Screening for Plagiarism
EduSphere: Journal of Multidisciplinary Education Research conducts similarity screening to protect originality, academic integrity, and the reliability of its published content. Every submitted manuscript may be examined using similarity-detection software and editorial review before it proceeds to peer review or publication.
Originality Is Evaluated Beyond a Numerical Score
Manuscripts submitted to EduSphere are expected to contain original scholarly work. The journal normally requires an overall similarity score below 20 percent after appropriate exclusions. However, the final assessment does not rely solely on the percentage reported by similarity-detection software.
Editors examine the location, concentration, source, context, and citation of matching text. A low score may still contain unacceptable copying, while a higher score may result from references, quotations, terminology, research instruments, or other legitimate similarities.
Similarity Is Not Automatically Plagiarism
A similarity report identifies text that matches existing sources. It does not independently determine whether plagiarism has occurred. Editors must evaluate whether the matching material has been quoted, paraphrased, cited, attributed, or reused appropriately.
Plagiarism occurs when another person's words, ideas, data, images, arguments, or intellectual contributions are used without proper acknowledgment. It may also include inappropriate reuse of an author's own previously published work.
Stages of Similarity Screening
Similarity screening may be conducted at several stages of the publication process.
Pre-Review Screening
The manuscript may be screened during the initial editorial assessment before it is assigned to reviewers.
- Overall similarity is reviewed.
- Major matching sources are identified.
- Uncited or copied passages are examined.
- Duplicate publication risks are considered.
Post-Revision Screening
A revised manuscript may be checked again when substantial textual, conceptual, methodological, or structural changes have been made.
- Revised passages are re-evaluated.
- New sources and citations are checked.
- Author corrections are verified.
- Previous concerns are reassessed.
Pre-Publication Verification
The journal may conduct a final check before publication to confirm that the accepted manuscript complies with originality requirements.
- Final article text is verified.
- Unresolved matches are reviewed.
- References and quotations are checked.
- Publication readiness is confirmed.
What the Editorial Team Evaluates
Editors consider the nature and context of each similarity rather than relying only on the total percentage.
Overall Similarity
The total proportion of text identified as matching existing documents or online sources.
Single-Source Similarity
The amount of matching text originating from one publication, website, thesis, or other source.
Location of Matches
Whether the similarity appears in the introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, or another section.
Citation Accuracy
Whether matching ideas and wording receive accurate citation, quotation marks, and source acknowledgment.
Paraphrasing Quality
Whether the author has genuinely rewritten and interpreted the source rather than changing only a few words.
Conceptual Similarity
Whether another person's ideas, structure, argument, or analysis have been reproduced without acknowledgment.
Self-Plagiarism
Whether previously published text, data, or findings have been reused without disclosure or proper citation.
Source Reliability
Whether the detected source is an original publication, repository copy, student paper, or duplicate online version.
Elements That May Be Excluded
When technically available and academically appropriate, the following elements may be excluded from the calculated similarity score. An exclusion does not remove the author's responsibility to cite and attribute sources correctly.
Bibliography and reference list.
Properly formatted direct quotations.
Short and commonly used academic phrases.
Article title, author names, and institutional affiliations.
Standard terminology and established methodological expressions.
Approved research instruments or standardized statements.
Editorial Interpretation of Similarity
The categories below provide general editorial guidance. Every manuscript remains subject to manual examination.
Generally Acceptable for Further Review
The manuscript may proceed when the detected similarities are properly cited and do not indicate copied intellectual content.
Requires Editorial Examination
The manuscript may proceed, require clarification, or be returned for revision depending on the sources and concentration of matches.
Revision or Further Action Required
The manuscript normally requires correction and rescreening. Serious or deliberate copying may result in rejection.
Prohibited Practices
Copying sentences or paragraphs without quotation and citation.
Replacing a small number of words while retaining the original structure and meaning.
Presenting another person's ideas, models, or arguments as original work.
Reusing previously published text or data without disclosure and citation.
Translating another publication without permission, acknowledgment, or proper citation.
Copying tables, figures, photographs, instruments, or diagrams without authorization or attribution.
Submitting substantially identical manuscripts to multiple journals.
Manipulating manuscript text solely to avoid similarity detection.
Actions Following Similarity Screening
The editorial response depends on the extent, context, seriousness, and apparent intention of the identified similarity.
Proceed to Editorial or Peer Review
The manuscript may continue when similarities are limited, properly attributed, and academically acceptable.
Request Technical Correction
Authors may be asked to correct citations, quotation formatting, paraphrasing, references, or limited textual overlap.
Return for Major Revision
The manuscript may be returned for substantial rewriting, documentation, and rescreening before further consideration.
Reject the Manuscript
The manuscript may be rejected when plagiarism, duplicate publication, or deliberate concealment is identified.
Issue an Editorial Notice
Confirmed plagiarism after publication may result in correction, expression of concern, retraction, or another appropriate notice.
Requirements for Revised Manuscripts
When a manuscript is returned because of similarity concerns, authors must revise the affected sections carefully. Removing citations, replacing words mechanically, or using automated text manipulation does not resolve plagiarism.
A revised manuscript may be screened again. The author may also be required to provide an explanation of the corrections made and identify the sections that were rewritten.
Use of Similarity-Detection Services
Manuscripts may be processed through similarity-detection services approved by the journal. The journal seeks to use these services only for editorial quality control, originality assessment, and publication integrity.
Similarity reports are treated as editorial documents. They should not be distributed publicly or used for purposes unrelated to manuscript evaluation without appropriate authorization.
