Plagiarism, Originality, and Post-Publication Policy

EDUCATIONE: Journal of Education Research and Review is committed to maintaining the integrity, originality, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, duplicate or redundant publication, unattributed copying, fabrication, falsification, or other forms of publication misconduct.

The journal handles suspected cases of plagiarism, duplication, and post-publication concerns in accordance with recognized principles of publication ethics and the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Originality and Author Responsibilities

By submitting a manuscript to EDUCATIONE: Journal of Education Research and Review, the authors confirm that:

  • the manuscript represents original scholarly work;

  • the manuscript has not been formally published elsewhere, except where legitimate prior dissemination has been clearly disclosed;

  • the manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal;

  • all ideas, data, text, tables, figures, images, instruments, or other materials derived from other sources are appropriately acknowledged and cited;

  • all necessary permissions have been obtained for copyrighted material reproduced or adapted from other sources; and

  • any substantial use of the authors' previously published work has been appropriately cited and disclosed.

Authors are responsible for the originality and integrity of all material included in their submission.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when an author presents another person's words, ideas, data, methods, results, images, figures, tables, or other intellectual contributions as their own without appropriate acknowledgement.

Plagiarism may include, but is not limited to:

  • copying text verbatim without quotation, attribution, or appropriate citation;

  • closely paraphrasing another author's work without proper acknowledgement;

  • appropriating ideas, concepts, hypotheses, methods, or interpretations without attribution;

  • reproducing or adapting figures, tables, photographs, diagrams, datasets, or other materials without proper acknowledgement or permission where required;

  • copying material obtained from websites, repositories, reports, theses, dissertations, conference papers, books, or other publications without appropriate citation;

  • translating previously published material from another language and presenting it as an original work without disclosure and appropriate acknowledgement; and

  • using another person's unpublished work or intellectual contribution without authorization and attribution.

Plagiarism may involve published or unpublished sources and may occur regardless of whether the original source is protected by copyright.

3. Text Recycling and Self-Plagiarism

The journal distinguishes plagiarism from text recycling, sometimes referred to as self-plagiarism.

Text recycling occurs when authors reuse substantial portions of their own previously disseminated or published material without sufficient citation, acknowledgement, or justification.

Limited reuse of standard methodological descriptions or technical terminology may sometimes be unavoidable. However, substantial duplication of previously published text, data, results, figures, tables, or conclusions must be appropriately cited and transparently disclosed.

Authors must cite relevant previous publications when a submitted manuscript builds upon their earlier work.

Submitting substantially the same article to more than one journal, republishing previously published findings without appropriate justification, or dividing a single study into multiple minimally differentiated publications ("salami publication" or "salami slicing") may constitute redundant or inappropriate publication.

4. Similarity Screening

All manuscripts submitted to EDUCATIONE: Journal of Education Research and Review may be screened using appropriate similarity-detection software.

Similarity screening may be conducted:

  • after initial submission;

  • during editorial screening;

  • before peer review;

  • during revision;

  • before final acceptance; or

  • whenever concerns regarding originality arise.

A similarity report is used as an editorial screening instrument and not as an automatic determination of plagiarism.

The journal does not use a single aggregate similarity percentage as a universal benchmark for determining whether plagiarism has occurred.

Editors evaluate similarity reports qualitatively and contextually, considering factors such as:

  • the source of the overlapping material;

  • the amount and concentration of overlap;

  • the location of overlap within the manuscript;

  • whether the source has been appropriately cited;

  • whether quotation marks or other attribution methods have been used where necessary;

  • whether the overlap involves commonly used terminology or standard methodological descriptions;

  • whether the overlap involves original findings, interpretations, conclusions, tables, figures, or data;

  • whether the material represents legitimate text recycling;

  • whether there is substantial overlap with one or several previously published sources; and

  • whether the overlap affects the originality or scholarly contribution of the manuscript.

Accordingly, a manuscript with a relatively low similarity score may still contain serious plagiarism, while a manuscript with a higher similarity score may contain legitimate quotations, references, methodological terminology, preprints, or appropriately cited material.

5. Internal Similarity Screening

The journal may establish internal administrative indicators to identify manuscripts requiring closer editorial examination.

Such indicators are intended solely as screening tools and must not be interpreted as defining a permissible percentage of plagiarism.

Editorial decisions are based on the nature, context, source, attribution, and significance of the overlapping material, rather than solely on the numerical similarity score generated by software.

6. Handling Suspected Plagiarism Before Publication

When potential plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, or substantial duplication is detected before publication, the Editor will assess the nature and seriousness of the concern.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  1. request clarification from the authors;

  2. request appropriate citations or attribution;

  3. require revision or rewriting of affected sections;

  4. request evidence concerning the provenance of data, figures, tables, or other materials;

  5. return the manuscript for major revision;

  6. suspend the editorial or peer-review process while the matter is investigated;

  7. reject the manuscript when substantial plagiarism or serious publication misconduct is identified; or

  8. take other appropriate action consistent with publication ethics guidance.

Minor or inadvertent attribution problems may normally be addressed through correction and revision.

Substantial plagiarism, deliberate unattributed copying, misappropriation of data or ideas, extensive redundant publication, or other serious breaches of publication ethics may result in rejection.

Where appropriate, the journal may contact the authors' institutions or other relevant parties when serious research or publication misconduct is suspected.

7. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit substantially the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

Duplicate or redundant publication may include:

  • publication of substantially identical manuscripts in more than one journal;

  • reuse of substantial portions of previously published results without appropriate acknowledgement;

  • presentation of previously published data as new findings;

  • publication of multiple papers from the same dataset without transparent disclosure of their relationship;

  • excessive fragmentation of a research project into multiple publications without sufficient independent scholarly contribution; or

  • republication or translation of previously published work without appropriate disclosure, permission, and editorial approval.

When manuscripts are based on previously presented conference papers, theses, dissertations, preprints, reports, datasets, or related publications, authors should disclose this information during submission and cite the relevant source where appropriate.

The existence of related material does not automatically constitute duplicate publication. The Editor will assess whether the submitted manuscript provides sufficient originality, transparency, and substantive scholarly contribution.

8. Secondary and Translated Publications

A manuscript previously published in another language should not normally be presented as an entirely new original publication.

Secondary or translated publication may be considered only when:

  • the original publication is fully disclosed;

  • the original source is clearly cited;

  • appropriate permissions have been obtained where required;

  • applicable copyright requirements have been satisfied;

  • the secondary publication has a legitimate scholarly purpose; and

  • the Editor has approved the arrangement.

The relationship between the original and secondary publication must be clearly communicated to readers.

9. Plagiarism or Misconduct Detected After Publication

If potential plagiarism, duplication, or another serious integrity concern is reported after publication, EDUCATIONE: Journal of Education Research and Review will conduct an initial assessment and, where warranted, a formal investigation.

The journal may:

  • contact the corresponding author and other authors for an explanation;

  • request relevant original data or documentation;

  • consult reviewers, editors, institutions, or other relevant parties where appropriate;

  • contact the authors' institutions or research integrity offices when serious misconduct is suspected;

  • issue a correction;

  • publish an Expression of Concern;

  • retract the article; or

  • take other appropriate actions necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Allegations will be evaluated objectively, and authors will normally be given an opportunity to respond to concerns before a final editorial decision is made, except where immediate action is required for legal, ethical, or public-safety reasons.

10. Corrections

A correction may be issued when an otherwise reliable published article contains an error or omission that affects the accuracy, interpretation, metadata, or scholarly record but does not invalidate the article's main findings or conclusions.

Corrections may address issues such as:

  • errors in data presentation;

  • incorrect author information;

  • errors in figures or tables;

  • inaccurate affiliations;

  • omissions requiring clarification;

  • errors affecting interpretation but not the overall validity of the findings; or

  • significant production or editorial errors.

The correction notice will identify the article concerned, explain the nature of the correction, and be linked to the published article whenever technically possible.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not materially affect the meaning, interpretation, metadata, or scholarly record may be corrected without a formal correction notice at the Editor's discretion.

11. Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued when the journal becomes aware of potentially serious problems concerning a published article but sufficient evidence is not yet available to determine whether a correction or retraction is required.

An Expression of Concern may be appropriate when:

  • an investigation into possible misconduct is ongoing;

  • evidence concerning the reliability of the article is inconclusive;

  • an institutional investigation has been initiated but its outcome is pending;

  • there are serious concerns regarding data, ethics, authorship, plagiarism, or other aspects of the article; or

  • a final resolution cannot be reached within a reasonable period.

The Expression of Concern will be linked to the relevant article and may subsequently be replaced or supplemented by a correction, retraction, or other editorial notice when additional evidence becomes available.

12. Retraction

An article may be retracted when there is clear evidence that its findings or publication record are seriously unreliable or when serious research or publication misconduct has occurred.

Grounds for retraction may include, but are not limited to:

  • fabrication or falsification of data;

  • serious errors that invalidate the principal findings or conclusions;

  • substantial plagiarism;

  • unauthorized or seriously misleading duplication or redundant publication;

  • unethical research;

  • serious authorship misconduct;

  • manipulation of the peer-review or publication process;

  • copyright infringement that materially affects the publication;

  • failure to disclose serious conflicts of interest that compromise the reliability or interpretation of the work; or

  • other major breaches of research or publication ethics.

A retraction notice will:

  • clearly identify the retracted article;

  • state the reason for the retraction;

  • identify who is responsible for the retraction decision where appropriate;

  • be linked to the original article;

  • be freely accessible; and

  • distinguish, where possible, between honest error and misconduct.

The retracted article will normally remain part of the scholarly record but will be clearly identified as RETRACTED, with a prominent link to the retraction notice.

Retraction may proceed even when one or more authors do not agree with the decision. Any disagreement relevant to the retraction may be stated in the retraction notice.

13. Article Removal

Removal of a published article is considered only in rare and exceptional circumstances.

Article removal may be considered when continued publication would:

  • violate legal requirements;

  • infringe rights in a manner that cannot reasonably be addressed through correction or retraction;

  • create a serious and immediate risk to individuals or the public;

  • contain unlawful, defamatory, or confidential information; or

  • require removal under a legally binding order.

Where an article is removed, its bibliographic record should be retained whenever legally and technically possible, together with a notice explaining why the content is no longer available.

14. Publisher's or Editorial Notice

A Publisher's Note or Editorial Notice may be issued when an error results from the journal's production, editorial, or publishing process rather than from the authors.

Such notices may be used to correct significant errors involving:

  • article title;

  • author names;

  • affiliations;

  • correspondence information;

  • article metadata;

  • publication history;

  • DOI or bibliographic information; or

  • production errors affecting the interpretation or accessibility of the article.

The notice will be linked to the relevant article whenever possible.

15. Preservation of the Scholarly Record

EDUCATIONE: Journal of Education Research and Review recognizes the importance of maintaining a transparent and permanent scholarly record.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, retractions, and other post-publication notices will therefore be clearly identified and linked to the relevant published article whenever technically possible.

Published material will not ordinarily be silently altered or removed merely to conceal errors or publication misconduct.

Any substantial post-publication change will be handled transparently and documented appropriately.

16. Editorial Authority

The Editor-in-Chief and designated Editors are responsible for evaluating suspected plagiarism, duplication, text recycling, or other integrity concerns.

Editorial decisions will consider:

  • the available evidence;

  • the seriousness and extent of the concern;

  • the authors' explanation;

  • the reliability of the scholarly record;

  • applicable copyright and ethical requirements; and

  • relevant publication ethics guidance.

The journal may seek advice from members of the Editorial Board, independent experts, authors' institutions, research integrity offices, publishers, or other appropriate parties when necessary.

The primary objective of all such actions is to protect the accuracy, transparency, reliability, and integrity of the scholarly record.