Plagiarism Policy

The Iranian Journal of Health Research and Development (Iran J Health Res Dev) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and responsible scholarly publishing. Originality is a fundamental requirement for publication, and all manuscripts submitted to the journal must represent original work prepared by the listed authors.

The journal evaluates allegations of plagiarism and inappropriate text or content reuse in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and internationally accepted principles of responsible scholarly publishing.

Originality Requirement

Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not have been published previously or be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all sources of information, ideas, data, figures, tables, images, and previously published materials are appropriately acknowledged and cited.

Submission of a manuscript confirms that the authors have complied with these requirements.

What Constitutes Plagiarism

The journal considers plagiarism to include, but not be limited to:

• copying text without appropriate quotation or citation;
• presenting another person's ideas, interpretations, or research findings as one's own;
• mosaic or patchwork plagiarism through extensive paraphrasing without proper attribution;
• reproduction of tables, figures, images, datasets, or other copyrighted material without appropriate acknowledgment or permission where required;
• translation plagiarism involving previously published work without appropriate disclosure;
• inappropriate reuse of previously published material; and
• any other form of misappropriation of intellectual property.

Text Recycling and Self-Plagiarism

Authors should avoid excessive reuse of their own previously published work without appropriate citation and editorial disclosure.

Limited reuse of standard methodological descriptions or other unavoidable technical language may be acceptable where scientifically justified, appropriately referenced, and consistent with accepted scholarly practice.

Duplicate publication, redundant publication, and undisclosed republication of substantially similar work are considered unacceptable.

Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using recognized similarity detection software as part of the editorial assessment.

Similarity reports are used solely as a screening tool and do not, by themselves, determine whether plagiarism has occurred.

Editorial evaluation considers multiple factors, including:

• the source of overlapping material;
• the nature and context of the similarity;
• whether appropriate attribution has been provided;
• the extent of the overlap;
• the originality of the scientific contribution; and
• accepted scholarly writing practices within the relevant discipline.

Editorial decisions are based on academic judgment rather than any predetermined similarity score.

Editorial Assessment

When potential plagiarism or inappropriate text overlap is identified, the editorial office will conduct an objective assessment of the available evidence.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the concern, the journal may:

• request clarification from the authors;
• request revision and proper attribution;
• request supporting documentation;
• seek advice from independent experts where appropriate;
• reject the manuscript; or
• initiate an editorial investigation in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.

All cases are evaluated individually, fairly, confidentially, and without unnecessary delay.

Plagiarism Discovered After Publication

If plagiarism or other forms of inappropriate publication overlap are identified after publication, the journal will investigate the matter in accordance with its editorial policies and internationally recognized ethical guidance.

Where necessary, the journal may publish:

• a Correction;
• an Expression of Concern;
• a Retraction; or
• another appropriate editorial notice.

Post-publication actions are undertaken solely to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record and remain permanently linked to the original article.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are expected to:

• submit only original scholarly work;
• appropriately acknowledge all sources;
• obtain permission for copyrighted material where required;
• disclose any related manuscripts or overlapping publications during submission;
• cooperate fully with editorial investigations; and
• promptly notify the journal if originality concerns are identified after submission or publication.

Failure to comply with these responsibilities may result in editorial action in accordance with the journal's ethical policies.

Commitment to Research Integrity

The Iranian Journal of Health Research and Development is committed to safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record through fair, transparent, and consistent editorial practices. The journal continually reviews and strengthens its policies in accordance with internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and research integrity to promote responsible scholarly communication and maintain confidence in the published literature.