In a recent incident, the editors of our journal were confronted with a plagiarism case just before the final step in the volume publication process. The author of the paper in question had already paid the publication fee and completed and signed the publication agreement, affirming the originality of the paper.
Upon discovery of the plagiarism issue, the author was promptly informed that the paper would be withdrawn from publication. Subsequently, the author requested reimbursement of the payment.
It is our stance that the publication fee should not be refunded. The author's payment was made in good faith, contributing to the manuscript's preparation and the administrative processes involved. Furthermore, it was the author's actions that ultimately invalidated the publication contract. As such, the journal could consider publicizing a no-refunds policy on its website for future instances where a paper must be withdrawn after acceptance.
Although the plagiarized paper was not published, it is important to note that the author still infringed upon the copyright of the original paper. Unpublished or not, plagiarism represents a violation of copyright law. Anyone who reproduces copyrighted content without permission, except in cases of "fair use," is guilty of copyright infringement.
In conclusion, while the journal did not breach the copyright of the original paper, the author's actions constitute a serious ethical breach. Moving forward, we remain committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing practices.