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Plagiarism in Research

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Q: How do I find out the target journal's requirements for a plagiarism check?

Detailed question-I am using Turnitin (licensed version) to check plagiarism in my paper. I am not sure about setting the parameters, particularly the word count (whether it should be 3…

1 Answer

You have two-three questions and one overall concern: reducing / avoiding the similarity…

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Q: Would it be ethical to rewrite an existing review paper in my own words and submit to another journal?

Detailed question-I am writing a review paper on welding technologies. However, I found that there is already a review paper in my area. I wanted to know if I can edit the other paper …
  • Asked on February 21, 2021

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The simple answer is: No. :)

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Q: What is the subject-wise percentage of copied work allowed as per the norms of plagiarism?

  • Asked on February 19, 2021

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Firstly, ‘copied work’ may not be the best articulation of what you are seeking to know. …

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Q: Does a plagiarism checker work for plagiarism between different languages?

Detailed question-Does a plagiarism checker work for plagiarism between different languages? For example, if I use an idea from a Japanese paper and do not cite it in my English paper,…
  • Asked on December 28, 2020

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The problem that you are referring to is cross-lingual plagiarism, where the original content is in a language…

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Q: Should I reply to the editor for deciding that my paper (that was actually an expansion of my previous paper) was 'self-plagiarized'?

Detailed question-My manuscript was judged as “self-plagiarized” and rejected. But I think this is a misunderstanding because the manuscript is mainly an expansion and improvement over my…
  • Asked on December 28, 2020

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We are very sorry to know that your manuscript was rejected, and we understand that this is an especially difficult…

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Q: What is the acceptable similarity percentage for a review paper?

Detailed question-What is the acceptable percentage of similarity for a review paper for Elsevier, Springer, and Taylor and Francis (T&F) based journals? My similarity is 17%. Is that…
  • Asked on September 29, 2020

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For most journals, a similarity of 15% or lower is considered acceptable. At 17%, you are close…

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Q: Can I publish a book on my research that includes the same data and analysis I have published elsewhere in a journal article?

Detailed question-I have recently completed my PhD thesis, and have had a journal article published that includes some of the data (and my analysis of the data) from my thesis. It now…
  • Asked on July 31, 2020

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Firstly, congrats on completing your PhD thesis! You’ve probably not completed the defense, but…

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Q: When selecting samples of abstracts, can I simply write 'Abstract from Author' instead of paraphrasing?

Detailed question-I am selecting a few abstracts that serve as a sample to show that autoethnography is an effective method of presenting the human experience coming from the suffering of…
  • Asked on July 13, 2020

1 Answer

Firstly, your area of study (autoethnography) and topic sound quite interesting. (Incidentally, we’ve made some minor edits to your query, only for enhanced clarity;…

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Q: Would this scenario be considered plagiarism?

Detailed question-While writing an article about best dog breeds for children, a writer reads one article, called '20 Dog Breeds that are Great with Babies.' She includes just the top…
  • Asked on July 5, 2020

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Your question isn’t based in scientific or academic publishing, which is what this site and forum are about. However, it is about plagiarism. So, we’ll take the…

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Q: Do I still need to reduce the similarity if it is 25% and most falls under method and legends?

Detailed question-The similarity rate for my manuscript is 25%, but most of it falls under method and figure legends. Do I still need to work on reducing the similarity?

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A similarity of 15% or below is considered low and therefore acceptable. Some journals may consider a similarity of 25%…

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