Plagiarism Policy

ALIEF: Journal of Early Childhood Education takes plagiarism and academic misconduct very seriously. All submitted manuscripts are screened for originality using plagiarism detection software (Turnitin or iThenticate) prior to peer review.

Acceptable Similarity Threshold:

Manuscripts must have a similarity index of no more than 20% from any single source, and an overall similarity index of less than 25% (excluding references, quoted material, and common phrases). Manuscripts exceeding this threshold will be returned to the authors for revision before proceeding to peer review.

Types of Plagiarism Addressed:

• Direct plagiarism: verbatim copying of text without quotation marks or citation
• Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism: rearranging phrases from a source without proper attribution
• Self-plagiarism: reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without disclosure
• Paraphrasing plagiarism: rewording others' ideas without giving proper credit

Consequences of Plagiarism:

If plagiarism is detected at any stage of the publication process, the following actions may be taken:

• Pre-publication: the manuscript will be immediately rejected and the authors notified
• Post-publication: the article will be retracted and a public notice of retraction will be issued
• In cases of severe misconduct, the authors' institutions may be notified

ALIEF follows the COPE guidelines on how to handle cases of suspected plagiarism and is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.