Health Focus Journal (HF) is committed to maintaining academic integrity and ensuring the originality of all published articles. All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism and similarity screening as part of the journal's editorial process.

Manuscripts may be screened using appropriate plagiarism or similarity detection software before or during the peer review process. The screening is conducted to identify substantial similarities with previously published works, including journal articles, books, conference proceedings, websites, theses, dissertations, and other sources.

A similarity report is used as an editorial assessment tool and does not automatically indicate plagiarism. Editors may examine the identified similarities to determine whether they result from legitimate quotations, commonly used terminology, references, methodological descriptions, or inappropriate use of another author's work.

Plagiarism and Similarity

Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are original and properly acknowledge all sources. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Copying text, ideas, data, figures, or other materials without appropriate attribution.
• Presenting another person's work as one's own.
• Significant unattributed reproduction of previously published material.
• Duplicate or redundant publication.
• Inappropriate reuse of substantial portions of an author's own previously published work without proper acknowledgment.

Editorial Action

If substantial plagiarism or inappropriate similarity is identified, the editorial team may take appropriate action depending on the severity and circumstances of the case. Possible actions include:

• Requesting clarification or revision from the authors.
• Rejecting the manuscript before publication.
• Initiating an investigation into suspected publication misconduct.
• Retracting or correcting a published article when necessary.

The final decision regarding suspected plagiarism rests with the editorial team after appropriate assessment and, where necessary, consultation with relevant parties.

Authors are encouraged to review their manuscripts carefully and ensure that all borrowed ideas, statements, data, and materials are properly cited before submission.