Plagiarism and Similarity-Screening Policy
IJMIE has a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. All submitted manuscripts are screened for originality, and any manuscript found to contain plagiarized material is rejected or, if already published, retracted. This policy protects the integrity of the scholarly record and is a core expectation of Scopus, the Web of Science, and DOAJ.
Similarity Screening
Every submission is checked using professional plagiarism-detection software ([e.g. iThenticate / Turnitin / Crossref Similarity Check]) before and, where appropriate, after peer review. The editorial office reviews the similarity report in full — a numerical score alone is not decisive; the source, extent, and location of matching text are all assessed.
Indicative Thresholds
| Overall similarity | Typical action |
|---|---|
| Below ~15% | Generally acceptable, subject to review of individual matches. |
| ~15–25% | Returned to authors for revision and reduction of overlap. |
| Above ~25%, or substantial single-source overlap | Rejected and investigated as possible misconduct. |
Thresholds are guidelines; verbatim copying of even a small but significant passage without attribution is treated as plagiarism regardless of the overall score.
Forms of Plagiarism
- Direct plagiarism — copying text or ideas verbatim without attribution.
- Mosaic / paraphrasing plagiarism — rewording others' work without acknowledgement.
- Self-plagiarism / text recycling — reusing one's own previously published text or data without disclosure and citation.
- Redundant / duplicate publication — publishing substantially the same work in more than one venue.
- Data and image manipulation or fabrication.
Actions & Sanctions
- Manuscripts under review: rejection and, in serious cases, notification of the authors' institution.
- Published articles: correction, retraction, or an expression of concern, following COPE flowcharts.
- Authors involved in confirmed misconduct may be barred from submitting for a defined period.
Use of AI-Generated Text
Undisclosed use of generative AI to produce text or fabricate content is treated as a breach of research integrity. Any use of AI tools must be disclosed as described in our Editorial Policies. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality and accuracy of their manuscript.
