PLAGIARISM POLICY:
Publications are the outcome of scientific research, and their quality reflects the integrity of the research conducted. Published articles serve as a source of scientific evidence, scholarly discussion, and future research. Therefore, all manuscripts submitted to JSMDC are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic honesty and publication ethics.
• JSMDC follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, regarding plagiarism and publication ethics. The relevant guidelines can be accessed at www.publicationethics.org, www.icmje.org, and www.hec.gov.pk.
• All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using Turnitin before entering the peer-review process. Manuscripts with an overall similarity index of more than 19% or a similarity index of 5% or more from any single source will not be considered for further processing until the similarity is reduced to the permissible limits.
• If the similarity index exceeds the permissible limit, the manuscript will be returned to the corresponding author for revision. The revised manuscript will be screened again using Turnitin. If the similarity index remains above the acceptable limit after the second revision, the manuscript will be rejected.
• If a submitted manuscript is found to be wholly or substantially plagiarized, it will be rejected outright. The corresponding author will be informed of the findings and asked to provide a written explanation.
• Before the final printing/publication of an accepted manuscript, it is screened again for plagiarism to ensure compliance with the journal's plagiarism policy.