For Authors

Plagiarism Policy

Every submission is screened for originality. We follow the UGC's guidelines on plagiarism, aligned with COPE best practice.

Academic-integrity principles

Viśvasaṃvid’s plagiarism handling is aligned with the academic-integrity principles set out by the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2018, and with COPE best practice.

Similarity scores are indicators, not proof

Similarity scores are used as an editorial screening indicator and are not, by themselves, a determination of plagiarism. The editorial team evaluates the source, nature and context of detected overlap. Authors may be asked to revise, explain or correct substantial overlap, and serious academic misconduct may result in rejection or further action under the journal’s ethics policy.

Originality expected

All manuscripts submitted to Viśvasaṃvid must be original work of the author(s), not previously published elsewhere, and not simultaneously under consideration by any other journal. Where authors build on their own earlier work, they must cite the earlier work explicitly and paraphrase, not reproduce, previously published text.

Similarity screening

Every submission undergoes electronic similarity screening before it is sent for peer review. Similarity is assessed against published journal articles, books, conference proceedings, theses, and openly-accessible internet sources.

Acceptable similarity thresholds

The editorial office applies the following bands, consistent with UGC guidance:

Up to 10% similarity — minor overlap, generally acceptable if properly cited.
Above 10% up to 40% — manuscript returned to the author(s) for revision within a stipulated period.
Above 40% up to 60% — manuscript rejected; author(s) may resubmit only after a full rewrite and a fresh similarity check.
Above 60%— manuscript rejected outright; author(s) may be prohibited from submitting for a period at the editors’ discretion.

Common exclusions from the similarity index include quoted material with proper attribution, standard references, common phrases in the field, and the bibliography.

Self-plagiarism

Reusing substantial portions of the author’s previously published work without acknowledgement is treated as self-plagiarism and is not acceptable. Authors must cite their earlier work and, where necessary, paraphrase rather than copy.

Consequences of confirmed plagiarism

Where plagiarism is confirmed after publication, the editorial board reserves the right to:

issue a public correction or expression of concern;
retract the article and mark it as retracted in the archive;
notify the author’s institution and, where relevant, the funding body;
prohibit the author(s) from submitting to Viśvasaṃvid for a defined period.

Author responsibility

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have reviewed the manuscript, that all sources have been properly cited, and that permissions have been secured for any third-party material (figures, tables, extended quotations).

Related policies

Read our Publication Ethics policy and Peer Review Policy for the broader ethical framework governing the journal.