Plagiarism Policy

The International Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Sciences (IJAIMS) is committed to publishing only original scholarly work and maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. The journal strictly follows the Plagiarism Policy of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Screening. Every manuscript submitted to IJAIMS is screened for similarity using Turnitin before it is sent for peer review and again before publication. Manuscripts are evaluated for originality, and the editorial team considers the similarity report as part of the review process.

Acceptable similarity limits. In line with HEC policy, the overall similarity index of a manuscript must not exceed 19%, and similarity from any single source must not exceed 5% (excluding references and properly quoted material). Manuscripts exceeding these limits are returned to the authors for revision or are rejected, depending on the nature and extent of the overlap.

What constitutes plagiarism. For this policy, plagiarism includes, but is not limited to: reproducing the words, ideas, figures, or data of others without appropriate acknowledgement; paraphrasing another's work without proper citation; self-plagiarism, including duplicate, redundant, or overlapping publication of the author's own previously published work; and the fabrication or falsification of data or sources.

Author responsibilities. By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that the work is original, that all sources have been appropriately cited, that necessary permissions have been obtained for any reused material, and that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.

Action on detection. If plagiarism is identified before publication, the manuscript is returned for correction or is rejected. If plagiarism or other misconduct is discovered after publication, the journal will take appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines, which may include the publication of a correction, an expression of concern, or the retraction of the article. In serious cases, the matter may be reported to the authors' affiliated institution in accordance with HEC procedures.

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-Assisted Tools

IJAIMS recognises the growing use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted tools in research and writing. To protect the integrity, originality, and accountability of published work, the journal applies the following policy.

Disclosure. Authors must disclose any use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in the preparation of a manuscript that goes beyond basic language correction, grammar, and formatting. The disclosure should name the tool used and describe how it was used, and should be stated in the Methods section or in the Acknowledgements.

Authorship. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of a manuscript. Authorship requires accountability for the work, which an AI tool cannot assume. Responsibility for the entire content of the manuscript rests solely with the human author(s).

Accountability and originality. Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, validity, and integrity of their manuscript, including any content produced with the assistance of AI tools. AI-generated or AI-assisted text is subject to the journal's plagiarism screening, and authors must ensure that such content is accurate, properly attributed, and free from fabrication.

Citation. AI tools may not be cited as an authoritative or primary source. Any factual claim must be supported by verifiable, citable references.

Reviewers and editors. To preserve confidentiality, reviewers and editors must not upload any part of a submitted manuscript to public or third-party generative AI tools. Reviewers and editors must not use generative AI to produce their evaluations or decisions; the assessment of a manuscript must reflect their own expert judgement.

Non-compliance. Undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI tools is treated as a breach of publication ethics and is handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.