JTRSS PLAGIARISM SCREENING AND SIMILARITY POLICY

JTRSS PLAGIARISM SCREENING AND SIMILARITY POLICY

1. Policy Statement

The Journal of Tropical Resources and Sustainable Science (JTRSS) is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing. All manuscripts submitted to JTRSS must represent original scholarly work and appropriately acknowledge the ideas, words, data, and contributions of other researchers.

JTRSS screens all submitted manuscripts using recognised plagiarism-detection or text-similarity software. The journal establishes a maximum acceptable overall similarity index of 25%, subject to editorial assessment of the similarity report.

A similarity score of 25% or below does not automatically guarantee acceptance. Any evidence of plagiarism, unattributed copying, duplicate publication, or other publication misconduct may result in further investigation or rejection, regardless of the overall similarity score.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all manuscript types submitted to JTRSS, including:

  • Original research articles.
  • Review articles.
  • Case studies.
  • Other scholarly contributions accepted by the journal.

All authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions comply with this policy.

3. Plagiarism Screening Tools

JTRSS may use any suitable and institutionally accessible similarity-detection software, including:

  • iThenticate / Crossref Similarity Check — for scholarly manuscript screening and comparison against available published literature.
  • Turnitin — for textual similarity screening, subject to the availability and suitability of its databases for journal manuscripts.
  • Other recognised similarity-detection tools — where approved by the Editorial Office and appropriate for scholarly publishing.

The choice of tool may depend on institutional access, database coverage, and the requirements of the manuscript.

Similarity reports must be reviewed by an authorised editorial team member. Automated scores must not be used as the sole basis for determining whether plagiarism has occurred.

4. Similarity Threshold and Editorial Action

The 25% threshold is the journal's maximum acceptable screening level, not a permitted allowance for plagiarism. A manuscript with a score below 25% may still be rejected if significant plagiarism is identified.

5. Interpretation of Similarity Reports

The Editorial Office shall assess similarity reports in context, considering:

  1. The overall similarity index and the proportion attributable to individual sources.
  2. The location and nature of overlapping passages.
  3. Whether the original source has been appropriately cited and acknowledged.
  4. Whether the overlap occurs in the abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, or conclusion.
  5. Whether text, ideas, data, tables, figures, images, or other intellectual contributions have been reused without appropriate attribution.
  6. Whether overlap with the authors' previous publications constitutes inappropriate text recycling or duplicate publication.

Where the screening software permits, the reference list may be excluded from the overall similarity calculation to provide a more meaningful assessment of the manuscript's substantive text. Properly quoted material and standard methodological expressions may also be considered separately where the tool supports such exclusions.

All exclusions must be applied transparently and consistently. Editors must not manipulate screening settings merely to reduce the reported similarity score.

6. Forms of Plagiarism and Publication Misconduct

JTRSS considers the following practices unacceptable:

  • Direct plagiarism: Copying text from another source without proper attribution.
  • Mosaic plagiarism: Combining copied phrases or passages from multiple sources without adequate acknowledgement.
  • Paraphrasing plagiarism: Reproducing another author's ideas or arguments with insufficient attribution, even when the wording has been changed.
  • Self-plagiarism or inappropriate text recycling: Reusing previously published material without adequate disclosure, attribution, or justification.
  • Duplicate or redundant publication: Submitting or publishing substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure and justification.
  • Data, figure, or table plagiarism: Reproducing research data, tables, figures, images, or other materials without proper attribution or required permission.
  • Undisclosed overlapping submissions: Submitting substantially the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously, contrary to publication ethics.

Legitimate reuse, such as appropriately disclosed material from a thesis or a properly identified preprint, will be evaluated according to the journal's submission requirements, applicable copyright conditions, and publication-ethics principles.

7. Screening and Editorial Procedures

All submitted manuscripts shall undergo the following procedure:

Step 1: Initial screening. The Editorial Office checks the manuscript for completeness and compliance with submission requirements.

Step 2: Similarity checking. The manuscript is processed using an approved similarity-detection tool.

Step 3: Editorial assessment. An authorised editor examines the similarity report, including the sources, locations, and significance of overlapping text.

Step 4: Editorial decision. The manuscript may proceed to peer review, be returned for revision, or be referred for further investigation.

Step 5: Rescreening. Revised manuscripts returned for similarity-related concerns shall be screened again before proceeding.

Step 6: Final verification. A further similarity check may be conducted before acceptance or publication where necessary.

The Editorial Office shall maintain appropriate records of screening reports and decisions.

8. Actions in Cases of Suspected Plagiarism

Where potential plagiarism or other publication misconduct is identified, JTRSS may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Request an explanation from the corresponding author.
  • Request revision, appropriate citation, or correction of improperly attributed material.
  • Require resubmission of a revised manuscript for similarity screening.
  • Reject the manuscript where the overlap is substantial or the ethical concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved.
  • Refer the matter to the Editor-in-Chief, the relevant institutional authority, or other appropriate parties where warranted.
  • Issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction for a published article, as appropriate to the circumstances.

Authors shall be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to concerns where appropriate. Serious cases shall be handled confidentially, fairly, and consistently with recognised publication-ethics guidance.

9. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to JTRSS must:

  1. Ensure that their work is original and has not been published elsewhere in substantially the same form, except where the journal's policies expressly permit the relevant prior dissemination.
  2. Cite all sources used and acknowledge the contributions of other researchers.
  3. Use quotation marks and appropriate citations when reproducing exact wording.
  4. Disclose related publications, preprints, thesis material, or other overlapping work where relevant.
  5. Obtain permission for reused copyrighted materials when required.
  6. Cooperate with editorial enquiries concerning similarity or suspected publication misconduct.
  7. Revise manuscripts where necessary to address identified overlap and attribution issues.

10. Responsibilities of the Editorial Office

The Editor-in-Chief, handling editors, and authorised editorial staff are responsible for:

  • Ensuring that all submitted manuscripts undergo similarity screening.
  • Applying the 25% maximum threshold consistently.
  • Reviewing similarity reports rather than relying solely on automated scores.
  • Maintaining confidentiality of manuscripts and screening reports.
  • Ensuring fair treatment of authors and appropriate management of conflicts of interest.
  • Documenting editorial decisions and rescreening outcomes.
  • Following recognised publication-ethics guidance when handling suspected misconduct.

11. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Manuscripts and similarity reports shall be handled confidentially and accessed only by authorised personnel. The Editorial Office shall use screening services in accordance with institutional requirements, applicable data-protection obligations, and the terms governing the relevant software.

12. Policy Review

This policy shall be reviewed periodically by the JTRSS Editorial Board to ensure continued alignment with recognised publication-ethics standards, technological developments, and the journal's editorial requirements.

The policy shall take effect on the date approved by the JTRSS Editorial Board.