Plagiarism Policy

World Journal of Experimental Biosciences (World J Exp Biosci) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, research integrity, and publication ethics. Plagiarism, duplicate publication, and other forms of research misconduct are not tolerated at any stage of the editorial or publication process. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable at any stage of the submission, review, or publication process. This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to the journal — including editorials, original research articles, and review papers — and to authors, reviewers, and editors alike.

This policy is aligned with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines on plagiarism and publication integrity, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations, and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) policy statements on plagiarism and textual overlap. It should be read together with the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement, and Research ethics policy.

1. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when an author presents another person's ideas, data, images, or words as their own without proper acknowledgment of the original source. This includes, but is not limited to:

·      Copying text or results from previously published work without citation.

·      Paraphrasing significant content without proper attribution.

·      Re-using figures, tables, or images without permission or citation.

·      Presenting another person's unpublished ideas, findings, or intellectual property as one's own.

·      Self-plagiarism, including duplicate (redundant) publication, data fragmentation ("salami slicing"), or submitting previously published material as new work without disclosure.

Limited text recycling in standard methodological descriptions may be acceptable where scientifically justified, transparent, and appropriately cited; however, extensive reuse of previously published text without appropriate disclosure or attribution is not acceptable.

2. Types of Plagiarism

The journal recognizes the following forms of plagiarism:

1.    Full Plagiarism, submission of a previously published work with no substantive changes or acknowledgment.

2.    Partial or Mosaic Plagiarism use of content from one or more sources with limited modification, inadequate paraphrasing, or missing citation.

3.    Self-Plagiarism, re-use of an author's own previously published work, in whole or substantial part, without disclosure or citation.

3. Similarity Screening

All manuscripts submitted to World J Exp Biosci are screened for textual similarity using Turnitin plagiarism-detection software, as part of the standard editorial workflow, prior to being sent for peer review.

·      As a general editorial guideline, an overall similarity index exceeding 20% may trigger additional editorial assessment. However, editorial decisions are never based solely on the similarity percentage. Every similarity report is interpreted manually in context, considering the nature, location, and source of the matched text.

·      Similarity attributable to references, standard methodological phrasing, or generic technical terminology is generally tolerated and is not, by itself, treated as plagiarism.

·      Substantial similarity concentrated in the Results, Discussion, or Conclusion sections where original interpretation and analysis are expected is considered unacceptable regardless of the overall percentage.

·      Similarity reports are never used as an automated pass/fail filter. Every report is reviewed manually by the editorial office, in context, before any editorial decision is made.

4. Screening at Each Stage of Publication

Plagiarism may be identified at any point in a manuscript's lifecycle. The journal's response differs depending on when it is detected:

Before Peer Review: Manuscripts found to contain significant plagiarism at initial screening are rejected immediately and returned to the corresponding author, with an explanation.

During Peer Review: If plagiarism is suspected by an editor or reviewer during evaluation, the review process is paused pending an editorial investigation.

After Publication: If plagiarism is confirmed in an already-published article, the journal takes corrective action proportionate to the finding, which may include:

·      Issuing a formal correction or Expression of Concern.

·      Retracting the article and publishing a retraction notice.

·      Where appropriate, the journal will notify Crossref and relevant indexing and abstracting services in which the article is indexed and will update the article metadata accordingly (e.g., Crossref and any indexing service in which the article is listed).

·      Notifying the authors' institution(s) or funding body, where appropriate.

Retraction and correction notices are permanently linked, in both directions, to the original article and remain publicly accessible, in line with COPE's retraction guidelines and the journal's Archiving and Digital Preservation Policy.

5. Investigation and Author Response

Where plagiarism is suspected, the journal follows a structured, documented process:

1.    The Editor-in-Chief (or a designated editor) notifies the corresponding author of the concern, in writing, with supporting evidence (e.g., the similarity report or side-by-side comparison).

2.    Authors are normally given up to four (4) weeks to respond, unless a shorter period is justified by the circumstances.

3.    The editorial board reviews the author's response, together with the original evidence, and reaches a decision.

4.    Failure to respond within the given timeframe may itself result in rejection or retraction.

Authors who believe a plagiarism-related decision was made in error may appeal in writing to the editorial office; appeals are handled in accordance with COPE's guidance on complaints and appeals and are reviewed by an editor not involved in the original decision, where feasible.

6. Possible Actions

Depending on the severity, intent, and stage at which plagiarism is identified, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

·      Rejection of the manuscript.

·      Requiring revision and correction before further consideration.

·      Formal correction or retraction of a published article.

·      Notification of the authors' institution and/or funding body.

·      Temporary prohibition from submitting to the journal.

·      In cases of repeated or serious ethical misconduct, a permanent submission ban.

All such decisions are made by the editorial board and are independent of any commercial consideration, consistent with the journal's Editorial Independence policy.

7. Author Responsibilities and Declarations

By submitting a manuscript to World J Exp Biosci, authors confirm that:

·      The work is original and, other than in an abstract or as part of a thesis, has not been published elsewhere in its final form.

·      All sources of text, data, ideas, and images have been properly cited and attributed.

·      Permission has been obtained for reuse of any third-party copyrighted material, as required under the journal's Copyright, and open access policies.

·      The manuscript is not under simultaneous consideration at another journal.

·      Authors must accurately disclose any previous dissemination of the work (e.g., preprints, conference abstracts, or theses), where applicable.

8. Editor and Reviewer Responsibilities

Editors and reviewers are expected to identify and flag any substantial resemblance between a submitted manuscript and previously published work, whether or not it was surfaced by automated similarity screening. Reviewers and editors handling a manuscript under review are bound by confidentiality and must not use or disclose unpublished content, consistent with the journal's Peer Review Guidelines and Review Policies. Editors may consult the editorial board or independent experts when investigating suspected plagiarism or other publication-ethics concerns.

9. Policy Basis and Review

This Plagiarism Policy reflects the journal's compliance with the transparency and integrity expectations of major indexing and standards bodies, including:

·      DOAJ: Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, which call for a clearly stated, publicly accessible process for identifying and addressing research misconduct, including plagiarism.

·      COPE: Core Practices and guidelines on plagiarism, textual overlap, and retractions.  The journal investigates suspected plagiarism fairly, confidentially, and impartially, following the relevant COPE flowcharts and guidance where applicable.

·      ICMJE: Recommendations on scientific misconduct, including plagiarism, in medical journal publishing.

·      WAME: Policy statements on plagiarism and the use of similarity-detection tools.

This policy has been developed in accordance with internationally recognized publication ethics standards and is reviewed periodically to ensure continued alignment with COPE, ICMJE, WAME, the DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and the editorial quality expectations applied by Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed/MEDLINE.

For questions about this policy, or to report a suspected case of plagiarism in a published article, please contact the editorial office.