Plagiarism Policy
All Manuscripts Screened by Turnitin
Every manuscript submitted to Bali Tourism Journal is routinely screened for originality using Turnitin, the leading academic plagiarism detection software. The editorial team reviews the full Turnitin Similarity Report and shares the results with the author alongside editorial feedback during manuscript evaluation.
Maximum Similarity
20%
overall index
Types of Plagiarism Covered by This Policy
Textual Plagiarism
Copying text from another source — verbatim or near-verbatim — without proper quotation marks and citation, regardless of the proportion copied.
Idea Plagiarism
Presenting another researcher's ideas, arguments, theories, or frameworks as one's own without attribution, even if the text is rephrased or paraphrased.
Self-Plagiarism
Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without disclosure — including recycled methods sections, results, or duplicate data across multiple publications.
Data & Image Plagiarism
Using another researcher's data, tables, figures, or images without proper attribution, or reproducing published figures without permission from the copyright holder.
Mosaic Plagiarism
Mixing phrases from a source into one's own writing without quotation marks, or changing words while keeping the sentence structure — even with a citation present.
AI-Generated Content
Submitting text generated by AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) without disclosure, or using AI to paraphrase source material as a means to reduce Turnitin similarity scores.
Screening Process
1
Initial Submission Screening
Upon submission, every manuscript is screened through Turnitin before it is sent for peer review. Manuscripts with an overall similarity index exceeding 20% are returned to the author for revision prior to entering the review queue.
2
Similarity Report Review
The editorial team carefully reviews the full Turnitin Similarity Report — not just the overall score. Matched content from properly cited references, common phrases, and boilerplate text is assessed in context. A similarity index ?20% does not automatically guarantee acceptance; the nature of matched content is also evaluated.
3
Feedback to Authors
The Turnitin report and editorial notes are shared with the corresponding author. Authors are given clear guidance on which sections require revision and are expected to reduce similarity while maintaining scientific accuracy — not by artificially paraphrasing or using AI tools to mask copied content.
4
Post-Revision Re-screening
Revised manuscripts may be re-screened through Turnitin before final acceptance to confirm that the similarity threshold has been met and that no new unattributed content has been introduced during revision.
Similarity Index Interpretation
0% – 10%
Excellent — Proceed
11% – 20%
Acceptable — Review Content
21% – 40%
Revision Required
> 40%
Rejected — Not Acceptable
* The editorial board reserves the right to reject any manuscript regardless of similarity score if plagiarism is confirmed upon qualitative review.
Consequences of Plagiarism
Before Peer Review
- Manuscript returned to author for revision
- Turnitin report shared with revision instructions
- Resubmission allowed after appropriate correction
- Persistent violations result in desk rejection
During or After Review
- Immediate rejection of the manuscript
- No further consideration of the submission
- Notification to peer reviewers if appropriate
- Ban from submitting to this journal for a defined period
After Publication
- Formal retraction of the published article
- Retraction notice published on the journal website and DOI record
- Notification to the author's institution and funding body
- Permanent ban from future submissions
Self-Plagiarism & Duplicate Submission
What Is Self-Plagiarism?
Self-plagiarism occurs when an author reuses substantial portions of their own previously published work without proper acknowledgment. This includes recycling a methods section, reusing previously published results, or submitting the same data in multiple publications (salami slicing).
Acceptable: Citing and briefly referencing prior work · Building upon published findings with new data · Translating previously published work (with disclosure)
Duplicate & Concurrent Submission
Authors must not submit the same manuscript — or a substantially similar version — to more than one journal simultaneously. Manuscripts already published (in print or online, including preprints updated to a near-final state) may not be submitted.
Exception: Conference abstracts and posters do not preclude submission. Preprints (unreviewed, pre-submission versions) are permitted with disclosure.
Data Fabrication, Falsification & Manipulation
Fabrication & Falsification Are Treated as Serious Research Misconduct
The following are explicitly prohibited and constitute research misconduct under COPE guidelines, irrespective of similarity score:
Data Fabrication
Inventing data, results, or findings that were never collected or observed.
Data Falsification
Manipulating research data, images, or results to misrepresent findings.
Image Manipulation
Inappropriately enhancing, obscuring, or altering figures, graphs, or photographs.
Selective Reporting
Reporting only favourable results while concealing contradictory or negative findings.
AI-Generated Content & Similarity Masking
Important Notice — 2025 Policy Update
The use of AI writing tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot) to generate or rewrite manuscript content specifically to lower Turnitin similarity scores is considered a form of academic misconduct equivalent to plagiarism. Authors should be aware that:
Prohibited
Using AI to paraphrase others' work to evade plagiarism detection; passing AI-generated text off as original human writing
Permitted (with Declaration)
Using AI for grammar/language editing, literature searching, or formatting — provided disclosed in the manuscript's Methods or Acknowledgements section
Mandatory Declaration
Any use of AI tools must be declared. AI tools may not be listed as authors under any circumstances per ICMJE and COPE guidelines
Appeals & Reporting Suspected Plagiarism
Author Appeal Process
Authors who believe their manuscript was incorrectly flagged — due to properly cited quotations, reference lists, or common discipline-specific terminology — may submit a written appeal to the editor-in-chief within 14 days of receiving the editorial decision.
The appeal must include a point-by-point explanation of each flagged passage. The editorial team will review and respond within 30 days.
Reporting Suspected Plagiarism
Readers, reviewers, or third parties who suspect plagiarism in a published article are encouraged to report it to the editorial team with supporting evidence (the suspected source, specific passages, and URLs or citations).
All reports will be handled confidentially and investigated in accordance with COPE's Guidelines for Retracting Articles.
Standards & References
COPE Guidelines ICMJE Recommendations Turnitin Similarity Check WAME Ethics Standards DOAJ Compliance KEPK (Indonesian Ethics)
