Plagiarism Policy
Every manuscript is checked for similarity before review. The overall similarity must not exceed 20%, excluding references, and no single source should exceed 5%.
What Counts as Plagiarism
- Copying text, data, images or ideas from others without citation.
- Reusing large parts of your own earlier published work without citation (self-plagiarism).
- Paraphrasing another author's work so closely that it is not original.
- Submitting a paper written by someone else, or generated by AI tools, as your own.
How Cases Are Handled
| Similarity | Action |
|---|---|
| Up to 20% | Paper continues to peer review. |
| 21% – 40% | Returned to the authors to revise and resubmit. |
| Above 40% | Rejected. |
If plagiarism is found after publication, the paper may be retracted and the authors' institution informed.
Use of AI Tools
AI tools may be used to improve language, but authors are fully responsible for the content and must disclose such use. AI tools cannot be listed as authors.