Plagiarism, Originality and Duplicate Publication

Submissions must be original and must properly acknowledge the ideas, wording, images, methods and data of others. Direct quotations require clear attribution. Reusing substantial portions of an author's own published work without disclosure and appropriate citation is also subject to editorial assessment.

Do not submit substantially the same manuscript to more than one journal at a time. Disclose related manuscripts, prior abstracts, theses, preprints and overlapping datasets in the cover letter. Explain the distinct contribution of studies using the same data. Any proposed secondary publication requires prior editorial agreement, appropriate permissions and clear identification of the original publication.

Assessment and action

Similarity reports are screening aids, not proof of plagiarism or originality. Editors assess the source, location, extent and significance of overlap, including unattributed ideas and translated copying. A low numerical score does not establish acceptability, and legitimate quotations, references or standard methods may require contextual interpretation.

Authors may be asked for an explanation, source materials or revision. Serious or unresolved concerns may lead to rejection, institutional referral or post-publication correction or retraction. Decisions must be proportionate to the evidence and communicated to the authors.