Plagiarism and Similarity Screening Policy

Submissions may be screened for similarity and integrity signals. Automated scores are interpreted by human editorial review and are not used as sole decision criteria.

1. Screening Scope

Screening may include text overlap, citation checks, and pattern flags where available in active workflows.

2. Human Review Requirement

Similarity percentages alone do not establish misconduct. Editors evaluate context, citation quality, and section-specific overlap.

3. Classification

Outcomes may be classified as acceptable overlap, citation issue, major concern, or potential misconduct.

4. Actions

Editorial actions can include clarification requests, revision requirements, decline decisions, or escalation for formal ethics review.

5. Recordkeeping

Screening outcomes, rationale, and workflow actions are logged for auditability and policy consistency.