Plagiarism Policy

The Electronic Journal of Business and Management (EJBM) maintains strict standards of academic integrity and does not tolerate plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate submission, redundant publication, unattributed copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, data fabrication, data falsification or any other form of research and publication misconduct. Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts are original, properly referenced and not under consideration by another journal. Where the words, ideas, data, figures, tables, images, arguments or findings of others are used, they must be properly cited, quoted or acknowledged.

Originality Requirement

Submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • copying text, data, figures, tables or ideas without proper attribution;

  • presenting another person’s work as one’s own;

  • paraphrasing too closely from a source without proper acknowledgement;

  • reusing substantial parts of the author’s own published work without disclosure or citation;

  • submitting the same or substantially similar manuscript to more than one journal;

  • publishing substantially the same research in more than one publication without clear justification and proper citation.

Proper acknowledgement of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications, datasets, theories, methods and sources that have influenced the submitted work.

Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts are screened for similarity using iThenticate before being considered for peer review. The editorial team may also conduct manual checks using online and offline sources to verify originality, citation practice, quotation, attribution and overlap with existing publications. Similarity reports are reviewed by the editorial team. EJBM does not rely only on a numerical similarity score. Editors consider the nature, source and context of similarity, including whether overlap comes from references, bibliography, standard terminology, methods descriptions, institutional names, properly quoted material, or previously published work that has been appropriately cited.

Similarity Thresholds

As a submission requirement, manuscripts submitted to EJBM should normally meet the following similarity standards:

  • Overall Similarity Index: not more than 15%, after excluding references, bibliography, properly attributed direct quotations and standard scholarly elements.

  • Single Source Match: not more than 2% similarity from any single external source, unless the overlap is clearly justified, properly cited, or relates to unavoidable technical, legal, institutional or methodological wording.

Manuscripts that exceed these thresholds may be returned to the authors for correction, rejected before peer review, or referred for further editorial assessment at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief or editorial team.

A manuscript may also be rejected even if the similarity score is below the stated threshold where the editorial team identifies clear evidence of plagiarism, duplicate submission, inappropriate paraphrasing, text recycling, citation manipulation, data fabrication, data falsification or other publication misconduct.

Editorial Decision

The similarity percentage is an editorial screening indicator, not the sole basis for decision-making. A low similarity score does not automatically confirm originality, and a higher similarity score does not automatically prove misconduct. Final decisions are based on the similarity report, the manuscript content, the quality of attribution, the nature of overlap, the author’s explanation where required, and the editorial team’s judgement.

Artificial Intelligence and Text Originality

The use of artificial intelligence tools is not assessed through a fixed similarity-percentage threshold. Authors must follow EJBM’s AI Policy and remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, references, data, analysis and conclusions of their manuscript. AI tools must not be listed as authors. Any use of AI tools beyond basic grammar, spelling or language improvement should be disclosed where appropriate. Undisclosed, misleading or inappropriate use of AI-generated content, fabricated references, unverifiable claims or unattributed text will be handled in accordance with EJBM’s Publication Ethics.

Actions for Similarity or Plagiarism Concerns

Where similarity, plagiarism or originality concerns are identified, EJBM may take one or more of the following actions:

  • request clarification from the author;

  • request revision and proper citation;

  • return the manuscript before peer review;

  • reject the manuscript before peer review;

  • reject the manuscript after editorial assessment;

  • refer the matter to the Editor-in-Chief or editorial board;

  • investigate the case under the journal’s Publication Ethics policy.

Clear cases of plagiarism, duplicate submission, data fabrication, falsification or deliberate misconduct will result in immediate rejection.

Post-Publication Plagiarism

If plagiarism, serious text overlap or other misconduct is discovered after publication, EJBM will investigate the matter in accordance with its Publication Ethics policy. Where necessary, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern or retraction. In serious cases, EJBM may notify the author’s institution, funder or relevant authority. The journal may also restrict future submissions from authors found to have committed serious publication misconduct.

Author Responsibility

By submitting to EJBM, authors confirm that:

  • the manuscript is original;

  • all sources have been properly cited;

  • the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere;

  • the work has not been published previously in substantially the same form;

  • all reused material is properly acknowledged and, where necessary, used with permission;

  • all authors have approved the final manuscript before submission.

Ethical Alignment

This policy is aligned with EJBM’s Publication Ethics statement and recognised standards of responsible scholarly publishing, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices. For matters involving artificial intelligence, authors should also refer to EJBM’s AI Policy and the COPE position on authorship and AI tools: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/cope-position/authorship-and-ai-tools