PLAGIARISM AND RESEARCH INTEGRITY POLICY

TOBA: Journal of Tourism, Hospitality, and Destination, published by Yayasan Literasi Sains Indonesia, values originality, transparency, academic integrity, and responsible scholarly communication. This policy explains how manuscripts are checked for originality and how the journal responds to concerns about plagiarism and research integrity.

Plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, fabricated or falsified research, and citation manipulation may lead to editorial action under the Publication Ethics policy.

Policy at a Glance

Item	Policy
Plagiarism screening	Yes, for every manuscript, before it is sent to reviewers.
Screening tool	iThenticate
Similarity score	A screening signal only. It is never proof of plagiarism.
Automatic rejection based on a percentage	No
Final assessment	Human editorial evaluation
Letter of Originality	Required with every submission (template available here).
Questions and concerns	tobajurnal@gmail.com

Submission → Screening → Editor assessment → Clarification → Editorial decision

1Introduction

Topic	Policy
Screening	Manuscripts are screened for text similarity and other integrity concerns before they are sent to reviewers. Further checks may be made during editorial evaluation and peer review whenever a concern arises (see the Peer Review Process).
Editorial action	Plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, fabricated or falsified research, and citation manipulation may lead to the actions described in Sections 8 and 9.
Author checks	Authors are encouraged to check their manuscripts with a similarity tool before they submit, and they must submit a Letter of Originality with the manuscript.

2Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism means presenting the words, ideas, data, arguments, images, results, creative work, or other contributions of another person as your own, without proper credit, citation, quotation, or the permission that is required. Plagiarism can be intentional, or it can result from careless or incomplete attribution.

Authors must identify and acknowledge accurately every source that they use.

3Forms of Plagiarism

The forms below are examples. The list is not exhaustive.

Form	Description	Example
Direct plagiarism	Copying text word for word without quotation marks or a citation.	A paragraph from a published article on destination branding is pasted into the Introduction without quotation marks.
Paraphrasing without attribution	Rewording the work of another person without giving credit.	The argument of a published study on visitor satisfaction is restated in new words, with no citation.
Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism	Combining material from one or more sources, or changing it only slightly, without acknowledgment.	Sentences from three articles are joined, with a few words replaced, to form one section.
Unattributed ideas	Using the theories, ideas, or interpretations of others without credit.	A framework for sustainable tourism is presented as the original idea of the authors.
Improper use of data	Using data, statistics, or results without citing their source.	Visitor arrival statistics or hotel occupancy rates are used without naming the agency or report that published them.
Improper use of protected material	Using figures, images, tables, maps, questionnaires, interview guides, scales, or other instruments without attribution or permission.	A photograph of a destination or a published survey instrument is used without permission or credit.
Quotation misrepresentation	Presenting quoted material without marking it clearly as a quotation.	A sentence copied from a source is placed in the text with only a citation at the end, and no quotation marks.
Source misrepresentation	Giving citations that are inaccurate or misleading.	A citation names a source that does not support the statement, or does not exist.
Translation plagiarism	Translating text, for example from English into Indonesian or the reverse, and presenting it as original.	An article in Indonesian is translated into English and submitted as new work.
Unauthorized authorship	Submitting work that was written by someone else, including work from paid writing services.	A manuscript written by a third party is submitted under the name of the authors.
Inappropriate text recycling	Reusing your own published text without disclosure and citation.	The Method section of an earlier article is copied into a new manuscript without any reference to it.

Generative AI. The use of generative AI to write or rewrite text must follow the Generative AI Policies. An AI system cannot be listed as an author.

4Text Recycling, Thesis Based Articles, and Redundant Publication

Topic	Policy
Reuse of your own work	Authors must disclose and cite their earlier published work when they reuse it. Substantial duplication may be treated as inappropriate text recycling or as redundant publication.
Acceptable overlap	Limited overlap, such as a standard description of a method, may be acceptable.
How editors assess overlap	Editors consider the amount of text that is duplicated, where it appears, the context, the attribution, whether the overlap is necessary, and its scholarly significance.
Thesis or dissertation	An article that is based on a thesis or a dissertation should say so, for example in the Acknowledgments. The material must be rewritten as an article and not copied from the thesis.
Simultaneous submission	The same manuscript must not be submitted to another journal at the same time.

5Similarity and Plagiarism Screening

Every manuscript is screened for originality with iThenticate before it is sent to reviewers.

A similarity percentage is only a screening signal. It is never proof of plagiarism.

5.1 How the editors read a similarity report

An editor or an authorized member of the editorial office reviews every similarity report. The overall score is not the only consideration. The editors also look at the following:

Factor	Question
Source	Where does the matched text come from?
Amount	How much of the manuscript is matched?
Location	In which part of the manuscript does the match appear?
Nature of the match	Is it a sentence, a paragraph, a list of references, or a standard phrase?
Attribution	Has the source been cited and, where necessary, quoted correctly?
Context	Is the overlap necessary and appropriate in this part of the manuscript?

5.2 Matches that are usually acceptable

Bibliographies and reference lists
Text that is quoted correctly
Common terminology
Standard statements of method
Names of institutions
Legitimate references to earlier publications

5.3 The similarity score

Manuscripts are normally expected to show low overall similarity. A high or unusual result leads to additional editorial examination. It does not lead to automatic rejection. A manuscript with a low score may still contain plagiarism, for example translated text or paraphrased ideas without attribution, and a manuscript with a high score may contain only acceptable matches. The editors make the final judgment.

6Other Forms of Research Misconduct

The following are treated as serious concerns even when no plagiarism is found.

No.	Concern
1	Fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data, including data from tourists, residents, employees, hotel guests, or other participants.
2	Manipulation or duplication of figures or images.
3	Fabricated or falsified references and DOIs.
4	Citation manipulation.
5	Undisclosed duplicate or redundant publication.
6	Inappropriate authorship practices (see Authorship and Contributorship).
7	Manipulation of the peer review process.
8	Deliberate misrepresentation of methods, ethical permission and consent, participants, findings, or sources.

These concerns are handled under the Publication Ethics and Allegations of Misconduct policies.

7Editorial Screening Procedure

Step	What happens
1. Screening	The manuscript is checked with similarity and integrity tools.
2. Human assessment	An editor reviews the matched passages and their sources.
3. Clarification	The authors may be asked to explain, correct, add citations, rewrite text, or provide documentation.
4. Editorial decision	The outcome is proportionate to the seriousness of the concern.

8Actions Before Publication

Depending on the seriousness of the concern, the journal may take one or more of the following actions.

Action	Description
Clarification	The editors ask the authors to explain the concern.
Corrected attribution	The editors ask for corrected citations or attribution.
Rewriting or revision	The authors are required to rewrite or revise the overlapping material.
Supporting documents	The editors ask for data, permissions, or other supporting documents.
Pause	The evaluation of the manuscript is paused while the concern is examined.
Rejection	The manuscript is rejected if substantial plagiarism, duplication, fabrication, falsification, or other serious misconduct is established.

9Actions After Publication

A concern may also be investigated after an article has been published. In that case the journal follows the Correction and Retraction policy, and it may take one or more of the following actions.

Action	Description
Correction	A correction or a corrigendum is published.
Expression of concern	A notice is published while an investigation is unresolved.
Retraction	The article is retracted if the published record is substantially unreliable or if serious misconduct is proven.
Notification	The relevant institutions or authorities are informed.
Other steps	Other proportionate steps are taken to protect the scholarly record.

10Automated Screening and Human Oversight

Automated tools support the editors, but they do not decide whether misconduct has occurred. Qualified editors make the final decision on suspected plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, fabricated references, concerns about the use of AI, and other misconduct.

11Responsibilities of Authors

Responsibility	What authors should do
Acknowledge every source	Identify and acknowledge accurately each source that you use. A reference manager such as Mendeley or Zotero helps to keep citations complete and consistent.
Check before submitting	Check your manuscript with a similarity tool before you submit it.
Submit the Letter of Originality	Complete the Letter of Originality and upload it with the manuscript (see the Author Guidelines).
Disclose your own earlier work	Disclose and cite any reuse of your own published text.
State thesis origins	If the article is based on a thesis or a dissertation, say so, and rewrite the material as an article.
Submit to one journal only	Do not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time.
Follow the AI policy	Follow the Generative AI Policies when you use AI tools.

Our Commitment

TOBA assesses concerns about similarity on the basis of evidence and context, and not on a percentage alone. Confirmed concerns receive a response that is proportionate to their seriousness.

Related Policies

Topic	Policy
Ethical standards	Publication Ethics
Review of manuscripts	Peer Review Process
Authorship	Authorship and Contributorship
Generative AI	Generative AI Policies
Misconduct	Allegations of Misconduct
Corrections and retractions	Correction and Retraction
Conflicts of interest	Conflicts of Interest
Discussion after publication	Post-Publication Discussion
Preparation of manuscripts	Manuscript Preparation and Author Guidelines