Plagiarism Policy

1. Purpose & scope

APALM is committed to publishing original scholarship. This policy covers plagiarism, text recycling/self-plagiarism, duplicate/overlapping submission, translation plagiarism, and image or data appropriation. It applies to all content types and all stages (submission, review, and post-publication), and aligns with COPE guidance, ICMJE recommendations, and the Principles of Transparency & Best Practice.

2. Author declaration at submission

The corresponding author must confirm that the work is original, not under consideration elsewhere, that results reflect the authors’ own findings, and that all sources and reused materials are cited with quotation or attribution as appropriate. Simultaneous or duplicate submission is not permitted.

3. Screening 

All submissions are screened with an antiplagiarism service. Editors do not rely on a single percentage: the report indicates similarity, not plagiarism; editors review matches in context (methods boilerplate, references, preprints, repository content, author’s thesis, etc.). We may run follow-up checks on revisions and at acceptance.

4. What counts as misconduct (definitions & examples)

  • Plagiarism: presenting others’ text, ideas, figures, images, or data as one’s own without proper attribution.

  • Text recycling / self-plagiarism: reusing one’s own previously published text without citation/quotation or beyond acceptable limits; limited, transparent reuse (e.g., methods) may be acceptable if clearly cited and disclosed.

  • Duplicate/overlapping publication: submitting or publishing substantially similar work in more than one venue (including translations) without full cross-reference and permission. 

  • Image/data misuse: unacknowledged reuse or manipulation of images/tables/data that misleads. COPE procedures apply to both text and non-text reuse.

Preprints: Posting a preprint is not plagiarism or prior publication. Authors must declare the preprint at submission and cite it in the manuscript; double submission to journals remains prohibited.

5. How we handle suspected cases

During submission/peer review

Editors follow COPE flowcharts for suspected plagiarism or redundant publication. Typical steps include: securing evidence; assessing extent and intent; contacting authors for explanation; and deciding on rejection, revision with proper citation/quotation, or referral for further investigation. Serious cases may lead to immediate rejection and notification of institutions/funders.

After publication

If plagiarism or significant uncredited reuse is discovered post-publication, we act per COPE guidance: correction (with added citations/quotes), editorial note/expression of concern, or retraction when findings are unreliable or misconduct is confirmed. All notices are open, linked to the article, and applied to both online and print versions where applicable. 

6. Sanctions & notifications

Depending on severity and pattern (e.g., repeated offenses), APALM may: reject the submission; bar submissions for a defined period; and/or notify the author’s institution and funders with the evidence and editorial findings. These measures aim to protect the scholarly record and deter misconduct. (See our Article Withdrawal, Removal & Replacement policy for additional outcomes.)

7. Good practice for acceptable reuse

  • Use quotation marks and citations for verbatim text.

  • Cite and caption reused figures/tables/images; obtain permissions where licenses require.

  • If limited reuse of your prior text is unavoidable (e.g., methods), cite the prior work and include a short “Text reuse” note. Some reuse can be acceptable when transparent. 

8. Guidance for reviewers & editors

Reviewers should flag suspected overlap with sources; editors will obtain and assess reports and follow the COPE process. When interpreting Similarity Reports, editors consider source type, location, proportion, and context rather than a numeric threshold.