Plagiarism and Similarity Check Policy

This policy defines the procedure for checking manuscripts for plagiarism, self-plagiarism, improper borrowing, duplicate publication, text similarity, and other violations related to the originality of submitted materials.

The journal considers only original research articles. By submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors confirm that the submitted work is original, has not been previously published, and is not under consideration by another journal or publication at the same time.

1. General Principles

Originality of the manuscript is a mandatory condition for its editorial consideration and publication.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the text, data, ideas, images, tables, graphs, formulas, results, and conclusions presented in the manuscript have been prepared in good faith and with proper acknowledgement of all sources used.

Any use of materials created by other authors must be accompanied by correct citation and reference to the source. The use of the authors’ own previously published materials must also be clearly indicated and properly cited.

The editorial office takes measures to identify plagiarism, self-plagiarism, improper borrowing, duplicate publication, and other violations of publication ethics.

2. Manuscript Screening

All manuscripts submitted to the journal may be checked for text similarity before being sent for peer review, during editorial consideration, or at any other stage before publication.

For text similarity screening, the editorial office uses specialized services, including Turnitin or similar screening systems.

The results of the screening are used by the editorial office as an auxiliary tool for assessing the originality of the manuscript. A text similarity report is not automatic evidence of plagiarism and must be considered in view of the nature of the matches, their extent, sources, and context.

3. Text Similarity Threshold

The journal uses the text similarity score as one of the indicators during the initial assessment of a manuscript.

At this stage, manuscripts submitted to the journal must have a text similarity score below 40%.

Manuscripts with a text similarity score of 40% or higher may not be sent for further consideration without additional editorial assessment, explanations from the authors, or revision of the text.

However, the text similarity score alone is not the only basis for determining the presence or absence of plagiarism. The editorial office assesses not only the percentage of similarity, but also the nature of the matches, their sources, distribution throughout the text, presence of proper references, and possible overlap with common terminology, formulas, institutional names, methodological descriptions, or the reference list.

A low text similarity score also does not guarantee automatic acceptance of the manuscript for consideration or publication if the text contains other signs of publication ethics violations.

4. What Constitutes Plagiarism and Improper Borrowing

Plagiarism or improper borrowing may include the use of another person’s text, ideas, data, images, tables, graphs, formulas, results, or conclusions without proper acknowledgement of the source.

Possible violations include:

  • verbatim use of another person’s text without quotation marks, citation, or proper formatting;
  • paraphrasing another person’s text without citing the source;
  • using another person’s ideas, data, calculations, images, tables, graphs, or results without reference to the source;
  • presenting another person’s work or part of it as one’s own;
  • using materials from unpublished sources without permission;
  • including inaccurate, fabricated, or irrelevant sources in the manuscript;
  • concealing the sources on which certain parts of the research are based.

Plagiarism and improper borrowing are violations of publication ethics and may lead to rejection of the manuscript or other editorial measures.

5. Self-Plagiarism and Reuse of Authors’ Own Materials

Self-plagiarism is the reuse by authors of substantial parts of their own previously published works without proper acknowledgement of the source.

Authors must not present previously published materials as new results. If the manuscript develops, expands, or continues previously published research, this must be clearly indicated in the text, and the relevant publications must be included in the references.

Reuse of certain wording, methodological descriptions, formulas, or technical elements may be acceptable if it is justified by the nature of the research and accompanied by proper citation where necessary.

The editorial office assesses such cases individually, taking into account the extent of overlap, its nature, and the scientific novelty of the submitted manuscript.

6. Duplicate Publication and Simultaneous Submission

The journal does not consider manuscripts that have already been published or are simultaneously under consideration by another journal, proceedings, conference publication, or other publication venue, unless otherwise agreed with the editorial office in advance.

Authors must not submit the same or substantially overlapping manuscript to multiple journals or publications at the same time.

If the manuscript is based on materials previously disseminated as a preprint, abstract, presentation, or conference material, authors must inform the editorial office and properly cite the relevant source.

The editorial office considers such cases individually, taking into account the nature of the previous dissemination, the degree of textual overlap, and the presence of new scientific value in the submitted manuscript.

7. Proper Citation

Authors must properly cite all sources used in the preparation of the manuscript.

References must be accurate, verifiable, and relevant to the content of the article. The reference list must include only sources that were actually used in the work and are relevant to the research topic.

It is not permitted to:

  • include sources that were not used in preparing the article;
  • add irrelevant sources to artificially increase the reference list;
  • use fabricated or unverified references;
  • misrepresent the content of a cited source;
  • excessively cite the authors’ own works without scientific necessity;
  • artificially increase the number of citations of particular authors, journals, or publications.

Citation manipulation is considered a violation of publication ethics.

8. Screening of Materials Other Than Text

Originality checks may concern not only the main text of the manuscript but also other materials, including:

  • images;
  • tables;
  • graphs;
  • diagrams;
  • formulas;
  • software code;
  • data;
  • supplementary materials.

If authors use materials created by other persons or previously published materials, they must obtain the necessary permissions, where required, and properly acknowledge the source.

The editorial office may request original files, data, images, or additional explanations from the authors if there are doubts about the originality or correctness of the submitted materials.

9. Screening for Signs of AI-Generated Text

The editorial office may use specialized tools, including Turnitin or similar services, to identify signs of AI-generated text or other issues related to academic integrity.

The results of such screening are considered auxiliary information and are not an independent or automatic basis for rejecting a manuscript.

If concerns arise, the editorial office may request explanations from the authors, information about the use of generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies, and additional materials confirming the authors’ contribution and the reliability of the results presented.

The use of AI tools must comply with the journal’s Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies Policy.

10. Editorial Actions When Similarities Are Identified

If significant text similarities or signs of possible publication ethics violations are identified in a manuscript, the editorial office may:

  • conduct an additional assessment of the text similarity report;
  • request explanations from the authors;
  • require correction of the text, references, or formatting of borrowed materials;
  • return the manuscript for revision;
  • suspend consideration of the manuscript until the circumstances are clarified;
  • reject the manuscript without sending it for peer review;
  • reject the manuscript after editorial consideration if the violation is confirmed.

The editorial decision depends on the extent of the similarities, the nature of the sources, the presence or absence of proper citation, the stage of manuscript consideration, and the seriousness of the possible violation.

11. Violations Identified After Publication

If plagiarism, self-plagiarism, improper borrowing, duplicate publication, or other violations are identified after publication of an article, the editorial office considers the situation in accordance with the journal’s policies on publication ethics, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the violation, the editorial office may:

  • request explanations from the authors;
  • publish a correction;
  • publish an expression of concern;
  • retract the article;
  • take other measures aimed at preserving the integrity of the scholarly literature.

Retraction of an article does not automatically mean removal of the published material from the journal website. Information about the retraction must be clearly indicated and linked to the relevant article.

12. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors bear full responsibility for the originality of the manuscript and the proper use of all sources.

By submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors confirm that:

  • the manuscript is original;
  • all sources used are properly acknowledged;
  • the text, data, images, tables, graphs, and other materials do not violate third-party rights;
  • the article has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another publication at the same time;
  • all cases of reuse of the authors’ own previously published materials have been disclosed and properly cited;
  • the use of AI tools, if any, has been disclosed in accordance with the journal’s policy.

13. Appeals

If authors disagree with an editorial decision related to the results of plagiarism or text similarity screening, they may submit a reasoned appeal to the editorial office.

The appeal must contain a reasoned explanation of the authors’ position and, where necessary, additional materials or documents confirming the absence of a violation.

Appeals are considered in accordance with the journal’s Complaints and Appeals Policy.

14. Confidentiality

The results of manuscript text similarity screening and related editorial materials are treated as part of the confidential editorial process.

The editorial office does not disclose screening reports, correspondence with authors, or internal editorial assessments to third parties, except in cases provided for by the journal’s policies, the need to consider a publication ethics violation, or legal requirements.

15. Responsibility for Compliance with the Policy

Compliance with this policy is mandatory for authors and is taken into account by the editorial office when considering manuscripts.

Violation of this policy may result in the manuscript being returned for revision, suspension of consideration, rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, expression of concern, or retraction of the article.

The editorial office reserves the right to update this policy to bring it into line with developments in international scholarly publishing practice and requirements for responsible publication conduct.