Appeal Regarding Plagiarism Flag Due to Public Template Usage

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Subject: Appeal Regarding Plagiarism Flag Due to Public Template Usage

Dear CodeChef Team,

I hope you’re doing well.

I am writing this email to appeal against the plagiarism flag raised on my submission in the recent CodeChef contest. I believe the flag has been raised due to a misunderstanding caused by the use of a publicly available Competitive Programming (CP) template, and I would like to explain my side of the situation.

I would like to respectfully clarify that the similarity detected between my code and another participant’s code is purely due to the use of a commonly available Competitive Programming (CP) template. The template in question is publicly provided by a YouTuber and is widely used by many coders in the community for convenience and faster coding. The template and the youtube video both are from 2 years ago. I can provide the link to github for the template that i was using.

It appears that another participant also used the same template, which has led to structural similarities in our codes — mainly in the macro definitions, utility functions, and general setup. However, our solve()(line 271 in my code) and main()(line 284 in my code) functions, which contain the core problem-solving logic, are fundamentally different, both in approach and implementation.

You can compare the following:

  • My solve() function: builds the permutation using a reverse + increment strategy using indices from 1 to N, and outputs using a 1-based vector.
  • The other participant’s solve() function: uses a different permutation assignment strategy (with differing ranges and variable names), and uses a 0-based vector.

This clearly indicates independent thought and implementation — the logic, variable usage, and code structure in the actual solution are not copied.

I assure you that there was absolutely no intention of malpractice or dishonesty. I respect CodeChef’s integrity and guidelines, and am committed to fair competition. I kindly request you to re-evaluate my submission in light of this explanation and the use of a freely distributed and widely used template.

Please let me know if you require any further clarifications or comparisons — I am happy to assist.

Thank you for your understanding and for supporting the CP community.

Warm regards,
Manas Chaturvedi
Username - maihoonmanas
Contest - START193B, Problem name - Add Permutation