Architectural and Environmental Research

Publication Ethics and Plagiarism Prevention

The Journal of Architectural and Environmental Research (JAER) and its publisher (University of Zanjan) are strictly committed to observing the highest standards of publication ethics and adhere fully to the principles and guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

In accordance with COPE guidelines, plagiarism is defined as the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. This includes:

• Verbatim copying of previously published or unpublished materials (articles, books, theses, etc.) without proper citation.
• Paraphrasing texts while maintaining the original author’s style and structure without acknowledgement.
• Using someone else’s original ideas or data, even if expressed in different words, without referencing the source.

Furthermore, reusing portions of one’s own previously published work without explicitly citing the original publication (known as text-recycling or self-plagiarism) is also considered an ethical violation.

Examples of Scientific Misconduct:

• Plagiarism: Using another author’s work, data, or ideas without proper and lawful citation.
• Self-Plagiarism (Text-Recycling): Republishing portions of one’s own previously published research without proper citation to the original work.
• Data Fabrication and Falsification: Inventing fake data or manipulating research data and experimental results to achieve a desired outcome.
• Simultaneous Submission: Submitting the same manuscript (or a highly similar one) to more than one journal concurrently.

Journal’s Action Plan:

To safeguard intellectual property and ensure the integrity of the academic record, all submitted manuscripts undergo a strict similarity check using recognized plagiarism detection software before entering the peer-review process. Should any form of plagiarism be detected at any stage of the review process—or even after publication—the journal reserves the right to reject the manuscript, retract the published article, and take necessary actions in accordance with COPE flowcharts.