Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Policy

Sustainable Science and Collaborative Research (SSCR) maintains strict standards against plagiarism to uphold academic integrity. All submitted manuscripts undergo rigorous screening using iThenticate plagiarism detection software, with a maximum acceptable similarity index of 20% (excluding references). Editors additionally employ Grammarly to verify proper attribution and language use. Authors bear full responsibility for ensuring their submissions are original works that properly cite all sources, including their own previous publications.

SSCR defines plagiarism as the uncredited use of another's language, ideas, or data, whether verbatim or paraphrased. This includes self-plagiarism, where authors reuse significant portions of their own prior work without disclosure. Proper attribution requires: 1) quotation marks for verbatim text with citation, 2) permission and credit for reproduced graphics/data, and 3) clear declaration of any overlap with conference papers or translations.

The journal employs a tiered penalty system based on infringement severity. Minor cases (<10% similarity or methods-section reuse) require revision with proper citation. Intermediate violations (10-30% similarity) result in rejection and a 1-year submission ban. Severe plagiarism (>30% similarity or intellectual theft) leads to rejection, a 5-year ban, and institutional notification. Repeat offenses incur permanent bans and potential retractions.

Exceptions exist for review articles (with comprehensive attribution), expanded conference papers (requiring ≥50% new content), and translations (with full source credit). The editorial office maintains a banned authors list and verifies each submission against it. This complete policy is publicly available on SSCR's website and provided to authors upon manuscript submission, ensuring transparency in our commitment to academic ethics.

By submitting to SSCR, authors acknowledge these terms and affirm their work's originality, understanding that all co-authors share equal responsibility for compliance. The journal's approach balances rigorous quality control with support for legitimate scholarly reuse, particularly important in our interdisciplinary Science 5.0 focus where proper attribution across fields is essential