Plagiarism & Similarity Screening

The journal uses similarity screening as part of its manuscript integrity assessment before publication. Screening identifies textual matches and patterns of reuse; editors separately evaluate whether a match indicates inadequate attribution, plagiarism, or another integrity concern.

Textual similarity and plagiarism have different meanings. A similarity percentage indicates the extent of textual matches detected through a similarity screening service, whereas plagiarism concerns the use of another party's words, ideas, data, findings, or work without appropriate attribution. Similarity screening results are therefore assessed together with the context, sources, location, and patterns of the matches identified in the manuscript.

Screening Principles

Every submitted manuscript undergoes similarity screening during initial editorial screening at the submission stage. The Section Editor evaluates the overall score and the characteristics of the matches, then reports the findings to the Editor-in-Chief.

In conducting the assessment, the editor considers:

  • overall similarity score;
  • the number and characteristics of sources matching the manuscript;
  • the concentration of similarity in one or more sources;
  • the location of matches within substantive sections of the manuscript;
  • the accuracy of in-text citations and source attribution;
  • the use of direct quotations and the accuracy of their presentation;
  • paraphrasing patterns that remain too close to the source;
  • similarity with the author's own previously published work; and
  • indications of reused data, tables, figures, arguments, or other materials without adequate disclosure.

Similarity screening results form one basis for evaluating manuscript integrity and are considered together with editorial assessment of the use of sources.

Similarity Assessment

The journal sets a maximum overall similarity score of 30% as the administrative screening threshold for manuscripts.

When an overall similarity score exceeds 30% and the problem can be remedied, the manuscript is returned for revision and may be screened again before the process continues. A score above 30% does not require the journal to offer revision where the examination identifies plagiarism or another serious, non-remediable integrity violation.

A manuscript with an overall similarity score of no more than 30% remains subject to further assessment where patterns of matching text require substantive review, particularly when:

  • a significant part of the manuscript shows a high level of similarity with a particular source;
  • matches occur in the arguments, research findings, data, or principal analytical sections;
  • the sources used are not appropriately attributed;
  • paraphrasing retains the structure or expression of the source too closely; or
  • there are indications of text recycling or redundant publication.

The reference list may be excluded from the technical similarity calculation. Matches involving direct quotations, standardized terminology, nomenclature, legislation, or other materials that may legitimately produce similarity are assessed according to their context, proportion, and use within the manuscript.

Compliance with the maximum 30% threshold is not the sole basis for assessing manuscript integrity. Substantive patterns of similarity remain subject to editorial evaluation.

Citation, Paraphrasing, and Text Reuse

Authors must provide appropriate attribution for every idea, piece of information, dataset, or passage derived from another source. Citation practices follow the Author Guidelines and use APA Style, 7th Edition.

Authors must ensure that:

  • paraphrased material is expressed using sufficiently reworked wording and sentence structure while retaining appropriate source citation;
  • words or sentences taken directly from a source are clearly identified and quoted in accordance with the applicable requirements;
  • primary and secondary sources are used appropriately;
  • material reused from the author's own previously published work is accompanied by adequate attribution and disclosure; and
  • rewriting, word spinning, or other forms of text manipulation are not used to obscure the relationship between the manuscript and its original sources.

Text recycling, or the reuse of text from an author's previous work, is assessed according to its extent, location, function, and transparency. Limited reuse may require improved attribution, whereas substantial reuse that presents previously published material as new work may require further editorial action.

Redundant or duplicate publication involving the repetition of research content, data, findings, or previous publications without adequate disclosure is treated as a publication integrity issue.

Editorial Actions

Actions arising from plagiarism and similarity screening are determined according to the extent, characteristics, and context of the issues identified.

Editorial actions may include:

  • requesting corrections to citations or attribution;
  • requesting revisions to paraphrasing or sections containing problematic similarity;
  • returning the manuscript for revision to bring the overall similarity score within the established threshold;
  • requesting clarification or supporting information from the author;
  • conducting further assessment of particular sources or sections;
  • postponing progression to peer review until the issue has been resolved; or
  • reporting serious, non-remediable plagiarism or another serious integrity violation to the Editor-in-Chief so that, after initial editorial screening at the submission stage, the Editor-in-Chief can decline the manuscript. If the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, the Managing Editor makes that decision.

Editorial action is determined by considering the overall pattern of source use rather than the similarity percentage alone.

Post-Publication and Related Policies

Post-publication concerns about plagiarism, text recycling, redundant publication, or other integrity violations follow Publication Ethics & Malpractice and Corrections, Retractions, & Withdrawals.