The Metro Journal of Modern Science (MJMS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, ethical publishing, and responsible research communication. The journal adheres to the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and follows internationally accepted standards expected of journals indexed in global databases, including Scopus. MJMS adopts a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, and any form of publication misconduct. All manuscripts submitted to the journal must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by any other journal or publisher.

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s ideas, words, data, images, tables, figures, methodologies, results, or intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgement, permission, or citation. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Direct copying of text without proper citation;
• Inadequate paraphrasing or unattributed reproduction of ideas;
• Self-plagiarism or redundant publication;
• Duplicate submission or duplicate publication;
• Data fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of research findings;
• Unauthorized reuse of copyrighted material;
• Translation plagiarism and inappropriate citation practices.

All manuscripts submitted to MJMS are screened using recognized plagiarism-detection software before entering the peer-review process and may be re-screened prior to final publication. The editorial office evaluates similarity reports carefully because similarity percentages alone do not necessarily constitute plagiarism. The nature, context, and source of the overlap are also considered. Legitimate overlaps, such as references, standard methodological descriptions, commonly used definitions, legal statements, and properly quoted material, are excluded from the final editorial assessment whenever appropriate.

To promote originality and maintain publication quality, MJMS generally follows the following editorial thresholds:

Manuscripts exceeding these limits may undergo additional editorial scrutiny and may require revision, clarification, or rejection depending on the nature and extent of the overlap.

1. 1

   Minor Overlap: Minor textual similarity resulting from standard terminology or properly cited material may be accepted after editorial verification or minor revision.

2. 2

   Moderate Overlap: Where substantial textual overlap is identified, authors may be requested to revise the manuscript, rewrite overlapping sections, improve citations, and resubmit the manuscript for a fresh similarity assessment.

3. 3

   Major Overlap or Deliberate Plagiarism: Manuscripts containing significant unattributed copying, duplicate publication, falsified data, manipulated content, or evidence of intentional plagiarism shall be rejected immediately and may be subject to additional editorial action in accordance with COPE recommendations.

4. 4

   Plagiarism Detected During Peer Review: If plagiarism or publication misconduct is identified during the editorial evaluation or peer-review process, the manuscript may be: Returned to the authors for clarification and revision; Suspended from further review pending investigation; Rejected immediately where serious ethical concerns exist. The journal reserves the right to request explanations, supporting documents, raw data, or evidence of originality from the authors whenever necessary.

5. 5

   Plagiarism Detected After Publication: If plagiarism or publication misconduct is discovered after publication, MJMS will investigate the matter in accordance with COPE guidelines and established editorial procedures. Depending upon the severity of the case, the journal may: Publish a correction or clarification; Issue an Expression of Concern; Retract the published article; Notify the authors' affiliated institutions, employers, or funding agencies where appropriate; Restrict future submissions from authors involved in proven cases of serious misconduct. Retracted articles shall remain clearly marked as retracted to preserve the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record.

6. 6

   Reporting Suspected Plagiarism: Authors, reviewers, readers, and institutions may report suspected plagiarism or publication misconduct by submitting documented evidence to the Managing Editor of MJMS. All allegations shall be handled confidentially, fairly, and objectively. The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board shall investigate reported cases in accordance with COPE principles and internationally accepted publication ethics procedures. Decisions regarding corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or other editorial actions shall be final and based on evidence obtained during the investigation.

7. 7

   Statement of Ethical Commitment: MJMS is dedicated to promoting originality, transparency, accountability, and responsible research conduct. The journal expects all authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members to uphold the highest standards of publication ethics and to contribute to maintaining the credibility, reliability, and integrity of scholarly communication.