Plagiarism, Similarity, and Redundant Publication

AHRIE (Applied Health Research, Innovation & Education) is committed to originality, proper source attribution, and protection of the integrity of the scholarly record. All manuscripts must comply with ethical principles concerning plagiarism, text recycling, duplication, redundant publication, and misappropriation of ideas or data.

Definition of plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s words, ideas, methods, results, data, images, tables, figures, materials, or creations as one’s own without appropriate acknowledgment, citation, or permission.

Plagiarism may include:

• copying text without quotation marks, citation, or attribution;

• paraphrasing a source too closely without acknowledgment;

• translating previously published content without citing its origin;

• using another person’s ideas, hypotheses, methods, or results without attribution;

• reproducing or modifying tables, figures, photographs, or images without citation and, when required, permission;

• appropriating data, materials, or content obtained during peer review, collaboration, or confidential communication;

• using artificial intelligence-generated content that reproduces third-party material without appropriate attribution.

Citing a source does not justify extensive reproduction of its content. Direct quotations must be limited, clearly identified, and accompanied by the appropriate reference.

Text recycling

Text recycling occurs when authors reuse substantial portions of their previous publications without appropriately citing the source or disclosing that the content has already been published.

AHRIE recognizes that limited and justified overlap may occur in descriptions of methods, instruments, or standardized procedures. Each case will be assessed by considering:

• the extent of the overlapping text;

• the manuscript section in which it appears;

• the technical or creative nature of the content;

• whether the previous work has been cited;

• the transparency with which the reuse is reported;

• its possible effect on the originality and contribution of the new manuscript.

Reuse of previously published results, tables, figures, images, or conclusions must be expressly disclosed and cited and must comply with applicable licenses and permissions.

Similarity assessment

AHRIE may use text-comparison software and other originality-assessment tools before, during, or after peer review.

A similarity report identifies matches between documents but does not, by itself, establish that plagiarism has occurred. AHRIE therefore does not apply a single percentage for automatic acceptance or rejection.

The editorial team will examine each match by considering:

• the source of the similarity;

• its extent and distribution;

• the manuscript section affected;

• the presence or absence of citations and references;

• legitimate use of technical terminology, instrument names, or standardized descriptions;

• possible exclusion of bibliographic references and minor matches;

• evidence of copying, duplication, recycling, or misappropriation.

A low similarity percentage does not exclude serious plagiarism, particularly when ideas, results, or essential passages have been copied. Likewise, a high percentage does not automatically demonstrate plagiarism when the matches are justified, appropriately cited, or related to technical material and references.

Duplicate submission

Authors may not submit the same manuscript, whether in the same language or translated into another language, to more than one journal simultaneously.

By submitting to AHRIE, authors confirm that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere. If they decide to submit it to another journal, they must formally request withdrawal and wait for confirmation from AHRIE before making another submission.

Duplicate or redundant publication

Duplicate or redundant publication occurs when a work substantially overlaps with another published work without a clear and visible reference to the original article and without disclosure to the editorial team.

Redundancy may also occur when:

• the same data or results are published repeatedly with only minor changes;

• a single study is unjustifiably divided into multiple articles to increase publication count;

• the title, author order, language, or presentation is changed without providing a substantially new scientific contribution;

• related manuscripts, previous publications, or work derived from the same dataset are not disclosed.

Manuscripts using a previously analyzed dataset must present a clearly distinct research question, approach, or contribution and cite all related publications.

Previous work and related materials

At submission, authors must disclose:

• related manuscripts that have been submitted, accepted, or published;

• articles derived from the same project or dataset;

• work posted as a preprint;

• related theses, institutional repositories, reports, or technical documents;

• abstracts, posters, or presentations delivered at scientific events;

• versions previously published in another language.

AHRIE may request copies of these materials to assess originality and possible overlap.

Preprints, theses, and scientific presentations

Prior dissemination through a recognized preprint server does not automatically prevent consideration by AHRIE. Authors must disclose the preprint at submission and provide its permanent link or DOI.

If the article is accepted, authors must update the preprint record to link to the version published by AHRIE whenever the platform permits.

Inclusion in a thesis, academic repository, conference abstract, poster, or scientific presentation will not automatically be considered duplicate publication, provided that it is disclosed and the manuscript presents the complete development of the research.

Secondary publication or translation

Secondary publication or translation of a previously published article may be considered only in justified circumstances and requires:

• permission from the editors of both journals;

• the knowledge and approval of all authors;

• compliance with the agreed interval or conditions;

• a complete and visible reference to the original publication;

• clear identification as a secondary publication or translation;

• compliance with applicable licenses and copyright.

An undisclosed translation will be considered duplicate publication.

Author responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring manuscript originality and proper attribution of all sources. They must:

• cite the publications and materials used;

• use quotation marks or appropriate quotation formatting when reproducing content verbatim;

• obtain all necessary permissions;

• disclose previous work and related manuscripts;

• report any possible overlap;

• provide explanations and documentation when requested by the editorial team;

• promptly correct any omission or attribution error identified.

Procedure for suspected breaches

When a possible breach is identified, AHRIE will assess the evidence and request an explanation from the authors before making a decision whenever circumstances permit.

Depending on the extent, nature, intent, and impact of the matter, the journal may:

• require corrections, references, or reformulation;

• return the manuscript for substantial revision;

• suspend the evaluation;

• reject the manuscript;

• contact the editors of related publications;

• report serious or repeated cases to the relevant institutions;

• issue a correction, redundant-publication notice, expression of concern, or retraction.

Decisions will be proportionate and consistent with AHRIE’s publication ethics policies and applicable guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Detection after publication

Allegations or evidence of plagiarism, duplication, or redundant publication received after publication will be investigated. Publication of an article does not prevent AHRIE from correcting the scholarly record or taking other necessary editorial action.