Plagiarism Policy

Medical Forum Monthly is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical publishing. All manuscripts submitted to the journal must represent the authors' original work and must not contain plagiarism, fabricated data, falsified information, or duplicate publication.

The journal follows the ethical principles and best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Copying text, ideas, figures, tables, or data from another source without proper acknowledgement.
  • Presenting another person's work as one's own.
  • Self-plagiarism or redundant publication without appropriate citation.
  • Duplicate or simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals.
  • Improper paraphrasing without proper attribution.
  • Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of research data or images.

Similarity Check

All submitted manuscripts are screened for originality using plagiarism detection software before entering the peer-review process.

Similarity reports are evaluated by the Editorial Office to distinguish acceptable overlap (such as references, standard methodology, or properly cited quotations) from unethical plagiarism. Editorial decisions are based on professional assessment rather than similarity percentages alone.

Editorial Assessment

The Editorial Team evaluates:

  • Overall similarity index.
  • Similarity from individual sources.
  • Nature and location of overlapping content.
  • Proper citation and acknowledgement.
  • Scientific originality of the manuscript.

Legitimate similarities resulting from references, commonly used scientific terminology, or standard research methods are not considered plagiarism.

Actions in Cases of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is identified, the journal may take one or more of the following actions, depending on the severity of the misconduct:

  • Request revision and proper citation.
  • Return the manuscript for correction before peer review.
  • Reject the manuscript.
  • Withdraw the manuscript from the editorial process.
  • Retract a published article when necessary.
  • Notify the authors' institution or funding agency in serious cases.
  • Restrict future submissions from authors found guilty of serious publication misconduct.

Responsibilities of Authors

  • Submit only original work.
  • Properly acknowledge all sources.
  • Obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted material where required.
  • Avoid duplicate or simultaneous submissions.
  • Clearly cite any previously published material.

Responsibilities of Editors

  • Evaluate originality reports objectively and fairly.
  • Investigate suspected plagiarism confidentially.
  • Follow COPE guidelines when handling publication misconduct.
  • Take appropriate editorial action when misconduct is confirmed.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers who suspect plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical research practices should promptly notify the Editor and provide supporting evidence. All reports are treated confidentially.

Retractions and Corrections

If plagiarism is discovered after publication, Medical Forum Monthly may issue:

  • Corrections
  • Expressions of Concern
  • Retractions

Such actions are undertaken in accordance with internationally accepted publication ethics and are clearly linked to the original published article.

Ethical Commitment

Medical Forum Monthly is committed to promoting responsible research, transparency, honesty, and integrity throughout the editorial and publication process. Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of scholarly publishing.

Contact Information

For questions regarding this policy, please contact the Editorial Office of Medical Forum Monthly through the official contact information available on the journal website.