The IJCP Journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism and is committed to ensuring the originality and integrity of all published content. Plagiarism, in any form, is considered a serious violation of academic and publication ethics.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

Copying text, data, figures, or ideas from other sources without proper attribution

Reproducing substantial parts of one’s own previously published work (self-plagiarism) without proper citation or justification

Submitting a manuscript that is substantially similar to work published or under review elsewhere

Plagiarism Screening and Actions in Case of Plagiarism All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using reputable similarity-checking software (e.g., CheckForPlag, ) prior to the peer review process. For the International Journal of Community Pharmacy, the acceptable similarity index is: Research Articles: Maximum 15% Review Articles: Maximum 20% Manuscripts exceeding the applicable similarity threshold, or containing significant unoriginal content without proper citation, will be returned to the author for revision. Authors will be required to revise the manuscript appropriately and resubmit the revised article within 3 days of receiving the plagiarism report. If the revised manuscript continues to exceed the acceptable similarity limit or contains substantial unoriginal content without appropriate acknowledgment or citation, the manuscript may be rejected by the journal. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original, properly cited, and compliant with the journal's plagiarism and ethical publication standards before submission.

If plagiarism is detected at any stage—before or after publication—the editorial team will take the following actions:

Notify the author(s) and request an explanation or clarification

Reject the manuscript or retract the published article, depending on the severity of the plagiarism

Inform the author's affiliated institution and/or relevant authorities, if required

Restrict future submissions from the author(s), depending on the nature of the violation

Authors are fully responsible for the content of their submissions and must ensure that all sources are appropriately cited. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others is essential for academic integrity and credibility.