Intellectual Property and Plagiarism Policy

General Provisions

The Publishing House of the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian Region strives to ensure the highest level of ethical standards in scientific publishing activities and to protect the intellectual property rights of authors. Plagiarism is a serious violation of scientific ethics that undermines the integrity of scientific literature and trust in the academic community. This policy establishes clear definitions of plagiarism, procedures for its detection, and appropriate sanctions in accordance with international standards of scientific ethics and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the appropriation of ideas, processes, results, words, or other materials of another person without proper acknowledgment of their authorship and source. The journal identifies the following forms of plagiarism:

  1. Direct Plagiarism (Copying)

Verbatim copying of text, data, illustrations, tables, or other materials from published or unpublished sources without proper citation and reference to the original source.

  1. Paraphrasing Without Proper Citation

Paraphrasing or summarizing text from other sources without proper reference to the original source, creating the impression that these ideas belong to the author.

  1. Self-Plagiarism (Duplicate, Redundant, or Multiple Publication)

Reuse of significant portions of an author's own published work without proper citation of the original publication. This includes: • Publication of the same article in different journals • Publication of an article that substantially overlaps with already published work • Dividing results of one study into several "smallest publishable units" ("salami publishing")

  1. Mosaic Plagiarism

Borrowing phrases from various sources and combining them, often with changes in word order or substitution of individual words, without proper citation.

  1. Incorrect Citation

Use of inaccurate or incorrect references that do not allow the reader to find the original source.

  1. Omission of References

Use of ideas or concepts developed by other researchers without proper acknowledgment of their contribution.

  1. Methodology Appropriation

Copying or adapting research methods without proper reference to the source where they were first described.

  1. Translation Without Citation

Translation of text from a foreign language and its presentation as original work without reference to the original source.

Intellectual Property Policy

Copyright

  1. By submitting an article to the editorial office, the author(s) automatically grant the editorial office the rights to edit and post the article materials on the official journal website.
  2. Authors retain copyright and simultaneously grant the journal the right of first publication, allowing distribution of this material under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) with attribution and initial publication in this journal. Authors agree that all materials presented in the publication are freely available and may be used by other researchers for scientific non-commercial purposes under the terms of the specified license.
  3. Authors retain the right to reproduce article content in teaching, use article materials in any other work, and place copies of articles in any other media sources, with mandatory indication of the original article data in the Inter-departmental Thematic Scientific Collection "Foothill and Mountain Agriculture and Animal Husbandry."

Use of Copyrighted Materials

  1. Permission to use: Authors must obtain permission to use copyrighted materials that are not their own work (figures, tables, extensive quotes, etc.).
  2. Proper citation: All borrowed materials must be accompanied by proper citation and reference to the original source, even if permission for their use has been obtained.
  3. Fair use: In some cases, materials may be used based on the principle of "fair use" or similar copyright exceptions, but this use must be limited and comply with legal norms.

Plagiarism Detection Measures

The Publishing House of the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian Region implements the following measures to detect plagiarism:

  1. Automated Checking

All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo checking through specialized plagiarism detection software Plagiarism Checker.

  1. Manuscript Review

Reviewers check manuscripts for originality and absence of plagiarism as part of the expert evaluation process. This includes detection of: • Improper citation • Questionable references • Familiar text or ideas from other publications

  1. Editorial Review

Editors conduct additional manuscript checking for plagiarism, especially if suspicions or doubts arise.

  1. Investigation of Reports

The editorial office thoroughly investigates any reports of plagiarism in submitted or published materials.

Author Obligations

When submitting a manuscript to our journals, authors commit to:

  1. Submit original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
  2. Properly cite all sources used, including their own previous work.
  3. Obtain permissions to use copyrighted materials when necessary.
  4. Disclose information about previous publications related to the submitted manuscript, including preprints, conference abstracts, dissertations, etc.
  5. Sign a declaration of work originality and absence of plagiarism when submitting the manuscript.

Procedure for Investigating Plagiarism Suspicions

In case of suspicions of plagiarism in a submitted manuscript or already published article, the Publishing House of the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian Region follows the following procedure:

  1. Initial Assessment
  • Upon receiving a report of possible plagiarism, the responsible editor conducts an initial assessment of the validity of the allegations. • Results of automated plagiarism checking are reviewed and additional verification is conducted if necessary. • If initial assessment confirms suspicions, formal investigation begins.
  1. Formal Investigation
  • Authors are informed of plagiarism suspicions and given opportunity to respond to allegations. • Thorough comparison of suspected text with original sources is conducted. • The degree and nature of plagiarism is assessed (accidental, intentional, systematic, etc.). • External experts may be involved in the investigation if necessary.
  1. Interaction with Institutions
  • In case of serious violations, the journal may notify the institution or institutions where the authors work. • If authors received research funding, relevant funding organizations may also be notified.
  1. Decision Making
  • Based on collected evidence and authors' response, a decision is made regarding the presence of plagiarism. • The editor-in-chief or special ethics committee makes the final decision on sanctions. • Authors are informed of the decision and its justification.

Sanctions and Consequences

In case of confirmed plagiarism, the journal may apply one or several of the following measures, depending on the severity of the violation:

For Unpublished Manuscripts

  1. Rejection of manuscript without possibility of resubmission.
  2. Temporary ban on manuscript submission to the journal for all co-authors (usually for a period of 1-5 years).
  3. Notification of institutions where authors work or funding organizations.

For Published Articles

  1. Retraction of article with detailed explanation of reasons in the retraction notice.
  2. Publication of expression of concern if investigation is ongoing or there is substantial but not conclusive evidence of plagiarism.
  3. Correction (erratum/corrigendum) if plagiarism is minor and limited to a few sentences or references.
  4. Ban on publication in the journal for all co-authors for a specified period.
  5. Notification of indexing databases about retraction.

Protection of Copyright and Intellectual Property

The journal implements the following practices to protect intellectual property:

  1. Clear copyright policy explained to authors upon manuscript submission.
  2. Use of digital object identifiers (DOI) for all published articles, ensuring permanent identification and citation of materials.
  3. Appropriate marking of published materials with copyright and licensing information.
  4. Procedures for responding to copyright violations, including unauthorized copying or distribution of published materials.

Preventive Measures

To prevent plagiarism and other intellectual property violations, the journal implements the following preventive measures:

  1. Clear instructions for authors on proper citation and plagiarism avoidance.
  2. Educational materials for authors, reviewers, and editors on ethical standards of publishing activities.
  3. Requirement for authors to sign a declaration of work originality when submitting manuscripts.
  4. Regular training for editors and reviewers on plagiarism detection and other publication ethics violations.

Final Provisions

The Publishing House of the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian Region commits to protecting authors' intellectual property, maintaining the integrity of scientific literature, and trust in the academic community.

This policy is regularly reviewed and updated in accordance with the evolution of scientific integrity standards, intellectual property legislation, and recommendations of relevant organizations such as COPE.

The Publishing House of the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian Region reserves the right to make changes to this policy. All changes will be announced on the official website.