We are committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and publication ethics. This policy outlines our approach to identifying, addressing and preventing plagiarism, as well as our procedures for retractions, corrections and expressions of concern.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s work, ideas or words as one’s own without proper attribution. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Copying text, figures or data without citation
• Paraphrasing without acknowledgment
• Submitting someone else’s work under one’s name
• Self-plagiarism (reusing one’s previously published work without disclosure)

We consider plagiarism a serious breach of ethical standards and grounds for manuscript rejection or retraction.

2. Plagiarism Detection

All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate). Editorial teams assess similarity reports and determine whether overlap constitutes unethical behavior.

Thresholds:

• Minor overlap (<15%) may be acceptable with proper citation
• Moderate overlap (15–30%) may require revision or clarification
• Significant overlap (>30%) may result in outright rejection

3. Consequences of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected at any stage (submission, review or post-publication), we may take the following actions:

• Reject the manuscript
• Notify the author(s) and request explanation or revision
• Inform the author’s institution or funding body
• Retract the published article (if already published)
• Ban the author(s) from future submissions for a defined period

4. Retraction Policy

We follow the COPE Retraction Guidelines and may retract a published article if:

• Plagiarism, data fabrication, or falsification is confirmed
• Ethical violations (e.g., lack of informed consent, undisclosed conflicts of interest) are discovered
• The article contains serious errors that invalidate its findings
• Duplicate publication is identified

Retractions are issued with clear notice explaining the reason and remain permanently linked to the original article.

5. Corrections and Expressions of Concern

In cases where errors do not warrant retraction, AOPL may issue:

• Corrections – For factual or typographical errors that do not affect the article’s conclusions
• Expressions of Concern – When an investigation is ongoing or inconclusive, but concerns about the integrity of the work exist

All corrections and notices are clearly labeled and linked to the original article.

6. Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting to AOPL must:

• Ensure all sources are properly cited
• Declare if any part of the manuscript has been previously published
• Submit only original work that has not been submitted elsewhere
• Disclose any potential conflicts of interest

Authors are encouraged to use plagiarism-checking tools before submission.

7. Reviewer and Editor Responsibilities

Reviewers and editors play a critical role in maintaining publication integrity. They are expected to:

• Report suspected plagiarism or ethical concerns to the editorial team
• Maintain confidentiality and objectivity
• Avoid using unpublished material for personal advantage

Reviewer Guidelines

8. Reporting Misconduct

Anyone may report suspected plagiarism or ethical misconduct by contacting the editorial office. Reports must include:

• The title and author(s) of the article in question
• A detailed description of the concern
• Supporting evidence (e.g., links, documents, similarity reports)

All reports are handled confidentially and investigated promptly.

9. Contact Us

For questions or to report a concern, please contact – info@africaopl.org