1. Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Management: Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's) is committed to maintaining academic integrity and preventing plagiarism and other forms of publication misconduct. All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using Turnitin or an equivalent similarity-checking tool, as available to the journal.

Plagiarism includes presenting another person's words, ideas, data, findings, or other intellectual contributions as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment. It may take several forms, including:

a. Direct Plagiarism

Direct plagiarism occurs when text or other material is copied from another source without appropriate citation or quotation marks where required.

b. Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism occurs when authors reuse substantial portions of their previously published work without appropriate acknowledgment or without complying with applicable publication requirements.

c. Mosaic Plagiarism

Mosaic plagiarism occurs when words or phrases from one or more sources are incorporated into a manuscript, sometimes with minor wording changes, without adequate acknowledgment of the original sources.

d. Accidental Plagiarism

Accidental plagiarism occurs when authors unintentionally fail to cite a source correctly, misidentify a source, or use another person's words or ideas without appropriate acknowledgment. Unintentional errors must still be addressed in accordance with the journal's editorial policies.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all sources used in their manuscripts are properly cited and referenced. They must not present the work, data, or findings of others as their own. Duplicate or redundant publication, as well as simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal, is not acceptable.

2. Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts are screened for textual similarity before they proceed further in the editorial process. The journal applies a similarity threshold of no more than 25%, subject to editorial assessment and the journal's screening procedures.

The similarity percentage is an initial screening indicator and does not, by itself, determine whether plagiarism has occurred. The editorial team also considers the nature, location, context, and extent of the matching text, including whether the sources have been properly cited.

A manuscript may be returned for revision, subjected to further assessment, or rejected if substantial unattributed copying or other forms of plagiarism are identified, even when its overall similarity percentage is below the stated threshold.

Where necessary, the editorial team may request clarification or revision from the authors before making an editorial decision. Suspected serious cases of plagiarism or publication misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics policy.

3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use and Screening

The Journal of Management: Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's) recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used in academic writing and research. Their use must be transparent, responsible, and consistent with the principles of academic integrity.

a. Disclosure of AI Use

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI tools when such tools have contributed to the substantive preparation of a manuscript, including the generation or development of text, research content, images, or other scholarly materials. The disclosure should identify the AI tool used and explain its purpose and the extent of its contribution. This information should be included in the Methods section, Acknowledgements, or another appropriate section of the manuscript.

Routine spelling, grammar, and language-editing assistance may be treated differently, provided that it does not replace the author's intellectual contribution or compromise the accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.

b. Authorship and Accountability

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, validity, integrity, and proper attribution of all content in their manuscripts, including content produced or assisted by AI tools.

Authors must verify AI-generated information, references, quotations, data, and other outputs before submission. AI-generated content must not be used to fabricate research data, invent sources, misrepresent findings, or conceal plagiarism or other forms of misconduct.

c. Editorial Assessment and AI Screening

Where appropriate and available, the editorial team may use AI-detection tools or other assessment methods to identify content that may require further examination. Any results from AI-detection tools will be treated as indicators for editorial assessment rather than conclusive proof of misconduct.

An AI-detection score alone will not determine whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected. Editorial decisions will take account of the available evidence, the manuscript's content, the authors' explanations where appropriate, and the journal's publication ethics policies.

d. Confidentiality and Responsible Use of AI

Editors and reviewers must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and peer-review materials. They must not upload confidential manuscript content or review materials to external generative AI services unless the journal has explicitly authorized such use and appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards are in place.

The journal may take appropriate editorial action when undisclosed or inappropriate AI use is found to compromise the originality, reliability, or integrity of a manuscript.

The journal's policies on plagiarism, AI use, and publication ethics apply to all authors submitting manuscripts to the journal.