Plagiarism Policy

Ruang Berdampak: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (R-BEDA) is committed to protecting academic integrity, community contributions, and the originality of every published article. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, duplicate publication, undisclosed text recycling, or other forms of intellectual misappropriation.

1. Forms of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Copying text, ideas, methods, data, findings, or conclusions from another work without appropriate acknowledgment.
  • Using figures, tables, photographs, instruments, community documents, or other materials without proper attribution and permission.
  • Presenting another person’s or institution’s community engagement program as the authors’ own work.
  • Using community knowledge, partner contributions, participant statements, or local innovations without appropriate acknowledgment.
  • Paraphrasing another work without citation or making only superficial changes to copied text.
  • Submitting translated material from another publication without disclosure and appropriate citation.
  • Reusing substantial portions of the authors’ previously published work without disclosure and citation.
  • Reporting the same community engagement program in multiple publications without transparent cross-referencing and a clearly distinct contribution.
  • Engaging in duplicate publication or inappropriate fragmentation of one program into several minimally different articles.

2. Similarity Screening

Every submitted manuscript will be screened using similarity-detection software before entering or during the editorial review process.

The journal normally applies the following screening limits:

  • A maximum overall similarity index of 25%.
  • A maximum similarity of 5% from a single source.

Reference lists, properly quoted text, standard methodological expressions, article-template instructions, and short unavoidable matches may be excluded or evaluated separately when appropriate.

Similarity percentages are screening indicators and do not automatically determine whether plagiarism has occurred. A manuscript below the stated limits may still be rejected if unattributed copying or intellectual misappropriation is identified. Conversely, legitimate and properly cited similarities will be assessed through editorial judgment.

3. Editorial Actions

When problematic similarity or suspected plagiarism is identified before publication, the journal may:

  • Request clarification and supporting documentation from the authors.
  • Require revision and appropriate citation.
  • Return the manuscript before peer review.
  • Reject the manuscript.
  • Suspend the editorial process while an investigation is conducted.
  • Notify the authors’ institution when serious or repeated misconduct is substantiated.

When plagiarism is identified after publication, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the nature and severity of the violation.

4. Author Responsibilities

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring the originality and integrity of their manuscripts. All sources must be cited accurately, and all reused material must be clearly identified. Authors must also obtain permission for copyrighted materials and appropriately acknowledge community partners, institutions, facilitators, and other contributors.

This policy forms part of R-BEDA’s commitment to publication integrity and is implemented with reference to applicable guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics.