All manuscripts submitted to the journal are checked with the iThenticate similarity software during initial screening. The similarity report is never the sole basis for a decision; the editor assesses it in the context of the text.
Assessment
- References, correctly marked quotations and standard phrases in the Method section are excluded from the assessment.
- If the overall similarity exceeds 15%, or similarity with a single source exceeds 5%, the editor examines the text in detail. These figures are not limits but thresholds for closer examination; plagiarism can also be found at lower levels.
- Ideas, data, tables, figures, images or passages taken without citation constitute plagiarism. This includes translating a text from another language without citation and reusing the author’s own previously published text without citation.
- Overlap with the thesis is expected in articles derived from a thesis; the thesis must be cited.
When plagiarism is found
- During review: the manuscript is rejected; for minor and correctable problems, the authors are asked to revise.
- After publication: the case is investigated according to the COPE flowcharts; depending on the outcome, a correction is published or the article is retracted (see Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern). The authors’ institutions are informed where necessary.
Citation manipulation
Excessive self-citation and requests to cite the journal are also misconduct. Editors and reviewers may not make citation of their own work or of the journal a condition of acceptance.