1. Commitment to Originality

The Journal of Occupational Health, Risk Management and Safety (JOHRMS) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. All manuscripts submitted to JOHRMS must be the original work of the author(s) and must not have been previously published or currently under consideration by another journal or publisher.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s words, ideas, data, or work as one’s own without proper acknowledgment. This includes:

• Direct plagiarism: Copying text word-for-word without quotation marks or citation.
• Self-plagiarism: Republishing one’s own previously submitted work without disclosure.
• Mosaic plagiarism: Piecing together text from multiple sources without appropriate citation.
• Inadequate paraphrasing: Restating ideas too closely to the original source without proper attribution.

3. Screening and Detection

All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using advanced detection software (e.g., Turnitin, Grammarly, or iThenticate). Manuscripts found to have:

• Similarity index below 15%: Acceptable for peer review.
• Similarity index between 15–25%: Returned to authors for correction before peer review.
• Similarity index above 25%: Automatically rejected or retracted (if already published).

The editorial team reserves the right to conduct further manual checks where software detection appears insufficient.

4. Consequences of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected at any stage—submission, review, or post-publication—the following actions will be taken:

• Manuscript rejection or withdrawal of published article
• Notification to the author’s affiliated institution
• Possible blacklisting of the author(s) for future submissions
• Public retraction statement (if applicable)

5. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring:

• All content is properly cited using APA (7th Edition) style.
• Permission is obtained for reused tables, images, or extended quotes.
• Submitted work is free from any form of duplication or misrepresentation.

Authors must complete a plagiarism declaration form upon submission, certifying the originality of their work.

6. Role of Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors are encouraged to report suspected plagiarism. If any concerns arise during the review process, the manuscript will be investigated in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

7. Appeals

Authors may appeal plagiarism decisions by submitting a written explanation and supporting documentation to the editorial board at:

info@johrms-unical.com.ng
Subject: "Plagiarism Appeal – [Article Title]"

The appeal will be reviewed transparently and independently.

JOHRMS remains committed to promoting ethical research, responsible publishing, and academic integrity in all its processes.