Similarity Check

ETERNAL is committed to maintaining high standards of originality and academic integrity. To support this commitment, all submitted manuscripts are screened using Turnitin before they proceed through the full peer-review process.

Similarity Threshold

ETERNAL generally requires manuscripts to have an overall similarity score of no more than 15%.

Manuscripts with a similarity score above 15% may be returned to the authors for revision or may be subject to further editorial assessment before being considered for peer review.

The 15% threshold is an editorial screening guideline and does not, by itself, determine whether plagiarism has occurred.

How Similarity Is Assessed

A similarity score indicates the extent to which text in a manuscript matches material available in Turnitin's database. A match does not automatically constitute plagiarism. Legitimate similarities may occur in references, technical terminology, commonly used expressions, research instruments, methodological descriptions, quotations, or other appropriately cited material.

Therefore, the editorial team considers the nature, source, location, and context of the identified similarities, rather than relying solely on the overall percentage.

Editorial Action

Depending on the similarity report, the editorial team may:

  • allow the manuscript to proceed when the identified similarities are legitimate and appropriately cited;
  • request the authors to revise or rewrite specific passages;
  • request additional citations or clarification;
  • return the manuscript for revision before peer review;
  • reject the manuscript when substantial unattributed overlap or plagiarism is identified; or
  • initiate further investigation in accordance with ETERNAL's publication ethics procedures.

A manuscript with a similarity score below 15% may still be subject to editorial investigation if substantial unattributed copying is identified. Conversely, similarities contributing to a score above 15% may be legitimate and appropriately attributed.

Self-Plagiarism and Text Recycling

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts do not contain substantial unattributed reuse of material from their own previously published work.

ETERNAL recognizes that some overlap with an author's previous work may be legitimate, particularly when describing established methods, instruments, or theoretical concepts. However, substantial reuse of previously published text, data, results, or arguments without appropriate citation or disclosure may constitute inappropriate text recycling or duplicate publication.

Authors should disclose any substantial relationship between the submitted manuscript and their previous publications.

Authors' Responsibility

Authors are responsible for submitting original work and for appropriately acknowledging the ideas, words, data, and materials of other researchers.

Authors should:

  • provide accurate citations for sources used;
  • use quotation marks when reproducing exact wording;
  • appropriately acknowledge previous publications;
  • avoid substantial duplication of previously published work; and
  • ensure that the manuscript represents an original scholarly contribution.

Attempts to manipulate the similarity score through superficial rewriting, unusual formatting, or other techniques designed primarily to avoid detection are inconsistent with ETERNAL's standards of academic integrity.

Similarity Check and AI-Assisted Writing

The use of generative AI does not remove the author's responsibility for originality, accurate attribution, and academic integrity.

Authors remain fully responsible for ensuring that AI-assisted text does not reproduce unattributed material from existing sources. Any substantive use of generative AI should be disclosed in accordance with ETERNAL's AI Use & Disclosurepolicy.

Editorial Principle

ETERNAL uses Turnitin as a screening and editorial-support tool, not as a substitute for scholarly judgment.

The key consideration is not simply the numerical similarity score but whether the identified overlap is legitimate, appropriately attributed, and consistent with responsible academic practice.

A similarity score of 15% or below is generally acceptable for initial editorial screening, subject to the editors' assessment of the similarity report. Meeting the threshold does not guarantee peer review or acceptance, and exceeding the threshold does not automatically constitute plagiarism.