Plagiarism Screening

Lexa: Journal of Legal Studies is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and publication ethics. All manuscripts submitted to the journal are subject to a plagiarism screening process prior to editorial evaluation and peer review to ensure the originality and authenticity of scholarly work.

Each manuscript is examined using reputable plagiarism detection software, such as Turnitin, iThenticate, or other equivalent similarity-checking tools. The similarity report is carefully evaluated by the Editorial Board, which distinguishes between legitimate similarities (e.g., references, quotations, legal provisions, and standard methodological descriptions) and potential instances of plagiarism or unethical text overlap.

As a general policy, the overall similarity index should not exceed 20%, excluding references, properly cited quotations, bibliographies, and commonly used legal terminology. However, the final editorial decision is based not only on the similarity percentage but also on the nature, source, and context of the matched content.

Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism, excessive textual overlap, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, or other forms of academic misconduct may be rejected immediately or returned to the authors for revision before entering the peer-review process. If plagiarism or publication misconduct is identified after publication, the journal reserves the right to issue corrections, publish expressions of concern, or retract the article in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

By submitting a manuscript to Lexa: Journal of Legal Studies, authors affirm that their work is original, has been properly cited where necessary, has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and complies with the journal's Publication Ethics and Plagiarism Screening Policy.