Screening for Plagiarism

Screening of Plagiarism

All manuscripts submitted to Journal of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability Education (JEESE) are screened for plagiarism and textual similarity using plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin, iThenticate, or other appropriate similarity-checking tools.

JEESE is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity and expects all authors to submit original work. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism, self-plagiarism, unattributed copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, fabricated citation practices, or excessive textual similarity may be rejected at any stage of the editorial process.

As a general policy, JEESE may reject manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 20%, particularly when the overlap indicates potential plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or substantial unattributed reuse of previously published material. However, similarity scores are not assessed mechanically. Editorial evaluation also considers the nature, location, source, and context of the overlap, as legitimate similarity may occur in references, methodology descriptions, standard academic expressions, or properly quoted material.

Forms of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Using another person’s words, ideas, data, images, or findings without proper acknowledgment
  • Presenting another author’s interpretation or argument as one’s own
  • Reproducing text without quotation marks and appropriate citation
  • Reusing substantial portions of one’s own previously published work without disclosure (self-plagiarism)
  • Submitting manuscripts with excessive overlap with published or submitted works

Authors must provide proper citation whenever using ideas, data, or interpretations from other sources. If exact wording is used, both quotation marks and proper citation are required—citation alone is not sufficient.

Even when overlap occurs unintentionally, plagiarism remains a serious breach of publication ethics. Authors are therefore expected to carefully review their manuscripts prior to submission and ensure full compliance with ethical writing and citation standards.

Editorial Actions in Cases of Plagiarism

If plagiarism or serious similarity concerns are identified:

  • Before review → the manuscript may be rejected immediately
  • During review → the review process may be suspended pending clarification
  • After acceptance → acceptance may be withdrawn
  • After publication → the article may be corrected, retracted, or otherwise handled in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics policies

JEESE reserves the right to take appropriate editorial actions in all cases of suspected plagiarism or related ethical violations.