failing to correctly cite sources, misquoting, or inaccurately attributing ideas.
  6. Fabrication and Falsification – Altering or misrepresenting data, images, or results to mislead readers.

Consequences of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected at any stage of the publication process, BDA will take the following actions:

  • Before acceptance: Manuscripts exceeding the 30% similarity threshold will be immediately rejected. Authors may be asked to revise and resubmit if the similarity index is borderline (20–30%).
  • After publication: If plagiarism is discovered post-publication, the article will be retracted, and a formal notice of retraction will be issued.
  • Institutional notification: In cases of serious ethical violations, the author’s affiliated institution and funding agencies may be informed.

How Authors Can Avoid Plagiarism

To ensure compliance with BDA’s plagiarism policy, authors should:

  • Use proper citations when referring to prior work.
  • Paraphrase correctly without distorting the original meaning.
  • Check their manuscripts using Turnitin or other plagiarism detection tools before submission.
  • Avoid submitting the same research to multiple journals (duplicate submission).

Ethical Compliance and Author Responsibility

By submitting a manuscript to BDA, authors agree to adhere to this plagiarism policy and confirm that their work is original, properly cited, and free of unethical duplication. Authors will be required to sign an ethical declaration statement affirming the originality of their work.