Plagiarism Policy and AI Use Policy

1. Plagiarism Policy

Hambaruan: Journal of Psychology, Counseling, and Early Childhood Education is fully committed to academic integrity and strictly prohibits all forms of plagiarism. Each submitted manuscript will undergo a similarity check using verified plagiarism detection software before entering the review process.

Forms of plagiarism that are strictly prohibited include:

  • Direct plagiarism (copying sentences or paragraphs verbatim without citation)

  • Idea plagiarism (using someone’s ideas without acknowledgment)

  • Paraphrasing plagiarism (rewriting sentences while keeping the same meaning without proper citation)

  • Self-plagiarism (reusing one’s own previously published content without disclosure)

  • Duplicate or multiple submission (submitting the same article to more than one journal)

Similarity tolerance limit

  • Maximum 20% including references, or

  • Maximum 25% excluding references

Manuscripts exceeding these limits will be returned to authors for revision or rejected.

Direct quotations must be properly cited and clearly marked with quotation formatting.

2. AI Use Policy

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is allowed only for specific supporting purposes and not as a primary source of writing or knowledge generation.

Permitted AI usage includes:

✔ Grammar checking and proofreading
✔ Language refinement and editing
✔ Technical assistance for formatting or spelling correction

Examples: Grammarly, AI grammar assistant, AI-based citation formatting tools

AI usage that is NOT allowed:

❌ Writing the entire manuscript or major sections using AI
❌ Generating research data, analysis, or scientific results
❌ Producing fabricated references, sources, or citations
❌ Creating methodology, findings, or discussion content without scholarly validation

AI must not replace the author’s intellectual contribution.

3. Declaration of AI Use

Authors must include a clear acknowledgment if AI tools were used only for language assistance or technical editing.

Example statement:

"The authors used AI tools only for grammar refinement and technical editing. All ideas, analyses, conclusions, and research interpretations are the sole responsibility of the authors."

This statement should be written in the Acknowledgement section or Author Notes.

4. Consequences of Misuse

If unethical AI usage or plagiarism is detected, the journal reserves the right to:

  • Return the manuscript to authors for correction

  • Reject the manuscript at any stage

  • Retract the published article if violations occur after publication

  • Issue formal correction notices

  • Report ethical violations to the authors' institutions

This policy is established to ensure scientific credibility, transparency, and responsibility, and to guarantee that every published work represents original academic contribution supported by valid and ethical scholarship principles.