Plagiarism Detection Policy

All manuscripts received by *Cuadernos de RES PUBLICA en derecho y criminología* are subject to originality checks before the peer-review process begins, where applicable. The detection of similarities does not necessarily imply the existence of plagiarism, as certain similarities may stem from specialised terminology, correctly attributed quotations, bibliographical references or other unavoidable expressions.

The journal uses the ‘Turnitin’ tool to detect similarities and identify possible cases of plagiarism, duplicate publication, self-plagiarism or other forms of inappropriate use of previously published content. The reports generated by this tool are examined by the editorial team and do not, in themselves, constitute an automatic decision on the acceptance or rejection of the manuscript.

Policy on Plagiarism

If, following a plagiarism check using the ‘Turnitin’ tool, matches are found in a manuscript, these are analysed in detail by the editorial team. Following this review, a final decision is taken. In cases of confirmed plagiarism or other serious misconduct, the journal may take the appropriate editorial measures, including rejection of the manuscript or, where applicable, the correction or retraction of a previously published paper. If plagiarism is determined to have occurred, the author will be contacted and asked to make corrections in accordance with the findings; failing this, the paper will be rejected.

Plagiarism is defined as the use of words, ideas, works, data from third parties, images or other content authored by others without proper citation. Furthermore, the falsification of data and any act that contravenes copyright and intellectual property rights shall be considered scientific fraud. Plagiarism in any form; the repeated publication of an article; the falsification or fabrication of research data; self-plagiarism without citing the source; multiple or redundant publication; and the fabrication or manipulation of data constitute serious breaches of ethics and will be regarded as scientific fraud, resulting in the submission being rejected for evaluation and subsequent publication.

How the journal will handle complaints, claims and appeals

In the event of a dispute, complaint or appeal, the editorial team of RES PUBLICA Journal of Law and Criminology will request from the author the relevant explanations and evidence required for its resolution. Complaints, claims and appeals will be handled by the editorial team. If there are reasonable grounds to suspect a breach of the ethical standards set out in this Code, the Journal’s Management will immediately investigate the matter. To this end, it may consult the Editorial Board and seek its advice. If necessary, the journal will appoint two external reviewers, other than those who have already been involved, to give their opinion.

If the Editor-in-Chief ultimately considers that an author or authors have breached the journal’s ethical guidelines on publication, the Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to impose sanctions, such as refusing to accept any further manuscripts submitted by the author or authors, the rejection of manuscripts by the author(s) currently under review, as well as the withdrawal or correction of work published by the author(s) in the Journal.

The Journal’s Editorial Board, with the possible advice of the Editorial Committee and the Advisory Board, shall decide whether it is necessary to withdraw the work from the Journal or whether a correction is sufficient. Should the complaint result in the retraction of a work already published, the Journal shall publish the news on its own website regarding the retraction, stating the reasons for such a measure.

Furthermore, if well-founded suspicions of a breach of the ethical standards of this Code fall upon any member of the Editorial Board or the Advisory Board, the Journal’s Management shall immediately investigate the matter, with the possible advice of the Editorial Board and/or the Advisory Board, without the participation of the member or members concerned from those bodies.

If the Editor-in-Chief ultimately considers that a member or members of the Editorial Board or the Advisory Board has breached these ethical guidelines, they may take the necessary measures, which may include their immediate dismissal.

All complaints or suggestions from readers or authors should be sent to the journal’s email address. Furthermore, the editorial team responsible for each issue or the coordination team must respond promptly to suggestions or complaints via the email address of RES PUBLICA Journal of Law and Criminology (respublica@upo.es).

The editorial team will always be available to authors for any post-publication editorial discussions, with the steps to be taken being considered on a case-by-case basis and always by mutual agreement. RES PUBLICA Journal of Law and Criminology adheres to the code of good scientific practice approved by the CSIC in March 2010 and to the guidelines on good practice adopted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).