Plagiarism and Similarity Screening Policy
SAER Journal · Editorial Policies
SAER Journal regards originality, appropriate attribution, and research integrity as fundamental principles of scholarly publishing.
Manuscripts submitted to the journal may, where necessary, be evaluated through similarity-detection software and editorial review.
Policy No. SAER-POL-PS-04 · Version 1.0 · Effective 2026 · Last Updated 14 September 2026 · Responsible Body SAER Journal Editorial Board
1. General Principle
Plagiarism is the use of another person's ideas, wording, data, methods, images, or other scholarly content without appropriate attribution. Whether intentional or unintentional, the use of material without proper citation may constitute a concern under scholarly publication ethics.
2. Similarity Screening
Manuscripts submitted to the journal may be screened using similarity-detection software at different stages of the evaluation process.
A similarity report is a tool that supports editorial assessment and does not, by itself, determine acceptance, rejection, or an ethical violation.
3. Evaluation of Similarity Rates
SAER Journal does not use a single fixed similarity percentage as an automatic criterion for acceptance or rejection.
When similarities are evaluated, particular attention is given to the following factors:
- The source and nature of the matched text,
- Whether attribution has been provided appropriately,
- Whether direct quotations have been clearly identified,
- Whether the match results from methods sections, ethics statements, scale descriptions, or standardized wording,
- Whether reuse from the author's own previous work has been cited appropriately,
- Whether the similarity affects the originality or scientific contribution of the manuscript.
4. Direct Quotations
Statements taken directly from other sources must be clearly identified and cited in accordance with the relevant academic writing conventions.
Merely listing a source in the references does not mean that extensive or verbatim use of text is appropriate.
5. Self-Plagiarism and Text Recycling
Where authors reuse a substantial amount of text, data, or analysis from their own previously published work, they are expected to cite the earlier work appropriately and disclose such reuse where necessary.
Extensive reuse of an author's own text without appropriate citation, particularly where it creates a misleading impression that the work is entirely new and original, may be regarded as inappropriate text recycling or self-plagiarism.
6. Duplicate Publication
It is not appropriate to submit to SAER Journal a work that has already been published or is under evaluation by another journal in the same or substantially similar form.
Where related previous publications or studies derived from the same dataset exist, these must be disclosed transparently and cited appropriately.
7. Data, Tables, Figures, and Images
Plagiarism is not limited to text. Unauthorized or unattributed use of another person's data, tables, figures, images, scales, models, or other materials may also constitute an ethical breach.
Authors are responsible for obtaining any permissions required for copyrighted material or other material subject to usage restrictions.
8. Assessment of Identified Concerns
If a significant concern is identified through similarity screening or editorial review, the editor may request an explanation, correction, or additional documentation from the authors.
Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, the manuscript may:
- Be returned to the author for correction or rewriting,
- Be rejected without being sent for peer review,
- Be rejected during the evaluation process,
- Be subject to further review concerning research integrity where necessary.
9. Post-Publication Findings
If serious plagiarism, duplicate publication, or inappropriate use of material is identified in a published article, the journal may undertake the necessary review.
Depending on the nature of the issue, a correction, retraction, explanatory notice, or another appropriate post-publication action may be applied.
10. Responsibility for Citation
Authors bear primary responsibility for the accuracy of references, appropriate attribution, and the originality of the materials used.
The fact that similarity-detection software does not identify a match does not remove the authors' responsibility for scientific integrity and proper citation.
11. Confidentiality
Care is taken to protect the confidentiality and data security of manuscripts uploaded to systems used for similarity screening. The journal aims, where possible, to use reliable academic similarity-checking systems.
12. Policy Review and Updating
SAER Journal may review and update this policy as necessary in response to developments in research integrity, similarity-detection technologies, and scholarly publication ethics.
