Plagiarism & AI Policy

Taro Gau: Journal of Islamic Studies maintains strict standards of academic integrity. We have a Zero Tolerance Policy towards plagiarism and adhering to the COPE Guidelines regarding AI usage in scholarly publishing.

A. Plagiarism Policy

Authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works. If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, this must be appropriately cited or quoted.

  • Screening Process: All manuscripts submitted to Taro Gau are screened using Turnitin Turnitin.
  • Similarity Threshold: The journal sets a maximum similarity index of 20%.
    • Below 20%: Accepted for review (subject to editor check).
    • Above 20%: The manuscript will be rejected immediately or returned to the author for revision, depending on the nature of the similarity.
  • Types of Plagiarism:
    • Verbatim plagiarism: Copying text word-for-word without quotation marks.
    • Paraphrasing plagiarism: Using someone else's ideas without proper citation.
    • Self-Plagiarism: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently or recycling significant parts of one's own previous work (salami slicing). This constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

B. Generative AI Policy

Taro Gau aligns with the international standards on the use of Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude) in scientific writing. While AI tools can enhance language quality, they imply risks regarding accuracy, bias, and intellectual property.

1. Authorship & Accountability

  • AI is NOT an Author: Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors. They cannot meet the requirements for authorship (accountability, managing conflicts of interest, and copyright assignment).
  • Responsibility: Authors are fully responsible and accountable for the content of their manuscript, including parts generated or polished by AI tools.

2. Permitted vs. Prohibited Use

PROHIBITED (Not Allowed) PERMITTED (Allowed)
  • Generating scientific insights, conclusions, or recommendations using AI.
  • Writing the Abstract, Literature Review, or Results section entirely using AI.
  • Creating synthetic data or falsifying references using AI.
  • Using AI to generate images, figures, or charts (unless explicitly part of the research methodology).
  • Using AI tools to improve grammar, spelling, and readability (copy-editing).
  • Using AI for formatting references or citations.
  • Using AI to brainstorm or structure ideas (provided the final writing is by the author).

3. Disclosure Requirement

Authors MUST disclose the use of Generative AI in their manuscript. If AI was used (e.g., for language editing), authors should include a statement at the end of the manuscript (before References):

"Declaration of Generative AI in Scientific Writing: The authors used [Name of Tool/Service] in order to [Reason, e.g., improve the language and readability]. After using this tool/service, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication."