Plagiarism Screening

JACOBS does not tolerate plagiarism in any form. Every manuscript is checked for similarity using Turnitin before peer review and again before publication.

Forms of Plagiarism

  • Direct plagiarism: copying text from another source word for word without quotation marks and citation.
  • Mosaic plagiarism (patchwriting): mixing borrowed phrases with one's own words or replacing words with synonyms while keeping the original structure, without proper citation.
  • Self-plagiarism (text recycling): reusing substantial portions of one's own published work without disclosure and citation.
  • Translation plagiarism: translating another work from one language to another and presenting it as original.
  • Plagiarism of ideas, data, or figures: presenting another person's ideas, data, instruments, or figures as one's own.
  • Disguised plagiarism: using paraphrasing or AI tools to conceal copied content.

Screening Procedure

Submission received
↓
Similarity check by the Managing Editor
Turnitin · bibliography and properly quoted text excluded · matches below 1% excluded
↓
≤ 20% overall, no single source > 5%
proceeds to editorial assessment and peer review
21–30%, or one source > 5%
returned to authors for revision before review (one opportunity)
> 30%, or verbatim copying of substantial passages
rejected; handled as possible misconduct
↓
Second check on the final accepted version
before copyediting and layout
↓
Publication

Interpretation of Similarity Reports

Similarity result Action
≤ 20% overall and no single source above 5% The manuscript proceeds, provided the matched text consists of common phrases, correctly cited material, or standard method descriptions.
21–30% overall, or any single source above 5% The manuscript is returned to the authors with the similarity report for rewriting. The revised version is checked again before review.
Above 30% overall The manuscript is rejected without review.
Substantial verbatim copying, duplicate publication, or translation plagiarism, at any percentage The manuscript is rejected and the case is handled under the Allegation of Research Misconduct procedure.

The similarity percentage is a guide, not a verdict. The editors examine each report in context. A low overall score does not excuse a copied paragraph, and matches with the authors' own preprint, thesis in a repository, or conference abstract are assessed separately when they are disclosed at submission.

Plagiarism Detected After Publication

If plagiarism is identified in a published article, the journal follows COPE guidance. Depending on the severity, the outcome may be a correction or a retraction, together with notification of the authors' institution. The retraction notice remains permanently linked to the original article.

Advice to Authors

  • Paraphrase in your own words and cite the source, even when the original idea is summarized.
  • Use quotation marks and page numbers for every direct quotation, and keep direct quotations short.
  • Disclose any previous publication of the same data, including theses, conference proceedings, and preprints.
  • Authors may check their manuscripts with a similarity tool before submission, but the journal's check is decisive.