Kerala History and Studies Journal expects all submitted manuscripts to represent original scholarly work. Authors are responsible for acknowledging the sources, ideas, arguments, quotations and other material used in their manuscripts.
1. Meaning of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's words, ideas, arguments, research findings or other intellectual work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgement.
Plagiarism may occur through direct copying, inadequate paraphrasing, unattributed translation, inappropriate reuse of previously published material or other forms of presenting another person's work without proper credit.
2. Originality of Manuscripts
Manuscripts submitted to the journal should contain original scholarly work and should not reproduce substantial portions of another person's published or unpublished work without appropriate acknowledgement and, where necessary, permission.
3. Direct Quotations
Words taken directly from a source should be presented as a quotation and accompanied by an appropriate citation.
Authors should not remove quotation marks or otherwise present directly copied material as original writing.
4. Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing requires the author to express source material in their own words while retaining the original meaning and providing an appropriate citation.
Changing a few words or rearranging the sentence structure of a source without proper acknowledgement may still constitute inappropriate use of another person's work.
5. Ideas and Arguments
Plagiarism is not limited to the copying of exact words. Ideas, interpretations, arguments, research findings and distinctive approaches obtained from another source should also be acknowledged where appropriate.
6. Historical and Archival Sources
Authors working with historical sources should identify archival records, manuscripts, inscriptions, published primary sources, oral accounts and other evidence accurately.
The origin and location of a source should not be misrepresented, and material obtained from another scholar's research should not be presented as independently discovered evidence.
7. Translations
Translated material should be identified appropriately where the translation is based on another person's work or where the original source is not in the language of the manuscript.
Authors should distinguish between their own translation and a translation taken from an existing publication.
8. Self-Plagiarism and Text Reuse
Authors should disclose substantial reuse of their own previously published material.
Reusing substantial portions of previously published text without appropriate acknowledgement may create a misleading impression about the originality of the submitted manuscript.
9. Duplicate Publication
A manuscript should not reproduce substantially the same research as an article already published elsewhere without a legitimate scholarly reason and clear disclosure.
Authors should inform the editorial office about related publications or manuscripts that may overlap materially with the submitted work.
10. Simultaneous Submission
Authors should not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to Kerala History and Studies Journal and another journal.
If an author decides to submit the manuscript elsewhere, the journal should be informed before the manuscript is withdrawn and resubmitted.
11. Use of Previously Published Material
Material reproduced from an author's earlier publication should be identified and appropriately cited.
Where copyright or other permission is required, the author is responsible for obtaining the necessary permission.
12. Third-Party Material
Authors should properly acknowledge photographs, maps, tables, illustrations, archival reproductions and other material belonging to third parties.
Where required, permission to reproduce such material should be obtained before publication.
13. Plagiarism Screening
The journal may subject submitted manuscripts to an appropriate plagiarism or similarity screening process as part of editorial assessment.
A similarity report is an aid to editorial assessment. A similarity percentage by itself does not establish whether plagiarism has occurred, since legitimate quotations, bibliographic entries and commonly used terminology may also produce matching text.
14. Editorial Assessment of Similarity
Where a similarity report identifies potentially problematic material, the editorial office may examine the relevant passages, citations and sources before determining the appropriate course of action.
Authors may be asked to clarify or revise material where the editorial office considers this necessary.
15. Plagiarism Identified Before Publication
If substantial plagiarism is identified before publication, the journal may reject the manuscript or require appropriate clarification or correction depending on the circumstances.
The action taken will depend on the nature and extent of the suspected misconduct and the evidence available to the journal.
16. Plagiarism Identified After Publication
If credible concerns about plagiarism arise after an article has been published, the journal may review the matter and consider appropriate post-publication action.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include correction, publication of an editorial notice or retraction.
17. Author Responsibility
Authors are responsible for checking their manuscripts carefully before submission to ensure that quotations, paraphrases, translations and other borrowed material have been properly acknowledged.
18. Responsibility for Citations
Authors should verify the accuracy and completeness of citations and references before submitting a manuscript.
A source should be cited in a manner that allows readers to identify and, where possible, locate the material used.
19. Fabrication and Falsification
Plagiarism is distinct from fabrication and falsification, but all three represent serious concerns relating to research integrity.
Authors must not fabricate sources, archival evidence, quotations, data or research findings, or deliberately alter evidence in a misleading manner.
20. Unpublished Work
Authors, reviewers and editors should respect the intellectual ownership of unpublished research.
Unpublished manuscripts, arguments, findings or research materials obtained through the editorial or review process should not be appropriated or used without appropriate permission.
21. Reviewer Responsibilities
Reviewers who identify possible plagiarism or substantial unattributed overlap should communicate their concerns to the editorial office rather than contacting the author directly about the allegation.
Reviewers should treat manuscripts and the information contained in them as confidential.
22. Editorial Confidentiality
Allegations concerning plagiarism will be handled with appropriate confidentiality while the matter is being considered.
Information may be requested from authors, reviewers, institutions or other relevant parties where necessary to assess the concern.
23. False or Unsubstantiated Allegations
Concerns about plagiarism should be based on identifiable evidence rather than personal disagreement with an author's interpretation or conclusions.
The editorial office will consider the available evidence before taking action.
24. Corrections
Where an issue is identified that can be resolved through a correction without affecting the fundamental reliability of the article, the journal may consider publishing an appropriate correction.
25. Retraction
Where plagiarism is found to be substantial and materially affects the integrity of a published article, the journal may consider retraction or another appropriate post-publication measure.
Further information is provided in the journal's Retraction Policy .
26. Ethical Use of Similarity Reports
Similarity screening should be interpreted in the context of the manuscript and its sources. The presence of matching text does not automatically establish misconduct.
Editorial assessment should consider quotations, references, technical terminology, source material and other legitimate reasons for textual similarity.
27. Author Declaration
By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that the work is their own scholarly contribution and that material obtained from other sources has been appropriately acknowledged.