Engineering Spectrum has zero tolerance for plagiarism and related forms of research misconduct. This policy defines plagiarism and outlines the specific actions taken when it is detected in a manuscript submitted to the journal.
Plagiarism involves the use or close imitation of the language, ideas, data, or structure of another work and presenting them as one’s own original work, without proper acknowledgment of the source.
All submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.
Any material taken verbatim or nearly verbatim from another source must be clearly distinguished from the author’s original text by:
Indentation (if appropriate),
Use of quotation marks, and
Full and accurate identification of the source.
Any text exceeding fair use (defined here as more than two or three sentences or the equivalent) or any reproduced figure, table, or other graphic material:
Requires appropriate permission from the copyright holder (and, where feasible, the original author(s)), and
Must clearly identify the original source (e.g., prior publication).
All submitted manuscripts are screened for similarity using iThenticate (or an equivalent similarity-checking tool).
The Editor-in-Chief or designated editor evaluates the similarity report to determine whether there is possible plagiarism or unacceptable levels of overlap.
The similarity report (or its summary) may be shared with the authors during the evaluation or revision process.
Engineering Spectrum applies the following guidelines based on the overall similarity index (excluding bibliography, references, and clearly quoted text where appropriate citation is provided):
Similarity Index above 35%
Decision: Manuscript rejected due to excessive similarity (poor citation and/or poor paraphrasing).
Resubmission: Not accepted in its current form (no resubmission of the same work).
Similarity Index 20–35%
Decision: Manuscript is returned to the authors for improvement.
Authors must:
Provide correct citations to all overlapping passages, and
Perform adequate paraphrasing even when citations already exist.
Similarity Index less than 20%
Decision: Manuscript may be accepted, or citation/paraphrasing improvements may still be requested.
Proper citations must be provided for all text, data, and ideas taken from other sources.
In cases (2) and (3), authors are required to:
Carefully revise the manuscript,
Add or correct citations where needed,
Paraphrase outsourced text appropriately, and
Resubmit the manuscript together with an updated similarity report demonstrating that the similarity index is below 20% and that no plagiarism is present.
Image files (including figures, graphs, micrographs, and other visual data) must not be manipulated or adjusted in any way that could misrepresent or distort the original information.
The following practices are not acceptable:
Introducing, enhancing, moving, or removing features from the original image,
Grouping images that should clearly be presented separately,
Modifying contrast, brightness, or color balance to obscure, eliminate, or artificially enhance certain information.
If irregular image manipulation is detected and confirmed:
During peer review: the manuscript may be rejected.
After publication: the journal may issue a correction or retract the paper, depending on the severity of the issue.
By submitting a manuscript to Engineering Spectrum, authors:
Confirm that the work is original,
Confirm that they have read and understood this plagiarism policy, and
Accept full responsibility for the content, originality, and integrity of their submission.
In the event of a second confirmed case of severe plagiarism involving the same author(s), the Editorial Board may decide to impose stricter sanctions, including permanent prohibition from submitting further manuscripts to Engineering Spectrum.
This policy also applies to material reproduced from previous publications by the same author(s).
If authors reuse text, figures, or tables from their own previously published work:
The reused material must be clearly identified, and
The original source must be cited.
In review articles or tutorial-style papers, it is understood that some material may have been published previously. However:
Authors must transparently identify the source of previously published material, and
Obtain permission from the original publisher (and, where applicable, the original authors), when required by copyright.
Severe self-plagiarism:
Significant overlap (identical or nearly identical text and/or figures) for one-half or more of the manuscript.
Treated as a severe plagiarism case. The editor of any overlapping journal may be notified.
Intermediate self-plagiarism:
Overlap of more than one-fifth but less than one-half of the manuscript.
Treated as an intermediate case; corrective action and substantial revision are required.
Minor self-plagiarism:
Overlap confined mainly to the methods or standard procedural descriptions.
Treated as minor; appropriate citation and limited reuse are permitted, but text should still be sufficiently revised where possible.
If a manuscript submitted to Engineering Spectrum is found to have significant overlap with a manuscript submitted elsewhere, or already published in another journal:
The case will be treated as severe plagiarism if identical or almost identical figures and substantial text are reused for half or more of the paper.
The editor of the other journal may be notified.
The manuscript may be rejected and further sanctions may be considered.
If an author uses previously published material to clarify or support new results, the earlier publication must be:
Clearly identified, and
The difference between the previous work and the present submission must be explicitly described.
If a manuscript was originally published in conference proceedings and is submitted to Engineering Spectrum in identical or expanded form:
The authors must identify the name of the conference, the date of publication, and the original source.
Permission to republish must be obtained from the copyright holder.
The editor reserves the right to accept or reject such submissions.
If a manuscript was originally published in another language and is submitted in translation:
The title, date, and journal of the original publication must be clearly indicated, and
The necessary copyright permissions must be obtained.
Authors remain responsible for ensuring that any reused material complies with copyright law and with the ethical and editorial standards of Engineering Spectrum.