Plagiarism occurs when another person’s words, ideas, arguments, hypotheses, methods, data, findings, images, tables, figures, code, translations, or other intellectual contributions are used without appropriate acknowledgment and presented as original or independently produced.

Plagiarism may be intentional, reckless, or the result of a serious failure to follow scholarly attribution practices. Identical wording is not required: appropriation of ideas, structure, data, results, visual content, code, or unpublished contributions may constitute plagiarism even when wording has been changed.

This policy applies to manuscripts, all article types, revisions, supplementary material, peer-review documents, and other scholarly content submitted to or published by JSOMER.

JSOMER evaluates the substance and origin of reused material rather than relying only on textual identity.

• Direct plagiarism: verbatim or near-verbatim copying without clear quotation, citation, acknowledgment, and permission where required.
• Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism: combining copied fragments, lightly changing words, retaining sentence structure, or assembling text from several unattributed sources.
• Inappropriate paraphrasing: superficial rewriting, translated copying, or citation without clear separation of the source’s contribution from the author’s analysis.
• Idea plagiarism: appropriation of another person’s theory, hypothesis, interpretation, framework, design, argument, or unpublished insight.
• Data and results plagiarism: unauthorized or unattributed use of data, observations, quotations, calculations, findings, or analytical output.
• Visual plagiarism: reproduction, adaptation, translation, redrawing, or reconstruction of figures, tables, maps, screenshots, photographs, or diagrams without appropriate attribution and permission.
• Code and software plagiarism: unattributed use of code, syntax, algorithms, scripts, notebooks, prompts, software components, or computational workflows.
• Translation plagiarism: translating previously disseminated content and presenting it as original.
• Plagiarism of unpublished material: appropriation of submissions, reviews, proposals, theses, private records, confidential data, or editorial correspondence.
• Source-based plagiarism: inaccurate attribution, misleading secondary citation, fabricated sourcing, or concealment of the true origin of reused material.

Verbatim material must be identified clearly as quotation and cited accurately. A citation alone does not make extensive copying acceptable, and a reference placed at the end of a copied passage does not replace quotation formatting.

A genuine paraphrase expresses the source in the author’s own scholarly language and structure while still citing the original. Changing isolated words, substituting synonyms, preserving distinctive organization, or translating the source does not create original expression.

Authors must acknowledge ideas and information obtained from publications, conferences, theses, proposals, reviews, correspondence, meetings, teaching material, and other scholarly communications.

Existing data may be used legitimately when access is lawful, the source is cited, permissions and licenses are observed, and the secondary nature of the analysis is disclosed. Previously published data or results must not be presented as newly collected.

Reproduced or adapted visuals must identify the original source and indicate whether the material was reproduced, adapted, translated, redrawn, reconstructed, or derived from external data. Altering appearance does not remove attribution obligations.

Open-source code remains subject to license and acknowledgment requirements. Confidential access to unpublished manuscripts, reviews, proposals, data, or correspondence does not authorize reuse.

Text recycling refers to reuse of an author’s own previously disseminated writing without sufficient transparency, acknowledgment, quotation, or citation. It is distinct from plagiarism of another person’s work but may mislead readers about originality and may create copyright or licensing concerns.

JSOMER assesses the amount and location of reused material, acknowledgment of the source, whether text, data, results, figures, or ideas are involved, the distinct contribution of the new manuscript, possible reader misunderstanding, and applicable copyright or licensing terms.

Limited similarity may be more understandable in standardized technical methods than in titles, abstracts, introductions, results, discussions, or conclusions. Previously published procedures should normally be summarized and cited rather than reproduced extensively. Reuse of earlier results, tables, figures, or supplements requires clear identification, citation, and permission where applicable.

Authors must disclose preprints, theses, dissertations, conference papers or abstracts, repository versions, working papers, reports, policy documents, book chapters, other-language versions, and other public dissemination related to the submission.

Prior dissemination does not always prevent consideration, but authors should identify the earlier version, cite it where appropriate, describe textual or data overlap, explain what is new, address copyright and licensing, and demonstrate that the submitted manuscript makes a distinct scholarly contribution.

A manuscript derived from a thesis or dissertation may be considered when the source and origin are disclosed, authorship is handled fairly, the work is adapted appropriately, and institutional, repository, copyright, and licensing conditions permit publication. A disclosed legitimate preprint is not automatically plagiarism.

All authors share responsibility for ensuring that the manuscript is original, sources are represented accurately, quotations are marked, paraphrases are genuine, previous dissemination and related works are disclosed, reused material is identified, permissions are obtained, references exist and support the associated claims, and confidential or unpublished content is not used without authorization.

The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript and the originality declaration. Artificial intelligence does not transfer responsibility for attribution or plagiarism away from the authors.

Authors are requested to provide a complete similarity report corresponding to the submitted version when such a report is available through a university, research institution, employer, library, or another legitimate no-cost service.

JSOMER does not require authors to purchase a commercial report. Authors without institutional or other no-cost access should explain this in the Comments to the Editor. Lack of access alone does not cause automatic rejection or unfavorable treatment.

A report should identify the service and generation date, show the overall score and full matched-source list, display passages in context, disclose exclusions and filters, remain complete and readable, and be uploaded as a confidential supplementary file in a stable format. A screenshot or percentage without source details may be insufficient.

JSOMER does not apply a universal percentage threshold for screening, peer review, revision, acceptance, or rejection. Similarity systems identify textual matches; they do not determine independently whether plagiarism has occurred.

Proper quotations, references, standard terminology, technical descriptions, preprints, theses, or earlier versions may raise a score. Conversely, a low score does not exclude idea, translation, data, visual, mosaic, heavily modified, confidential-source, or database-excluded plagiarism.

Editors review relevant matches in context and do not decide cases by counting words or relying solely on software-generated percentages.

• identity and reliability of the matched source;
• location, length, concentration, and scholarly significance of overlap;
• citation and quotation practices;
• whether paraphrasing is genuine;
• whether language is standard or highly technical;
• whether ideas, data, findings, interpretations, visuals, or code are involved;
• whether overlap involves an author’s previous work and whether it was disclosed;
• copyright and licensing implications;
• whether old content is represented as new; and
• whether the manuscript retains an original scholarly contribution.

Bibliographies and correctly formatted quotations may be excluded when settings permit, but filters must not conceal substantial copying, omit relevant sources, suppress earlier publications, or create an artificially low score. JSOMER may request a replacement report without particular exclusions.

JSOMER may conduct manual or electronic checks when a report is incomplete or inconsistent, relevant sources appear excluded, style changes are unusual, unattributed material is identified, references appear unreliable, related work is undisclosed, or concerns arise during revision, production, or after publication.

The journal may request a complete replacement report, matched sources, earlier drafts, a thesis, conference paper, preprint, related publication, original visual or code, permission records, or other evidence required for assessment. The absence of an independent commercial check does not prevent evidence-based manual review.

Citation does not automatically provide legal permission to reproduce copyrighted material. Authors must determine whether permission is required for extensive quotations, visuals, instruments, scales, maps, code, multimedia, or other protected content. Material available online is not automatically free of copyright or attribution obligations.

AI must not be used to disguise copying, translate plagiarism, generate fabricated citations, obscure idea provenance, reconstruct protected content without acknowledgment, imitate another author improperly, or assemble a manuscript from unattributed sources. Substantive AI use must be disclosed under the Artificial Intelligence Policy, and authors remain responsible for all AI-assisted text and references.

Reviewers should report possible plagiarism or inappropriate text recycling confidentially to the handling editor, identifying the relevant passage, suspected source, DOI or URL, explanation, and evidence where possible. Reviewers must not contact authors or institutions directly, publish allegations, make unsupported accusations, or use confidential content for personal benefit.

Editors must examine evidence, distinguish similarity from plagiarism, evaluate context, protect confidentiality, provide authors an opportunity to respond, seek independent advice where necessary, manage conflicts of interest, consider copyright and licensing, and take proportionate action. An editor with a relevant conflict must not investigate or decide the matter.

When plagiarism is suspected before publication, JSOMER may:

1. Suspend editorial evaluation.
2. Collect and preserve documentary evidence.
3. Compare the manuscript with suspected sources.
4. Assess the type, location, extent, attribution, and significance of overlap.
5. Request an explanation from the corresponding author and, where appropriate, all authors.
6. Request revised text, citations, permissions, source files, or related works.
7. Seek confidential independent advice.
8. Continue review, require correction or substantial rewriting, reject, or administratively withdraw the manuscript.
9. Contact another journal, publisher, institution, funder, or authorized body in serious or unresolved cases.

Authors will normally have an opportunity to respond. Minor and correctable attribution problems may be addressed through revision when the contribution remains valid and there is no evidence of serious misconduct. Substantial plagiarism ordinarily results in rejection or administrative withdrawal.

For a credible post-publication concern, JSOMER may obtain documentary evidence, compare the article with sources, contact authors and affected rights holders, seek independent expertise, communicate with another journal or institution, issue an interim Expression of Concern, and determine the action needed to correct the record.

A correction may be appropriate when overlap is limited, the source can be identified accurately, the principal findings remain reliable, the contribution remains substantially original, and transparent correction resolves the problem.

Retraction may be appropriate when plagiarism is extensive, original ideas, data, findings, or substantial content were appropriated, the claim to originality is fundamentally false, the copied material materially affects the article, reliability or legitimacy is undermined, or correction is inadequate. Extensive text recycling may also require retraction when the later work contains insufficient original material or materially misrepresents novelty.

Authors should address identified passages directly, identify sources, provide drafts and related works where requested, explain provenance, disclose permissions and AI use, correct citations, cooperate in identifying affected content, and respond within the specified period. Failure to respond does not prevent editorial action, and an assertion that copying was unintentional does not eliminate the need to correct the record.

JSOMER may contact institutions, research-integrity offices, funders, or other authorized bodies when plagiarism is substantial, confidential or unpublished material is involved, several publications may be affected, accounts conflict, documents are unreliable, repeated behavior is suspected, contributor identity is disputed, or formal investigation is needed.

Allegations must be supported by specific evidence. General subject similarity, common theories, standard terminology, shared methods, required reporting language, rivalry, or unsupported accusation does not establish plagiarism. Wilfully false, malicious, threatening, or harassing allegations may be handled under the Complaints and Appeals Policy.

Plagiarism inquiries are handled as confidentially as reasonably possible. Information may be shared with authors, independent editors or experts, affected authors or rights holders, other journals or publishers, institutions, ethics bodies, legal authorities, or others with a legitimate role in resolution.

JSOMER distinguishes legitimate similarity, acceptable quotation, standard methodological language, citation error, inadequate paraphrasing, limited and substantial text recycling, minor and extensive plagiarism, and appropriation of ideas, data, visuals, code, or unpublished material.

Actions are based on the nature, extent, scholarly importance, transparency, attribution, copyright status, effect on originality and reliability, author response, publication status, and possibility of correction. The purpose is to protect intellectual contributions and the scholarly record, not to impose automatic penalties based on software output.

JSOMER reviews this policy periodically to ensure consistency with actual editorial practice, publication ethics, copyright and licensing, artificial-intelligence developments, research integrity, and relevant scholarly-service requirements. Material revisions will be disclosed on the journal website.