Plagiarism Policy

Commitment to Academic Integrity: Discover STM Publishing Ltd is committed to academic integrity and ethical publishing.

Definition of Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of using another individual’s work, ideas, or intellectual property without proper acknowledgment or permission, and presenting it as one’s own. This includes, but is not limited to:

Direct Plagiarism: Reproducing another's work word-for-word without quotation marks or proper citation.

Self-Plagiarism: Reusing substantial parts of one’s own previously published work without acknowledging its earlier publication.

Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rewriting another’s work in one’s own words without appropriate attribution.

Mosaic Plagiarism: Integrating phrases, ideas, or sentences from multiple sources into new work without proper citation.

Plagiarism Detection Process:

Discover STM Publishing Ltd provides access to iThenticate. The editorial office screens submitted manuscripts for text similarity; the report supports editorial assessment and does not itself establish plagiarism or guarantee originality.

Plagiarism Tolerance and Citation:

  • The editorial office assesses similarity reports in context. A similarity percentage alone does not establish plagiarism or automatically determine an editorial decision. The editorial office considers the source, nature, extent and attribution of any overlap, including the sections of the manuscript in which it appears.

  • Authors must ensure proper citation and attribution for any overlapping content with prior work.

Consequences of Plagiarism:

  • If plagiarism or unattributed overlap is suspected, the editorial office may ask the authors for clarification or corrections. Depending on the findings and circumstances, the journal may reject the manuscript or take other appropriate action in accordance with the publisher’s policies and relevant COPE guidance.

  • Depending on the severity, additional actions may include notification to the author's institution and a ban on future submissions from the offending author.

  • We adhere to COPE Guidelines in addressing detected plagiarism cases.

Reporting Plagiarism:

  • We encourage our community – readers, reviewers, and authors – to report suspected cases of plagiarism.

  • Reports should include the manuscript or article title, a link or reference number, the volume and issue if available, and relevant details.

Cooperation Request:

Your cooperation in maintaining the integrity of scholarly publishing is invaluable. We thank you for adhering to these guidelines and for your commitment to upholding academic standards.