Plagiarism policy

Scope

The journal considers the following unacceptable: plagiarism in any form, undisclosed self-plagiarism, duplicate or fragmented publication, fabrication or manipulation of data and non-existent or unverified references.

Similarity check with Turnitin

All submissions are run through Turnitin during initial screening, before external review. The report excludes quoted material and the reference list. The editorial team also checks, by sampling, that the sources cited exist and say what the text attributes to them.

10% threshold

A similarity index above 10% triggers an additional check before the process continues. The figure does not decide on its own, because the editorial team examines the origin of each match. A properly attributed quotation or the technical vocabulary of a field is not plagiarism; a paragraph copied without citation is, even if the overall index is low.

When the check confirms a problem, the author receives the report with its sources and may explain or correct the text before a decision is made. Turnitin's indicator of AI-generated writing is used only as an alert, in line with the policy on the use of artificial intelligence.

Reviewers must also report any substantial similarity to published work they notice while reading.

AI-generated references

Artificial intelligence tools can produce plausible but non-existent citations. Authors are fully responsible for checking every reference before submission. Fabricated references are grounds for immediate rejection.

Procedure in case of suspicion

When possible misconduct is detected, the journal follows the COPE flowcharts and asks the authors for an explanation. Depending on the seriousness and the response, the journal may reject the paper, retract it if already published, inform the authors' institution or bar them from future publication. Every decision is communicated in writing, and the author may appeal under the complaints and appeals policy.