Plagiarism Screening Policy

Scientific of Environmental Health and Diseases (e-SEHAD) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. All submitted manuscripts are subjected to plagiarism screening before being processed for peer review.

1. Tools and Technical Settings

e-SEHAD uses reputable plagiarism detection software (such as iThenticate / Turnitin or equivalent). The recommended settings include:

  • Exclude quotations

  • Exclude bibliography/references

  • Exclude small matches (e.g., less than 10 words)

  • Optional: exclude standardized methodological text if deemed appropriate by the Editor

The system generates a Similarity Report which is reviewed by the Editor.

2. Similarity Threshold Guidelines

These thresholds serve as general editorial guidelines:

  • < 15% similarity: Acceptable; further review ensures matches are not problematic

  • 15–25% similarity: Requires detailed editorial review; authors may be asked to revise or clarify

  • > 25% similarity: Considered potentially problematic or serious plagiarism; may result in rejection

Note: Decisions are based on context and the source of similarity, not percentage alone.

3. Workflow Process

  1. Automatic Screening: All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism detection upon submission.

  2. Editorial Review: Editors examine the Similarity Report to evaluate the nature of the matched text.

  3. Editorial Decision:

    • Low similarity with appropriate citations → proceed to peer review

    • Moderate similarity → request revision or clarification from authors

    • High or problematic similarity → immediate rejection and notification to authors

  4. Documentation: All reports and editorial decisions are archived for record-keeping.

4. Actions for Violations

  • Minor plagiarism (improper paraphrasing or missing citations): Authors must revise and correct the manuscript

  • Major plagiarism or duplicate publication: Manuscript is rejected; the incident may be reported to the author’s institution

  • Self-plagiarism: Depending on the extent, authors may be asked to revise or the submission may be rejected

  • Appeals: Authors may submit a written explanation; appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and the Ethics Committee

5. Author Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Ensure that the submitted manuscript is original, not previously published, and not under consideration elsewhere

  • Properly cite all sources and references

  • Provide permissions for reused materials (figures, tables, or text excerpts) if required

  • Acknowledge any overlapping content appropriately

6. Transparency

This policy is published on the journal’s website under the Publication Ethics / Plagiarism Screening section. Any updates to the policy will be documented with revision dates.