Plagiarism Policy

The Middle Eastern and North African Journal of Dentistry & Oral Sciences (MENA-JDOS)

The Middle Eastern and North African Journal of Dentistry & Oral Sciences (MENA-JDOS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and research ethics. All manuscripts submitted to the journal must be original, unpublished work and must not be under review elsewhere.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct plagiarism – Copying text, figures, or data verbatim without citation.

  • Mosaic plagiarism – Borrowing ideas, sentence structure, or images without proper acknowledgment.

  • Self-plagiarism – Reusing one’s own previously published material without disclosure or permission.

  • Data/image manipulation – Fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of results.

2. Screening Process

  • All manuscripts are checked using advanced plagiarism detection software prior to peer review.

  • Similarity reports are evaluated by the editorial team to distinguish between acceptable overlaps (e.g., methodology, standard definitions) and unethical duplication.

3. Consequences

  • Minor overlap: Authors may be asked to revise and resubmit with proper citations.

  • Significant plagiarism or duplication: The manuscript will be rejected immediately.

  • If plagiarism is detected after publication, the journal reserves the right to issue a correction, expression of concern, or full retraction, following COPE guidelines.

4. Author Responsibilities

  • Authors must ensure that their submission is entirely original and that all sources are properly cited.

  • Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) may only be used with full disclosure in the Methods section; AI cannot be listed as an author.

  • Authors are responsible for retaining original data and must provide it upon request for verification.

5. Editorial & Reviewer Role

  • Reviewers are encouraged to report any suspected plagiarism during the review process.

  • The editorial board will conduct formal investigations of all ethical breaches in accordance with COPE best practices.

6. Compliance Statement

By submitting to MENA-JDOS, authors confirm that their work:

  • Is original and free from plagiarism.

  • Has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere.

  • Fully complies with this plagiarism policy.