PLAGIARISM POLICY

Journal of Spirituality and Practical Theology (JOSAPRAT) applies a zero tolerance policy towards plagiarism. To maintain the highest standards of academic integrity, every manuscript submitted to JOSAPRAT will undergo a plagiarism check using Turnitin to assess similarity. The editorial team will carefully evaluate the results of the plagiarism check and determine the appropriate course of action. A detailed similarity report will be provided to the author(s), and the following steps will be taken based on the results:

Plagiarism Check Results:

1. Similarity above 40%:
   If the manuscript’s similarity score exceeds 40%, it will be rejected outright. This high level of similarity indicates poor citation practices and/or inadequate paraphrasing. No resubmission will be accepted in this case.
2. Similarity between 20% and 40%:
   If the manuscript’s similarity score is between 20% and 40%, the manuscript will be returned to the author for revision. Authors will be asked to correct citations where similarities appear and to improve paraphrasing even where proper citations are already provided.
3. Similarity below 20%:
   If the similarity score is below 20%, the manuscript will proceed to substantive review. However, the editorial team may still request citation improvements in areas where outsourced texts are used. Authors must ensure that all external sources are properly cited.

For Cases 2 and 3:

• Authors are required to revise the manuscript carefully, incorporating the necessary citations and paraphrasing the outsourced content appropriately.
• After making the required revisions, authors must resubmit the manuscript along with a new Turnitin report, which must show no plagiarism and a similarity score of below 20%.