PLAGIARISM POLICY

1. Policy Statement

Law and Economics is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical scholarly publishing. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, text recycling without appropriate acknowledgment, or any other form of scholarly misconduct that compromises the originality and credibility of published research.

All manuscripts submitted to Law and Economics must represent original scholarly work, appropriately acknowledge the contributions of other researchers, and comply with recognized principles of academic integrity.

To support these principles, all submitted manuscripts are subject to similarity screening using Turnitin before proceeding to the peer-review process or at other stages of editorial evaluation, as necessary.

2. Similarity Screening Using Turnitin

Law and Economics uses Turnitin as a similarity-checking tool to identify textual overlap between submitted manuscripts and existing publications, online sources, academic documents, and other materials available in the system's comparison database.

The journal applies the following similarity requirements:

  1. Overall Similarity Index: The overall similarity index must not exceed 30%, after excluding the reference list and applying the journal's prescribed similarity-checking settings.

  2. Single-Source Similarity: The similarity index attributable to any single source must not exceed 1%, after the applicable exclusions and settings have been applied.

  3. Reference Exclusion: The reference list or bibliography must be excluded from the similarity calculation. Where supported by the software and appropriate to the manuscript, other legitimate exclusions may be applied consistently in accordance with the journal's screening procedures.

  4. Editorial Assessment: A similarity report must be interpreted by the editorial team rather than evaluated solely on the basis of the numerical similarity index.

  5. Verification: Authors may be asked to clarify overlapping passages, provide supporting documentation, revise the manuscript, or explain the legitimate use of cited or standardized material.

Manuscripts that exceed the journal's similarity thresholds may be returned to the authors for revision, subjected to further investigation, or rejected, depending on the nature and extent of the identified overlap.

3. Interpretation of Similarity Results

The similarity index generated by Turnitin indicates the proportion of text matching material in the comparison database. It does not, by itself, establish whether plagiarism has occurred.

The editorial team will assess the similarity report carefully, considering the context, source, extent, and nature of each match.

Particular attention will be given to:

  • Text copied from published articles, books, websites, theses, dissertations, or other scholarly documents without appropriate acknowledgment.

  • Paraphrased material that retains another author's ideas or arguments without proper citation.

  • Reuse of previously published text without adequate disclosure or justification.

  • Substantial overlap with the authors' own previously published work.

  • Repeated or concentrated textual overlap with a single source.

  • Similarity involving research findings, analytical arguments, theoretical contributions, or conclusions.

  • Inappropriate reproduction of tables, figures, illustrations, or other copyrighted materials.

Common terminology, properly cited quotations, standard methodological descriptions, and other legitimate textual matches may be evaluated differently from unattributed copying. However, such material must not be used to conceal substantial plagiarism or misrepresent the originality of the manuscript.

4. Exclusion of References and Legitimate Textual Matches

The reference list must be excluded when calculating the manuscript's similarity index.

Where technically available and appropriate, the editorial team may also exclude properly identified quotations or other legitimate textual matches when interpreting the report. Such exclusions must be applied carefully and consistently.

The exclusion of references does not exempt authors from ensuring that all citations are accurate, complete, and consistent with the journal's referencing requirements.

Authors must not manipulate the manuscript or similarity-checking settings to artificially reduce the similarity index. Deliberately removing citations, altering copied text to evade detection, or concealing overlapping material constitutes a potential breach of publication ethics.

5. Self-Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication

Authors must not submit manuscripts that reproduce substantial portions of their previously published work without appropriate acknowledgment, justification, and disclosure.

Self-plagiarism may include the reuse of previously published text, arguments, analyses, tables, figures, or research findings without adequate citation or transparent explanation.

The journal also prohibits duplicate submission and duplicate publication, including the simultaneous submission of substantially the same manuscript to multiple journals.

When a manuscript builds upon an earlier publication, the authors must clearly identify the relationship between the works and explain the additional scholarly contribution of the new submission.

Any relevant prior publication, preprint, conference paper, thesis, or related manuscript must be disclosed where required by the journal's submission policies.

6. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to Law and Economics are responsible for ensuring the originality and integrity of their work.

Authors must:

  1. Ensure that the manuscript is original and appropriately acknowledges all sources.

  2. Cite all ideas, arguments, data, quotations, and other materials obtained from external sources.

  3. Use quotation marks or other appropriate formatting when reproducing exact wording, together with proper attribution.

  4. Paraphrase source material genuinely and provide appropriate citations.

  5. Disclose relevant prior publications and substantial overlap with related work.

  6. Ensure that all references correspond to sources actually consulted and accurately support the cited statements.

  7. Review and respond to similarity reports or editorial requests for clarification when necessary.

  8. Refrain from manipulating text or screening settings to circumvent plagiarism detection.

  9. Obtain permission for the reproduction of copyrighted materials when required.

  10. Cooperate with the editorial team in resolving concerns about originality or research integrity.

Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and ethical integrity of their submitted manuscripts, regardless of the similarity-checking software used.

7. Editorial Actions and Consequences

When a similarity report indicates a potential violation of the journal's plagiarism policy, the editorial team will evaluate the findings and determine the appropriate course of action.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Request clarification or supporting documentation from the authors.

  • Return the manuscript for revision and proper attribution.

  • Require the correction of citations, quotations, paraphrased passages, or other problematic material.

  • Suspend the editorial process while the concern is investigated.

  • Reject the manuscript when the identified overlap is unacceptable or cannot be adequately resolved.

  • Refer serious concerns to the relevant institution or other appropriate authority, where warranted.

  • Issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction for a published article when justified by the findings and consistent with the journal's publication ethics procedures.

The severity of the editorial response will depend on the nature of the overlap, the extent of the problematic material, the authors' explanations, and whether the conduct appears intentional or reflects a correctable error.

Meeting the numerical similarity thresholds does not guarantee acceptance, and exceeding a threshold does not automatically establish plagiarism. The editorial decision will be based on the substantive assessment of the report and the circumstances of the case.

8. Appeals and Clarifications

Authors who believe that their manuscript has been incorrectly assessed may submit a written explanation to the editorial office.

The explanation should identify the disputed matches, provide relevant citations or supporting documents, and clarify why the identified overlap should not be considered a violation of the journal's policy.

The editorial team will review the explanation impartially and may request additional information before making a final decision.

9. Policy Compliance

All authors submitting manuscripts to Law and Economics are expected to comply with this Plagiarism Policy and the journal's other publication ethics requirements.

By submitting a manuscript, authors acknowledge that their work may be screened using Turnitin and that the editorial team may request revisions, clarification, or additional documentation based on the screening results.

Law and Economics reserves the right to reject manuscripts or take other appropriate editorial action when plagiarism or other forms of publication misconduct are identified.

The journal is committed to ensuring that published research meets appropriate standards of originality, transparency, accountability, and academic integrity.

Similarity Requirements at a Glance

  • Similarity-checking tool: Turnitin.

  • Maximum overall similarity index: 30%.

  • Maximum similarity from any single source: 1%.

  • Reference list: Excluded from the similarity calculation.

  • Editorial decision: Based on both the similarity report and a substantive assessment of the identified overlap.