Authors are responsible for ensuring honesty, transparency, and integrity throughout the preparation, submission, and publication of a manuscript. The content below helps authors recognize research and publication integrity violations to avoid, and sets out the author's specific obligations when working with the Journal.
1. Recognizing Research and Publication Integrity Violations
1.1. Plagiarism/Similarity
The use of another person's words, ideas, data, tables, figures, argument structure, methods, or intellectual output without proper attribution, in a way that misleads the reader into believing it is the author's own.
Overall Similarity Index:
- 0-20%: Generally acceptable if there is no unusual single-source overlap;
- >20-25%: Manual review; may require revision of citations/paraphrasing;
- >25-30%: Warning; referred to the editor for detailed review;
- >30-40%: High risk of plagiarism; may result in a desk reject or a request for a detailed explanation;
- >40%: Normally considered unacceptable unless there is a valid justification confirmed by the editor.
Single Source Overlap:
- ≤2%: Generally acceptable;
- >2-5%: Review of overlapping content;
- >5-10%: Close review for significant copying;
- >10%: Strong warning of duplication/plagiarism.
Continuous Verbatim Copying:
- ≥20 consecutive uncited words: a sign requiring explanation;
- ≥40 consecutive uncited words: a more serious level;
- Multiple systematic repeated passages: may be considered serious plagiarism even if the overall ratio is low.
1.2. Self-plagiarism
The significant reuse of an author's own previously published content without citation, disclosure, or an appropriate academic value-add.
Self-plagiarism / Text Recycling.
- Reuse of >10% of previously published text without disclosure: requires review.
- >20% overlap with the author's own prior work: high warning.
- >30% with no clear added value: may be considered duplicate publication.
1.3. Duplicate Submission
Submitting the same manuscript (or a manuscript with substantially equivalent content) to more than one journal at the same time, before receiving a final decision of rejection.
1.4. Duplicate/Redundant Publication
Publishing the same research results or core content in more than one place without transparently disclosing the relationship between the publications.
1.5. Salami Publication
Unjustifiably splitting a single study into multiple overlapping articles in order to increase the number of publications without a corresponding increase in scientific value.
1.6. Fabrication
Inventing data, results, research participants, sources, or evidence that do not exist and presenting them as genuine findings.
1.7. Falsification
Deliberately altering, omitting, or selectively presenting data, procedures, or images to achieve a desired result or to conceal errors.
1.8. Conflict of Interest (COI)
Financial, professional, academic, personal, or institutional interests that could influence, or be perceived to influence, objectivity.
1.9. Correction / Retraction / Expression of Concern (EoC)
Post-publication measures used to correct minor errors (Correction), to flag concerns, or to remove an article entirely from the scholarly record (Retraction) when a serious violation is discovered.
1.10. Peer Review Manipulation
Peer review manipulation includes unauthorized interference with the review process, such as arranging “friendly” reviewers or otherwise improperly influencing the process, or using a false identity to review one's own manuscript (a fake reviewer).
1.11. Paper Mill / Manuscript Mill
A commercial organization or service that edits, produces, or sells manuscripts on demand, or brokers unethical publication, typically using fabricated data or copied content to guarantee paid publication.
1.12. AI Misuse
Using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate fabricated data, fake references, conceal plagiarism, breach confidentiality, or commit academic fraud; producing unverified content or concealing the true origin of a work; or failing to transparently disclose the role of AI tools.
1.13. Data/Result Reuse
The following should be noted when reusing a dataset already used in a prior publication:
- the same dataset used for a new objective or research question must be fully disclosed;
- the same core results with a different title or a few changed variables may be considered duplicate publication.
2. Author Responsibilities in Manuscript Preparation and Publication
2.1. Proper Citation and Scholarly Compliance
Authors must fully acknowledge all sources of information, data, theories, tools, images, tables, and related works used in the article.
Specific requirements:
- In-text citations and the reference list must be consistent.
- Every source cited in the text must appear in the reference list and vice versa, except for personal communications that cannot be published.
- The Journal's citation style must be applied (e.g., APA 7th edition or the published standard).
- Citations must serve academic value; citation manipulation is not permitted.
- Direct quotations must be placed in quotation marks or an appropriate format with a clear source.
- Translated or paraphrased ideas from others must still be cited.
The Journal reserves the right to request revisions to the citation system before sending the manuscript for review or before acceptance.
2.2. Data Retention and Verifiability
Authors are responsible for retaining raw data, survey instruments, source code, experimental records, ethics approval documents, and other underlying materials for a reasonable period after publication.
Applicable principles:
- The data must be sufficient to verify the research findings.
- Upon reasonable request, the author must provide the data or explain why it cannot be provided.
- If access to the data is restricted by law, commercial confidentiality, or privacy, the author must clearly state the limits on access.
- Authors are encouraged to provide a Data Availability Statement.
Failure to provide data without valid justification may give rise to an inquiry into the reliability of the research.
2.3. Responsibility for Content and Accuracy
Each author is responsible for the portion of the work they carried out; all authors share collective responsibility for the integrity of the article as a whole.
Authors must ensure that:
- Research findings are presented honestly.
- Important unfavorable data are not deliberately omitted.
- Interpretations are not distorted to produce misleading conclusions.
- Any significant limitations of the research are transparently disclosed.
- If an error is discovered after submission or after publication, the Journal is notified immediately.