Similarity Thresholds & Assessment

A similarity index exceeding 20% may trigger further editorial examination but does not automatically establish plagiarism or result in rejection. The Editorial Team evaluates the source, location, concentration, context, and nature of the textual overlap. Properly cited quotations, reference lists, standard methodological expressions, and commonly used terminology may contribute to the similarity score without constituting plagiarism.

A manuscript with a similarity index below 20% may still be rejected when it contains substantive plagiarism, unattributed copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, excessive text recycling, undisclosed translation, duplicate publication, or other forms of improper textual overlap.

Editorial Actions and Screening Procedures

Depending on the nature and extent of the identified similarities, the Editorial Team may:

• Request clarification or supporting information from the authors
• Return the manuscript for appropriate citation, quotation, or revision
• Reject the manuscript before external peer review 
• Take further action in accordance with the journal’s Publication Ethics 

Similarity screening is routinely conducted once, during the initial editorial assessment. Additional screening may be conducted only when a specific concern regarding plagiarism, duplicate publication, or inappropriate text recycling arises during peer review, revision, copyediting, or production.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring the originality of their manuscripts and for appropriately citing, acknowledging, quoting, or obtaining permission for all words, ideas, data, tables, figures, photographs, instruments, and other materials derived from external sources.