Introduction
Vintage Legal is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic honesty, originality, and ethical publishing. All submissions—whether articles, blogs, research notes, case comments, or book chapters—must reflect independent scholarship, critical thinking, and adherence to established academic norms. This policy is framed in alignment with the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations on academic integrity, as well as internal standards for content creation and publication.

​

Originality and Authorship
All content submitted to Vintage Legal must be the original work of the author(s). Any use of external ideas, data, or text must be properly cited and attributed. Authors and contributors are responsible for ensuring that:

• The work represents their independent research, analysis, or interpretation

• Sources are acknowledged accurately, and proper credit is given to original creators

• No part of the work has been plagiarized from published or unpublished sources

​

Citation Standards

• For website publications, authors must follow the latest Bluebook edition for citations. A complete list of references must be submitted at the end of the work; footnotes may be used for clarifications but not as a substitute for the references list.

• For book chapters, authors must follow the appropriate referencing style (e.g., ILI citation format or project-specific standards). Authors are responsible for consulting the relevant guidelines for their submission type.

• All references must be verifiable and accessible, and authors must ensure that their citation practices comply with legal and ethical norms.

​

Plagiarism Detection and Screening
Vintage Legal employs plagiarism detection tools to evaluate the originality of all submissions. The acceptable similarity threshold will adhere to UGC recommendations and internal editorial discretion. Submissions exceeding the allowed threshold may be:

• Returned for revision with mandatory corrections

• Rejected outright if significant plagiarism is detected

• Flagged for further review in cases of intentional academic misconduct

​

Ethical Use of AI and External Assistance
While limited use of AI tools is permitted for efficiency, language refinement, or research assistance, authors must:

• Clearly disclose all AI-assisted work

• Ensure that AI does not replace substantive research, analysis, or writing responsibilities

• Verify and validate all outputs from AI tools before inclusion

Failure to disclose AI usage in accordance with Vintage Legal’s AI Ethics Policy may constitute a breach of academic integrity.

​

Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are accountable for:

• Ensuring the integrity, accuracy, and originality of their work

• Properly attributing all external sources and data

• Complying with UGC regulations, internal publication guidelines, and VintageLegal editorial policies

• Cooperating with editorial requests for clarification or correction regarding originality and citations

​

Consequences of Violations
Violations of this policy—including plagiarism, misattribution, or falsification of data—may result in:

• Rejection of the submission

• Retraction of published content

• Suspension or termination of contributor privileges

• Reporting to relevant academic authorities, as applicable

​

Commitment to Academic Integrity
Vintage Legal expects all contributors, authors, editors, and interns to uphold these principles consistently. By submitting content, contributors acknowledge their responsibility to maintain ethical standards and agree to abide by this policy in full.

​

Policy Review and Updates
This Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Policy will be reviewed periodically to remain consistent with UGC regulations, best practices in scholarly publishing, and internal editorial standards. Continued engagement with Vintage Legal constitutes acceptance of this policy.