The Cambodian Journal of Educational and Social Sciences (CJESS) is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, research ethics, and responsible scholarly publishing. Plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, fabrication of sources, and unethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) are inconsistent with the journal's publication standards. Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality, accuracy, integrity, and ethical compliance of their submitted manuscripts.

Plagiarism Screening

All manuscripts submitted to CJESS are screened using Turnitin or other appropriate similarity-detection tools before proceeding to peer review. Similarity reports are examined by the editorial team to determine whether textual overlap represents plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, properly cited quotations, references, methodological terminology, or other legitimate forms of similarity.

As a general screening guideline, manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 20% may be subject to additional editorial examination. A similarity percentage alone does not determine whether plagiarism has occurred. Manuscripts containing substantial unattributed material, inappropriate text recycling, or other serious forms of plagiarism may be rejected regardless of the overall similarity percentage.

Manuscripts that satisfy the journal's originality and plagiarism requirements may proceed to the double-blind peer-review process involving at least two independent reviewers. Reviewers assess the manuscript's originality, scholarly quality, methodology, clarity, relevance, and contribution to the field. Editorial decisions are made in accordance with the journal's peer-review and editorial policies.

Plagiarism Guidelines

CJESS requires authors to observe the following principles:

• Proper Attribution: Authors must appropriately acknowledge and cite ideas, findings, data, methods, theories, interpretations, and other material derived from previously published or unpublished sources.
• Paraphrasing: Material derived from another source must be appropriately paraphrased and cited. Merely changing a few words or rearranging sentences from an original source without proper attribution is unacceptable.
• Direct Quotations: Material reproduced verbatim from another source must be clearly identified as a quotation and appropriately cited in accordance with accepted scholarly conventions.
• Text Recycling and Self-Plagiarism: Authors must appropriately acknowledge their own previously published work when it is reused. Substantial duplication of previously published material without appropriate citation, disclosure, or justification is not acceptable.
• Originality: Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts represent original scholarly work and do not infringe the intellectual property rights of others.
• Accuracy of Sources: Authors are responsible for ensuring that all sources cited in their manuscripts are genuine, relevant, and accurately represented. Fabricated or nonexistent references are prohibited.

Handling Suspected Plagiarism

If plagiarism or substantial inappropriate duplication is identified before publication, the editorial team may request clarification or revision or may reject the manuscript, depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

If plagiarism is identified after publication, CJESS will investigate the matter and may take appropriate corrective action, including issuing a correction, expression of concern, or retraction when warranted.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

CJESS recognizes that generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools may assist researchers with certain aspects of manuscript preparation. However, the use of AI does not reduce or transfer the responsibilities of human authors. Authors remain fully accountable for the originality, accuracy, reliability, integrity, and content of their submitted and published work.

Authors who use generative AI tools in preparing or revising a manuscript must comply with the following requirements:

• Disclosure of AI Use: Authors must disclose substantive use of generative AI in developing, analyzing, or revising manuscript content. Routine tools used solely for spelling, grammar, formatting, or basic language improvement do not normally require disclosure.
• AI and Authorship: AI tools and large language models cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly work.
• Human Responsibility: Authors remain fully responsible for all AI-assisted content and must critically review and verify it before submission.
• Accuracy and Verification: Authors must verify facts, interpretations, calculations, citations, references, and other information produced or assisted by AI. AI-generated information must not be assumed to be accurate.
• References and Sources: Authors must verify all references against the original sources. Fabricated, nonexistent, inaccurate, or misleading AI-generated citations and references are prohibited.
• Originality and Intellectual Property: Authors must ensure that AI-generated or AI-assisted content does not result in plagiarism, inappropriate duplication, misrepresentation of sources, or infringement of intellectual property rights.
• Scholarly Sources: Generative AI tools should not be used as substitutes for authoritative scholarly literature or cited as authoritative academic sources when the original scholarly sources are available.
• Research Data and Confidentiality: Authors must not upload confidential, sensitive, copyrighted, personally identifiable, or otherwise protected research materials to generative AI systems when doing so would violate ethical, legal, contractual, intellectual-property, or confidentiality obligations.
• Research Integrity: AI tools must not be used to fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or misrepresent data, images, results, participant information, citations, or other research materials.

AI Use by Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of manuscripts submitted to CJESS. They must not upload unpublished manuscripts, manuscript sections, supplementary materials, reviewer reports, or confidential editorial information into publicly accessible generative AI systems when doing so could compromise confidentiality, intellectual property, privacy, or data protection.

Generative AI must not replace the independent scholarly judgment of reviewers or editors. Peer-review reports and editorial decisions must reflect the reviewer's or editor's own critical evaluation, expertise, and professional judgment.

Editors remain responsible for all editorial decisions and must ensure that the use of technological tools does not compromise the fairness, confidentiality, independence, or integrity of the editorial and peer-review processes.

AI Use Disclosure

When substantive generative AI use requires disclosure, authors should clearly identify the AI tool used and explain how it was used in preparing the manuscript. The disclosure should be placed in an appropriate section of the manuscript.

A disclosure may follow this format:

AI Use Disclosure: The author(s) used [name of AI tool] to assist with [purpose of use]. All AI-assisted content was critically reviewed and verified by the author(s), who take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the final manuscript.

Authors who use AI-enabled tools solely for routine spelling, grammar, formatting, or basic language improvement are not normally required to provide an AI disclosure statement.

Undisclosed or Inappropriate AI Use

If CJESS identifies inappropriate or undisclosed use of generative AI that raises concerns about the originality, accuracy, reliability, authorship, confidentiality, or ethical integrity of a manuscript, the editorial team may request clarification, supporting information, or revision from the authors. Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the manuscript may be rejected.

If inappropriate AI use is identified after publication, CJESS may investigate the matter and take appropriate corrective action in accordance with its publication ethics policies, including issuing a correction, expression of concern, or retraction when warranted.

Commitment to Research Integrity

CJESS expects authors, reviewers, and editors to uphold the principles of academic honesty, transparency, accountability, confidentiality, and responsible scholarly communication. Decisions concerning suspected plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, or misuse of AI are based on editorial assessment of the available evidence and are not determined solely by a numerical similarity score or automated detection tool.

For inquiries concerning plagiarism, AI use, or publication ethics, please contact the CJESS editorial office at cjessjournal555@gmail.com