Originality, Plagiarism, and AI Use Policy

Originality, Plagiarism, and AI Use Policy

The Proceedings journal takes a very serious view of plagiarism and academic misconduct. We strictly adhere to the guidelines of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) (www.hec.gov.pk), the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) (www.pmdc.org.pk), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (www.icmje.org), and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (www.publicationethics.org).

Failure to comply with these standards may result in:

  • Rejection of submitted manuscripts,
  • Formal letters of reprimand,
  • Permanent suspension of the privilege to publish in Proceedings,
  • Reporting of the misconduct to the authors? affiliated institutions,
  • Notification to HEC, PMDC, or other regulatory/administrative bodies, depending on the severity of the violation.
  1. Plagiarism
  • Definition: Plagiarism includes verbatim copying, close paraphrasing, inappropriate reuse of one?s own previously published work (self-plagiarism), or use of others? data, ideas, or images without proper attribution.
  • Detection: All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using licensed plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin or Grammarly.
  • Threshold: Submissions with a similarity index greater than 18% overall or greater than 4% from a single source will not be processed further and will be returned or rejected.
  • Verification: Authors may be asked to provide raw data, prior publications, or other documentation to clarify overlap or originality concerns.
  1. AI-Generated Text, Images, and Content
  • Transparency: Authors must fully disclose any use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, DALL?E, Midjourney, etc.) in the preparation of text, figures, tables, images, or data analysis.
  • Limitations:
    • AI tools cannot be credited as authors or co-authors, as they do not meet ICMJE authorship criteria.
    • AI-generated outputs cannot be cited as primary sources.
  • Acceptable Use: AI tools may be used to improve language, check grammar, generate outlines, or assist in data visualization, provided that authors:
    • Retain full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the content.
    • Verify and critically review all AI-assisted text, images, or analysis.
  • Unacceptable Use: Submissions that are substantially generated by AI without proper disclosure, or that misrepresent AI-generated content as original human work, will be considered a violation of publication ethics.
  • Disclosure: A statement of AI use must be included in the cover letter and, where relevant, in the manuscript (e.g., Methods or Acknowledgments section). Example:

?Portions of this manuscript were assisted by the use of [AI tool name], which was used for [specific purpose, e.g., language editing]. The authors reviewed, verified, and take full responsibility for the content.?

  1. Ethical Accountability
  • All authors remain fully accountable for the originality, validity, and integrity of their work, regardless of AI assistance.
  • Misuse of AI or plagiarism will be handled with the same seriousness as traditional academic misconduct.
  • The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject, retract, or issue expressions of concern about any publication that violates these principles.