Journal of Biomedicine and Biochemistry (JBB) is firmly committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and publication ethics. To ensure the originality and reliability of published research, all submissions undergo a rigorous plagiarism screening process using iThenticate through Crossref Similarity Check, following global best practices recommended by COPE, Scopus CSAB, and Clarivate.

1. Ethical Framework and General Principles

Plagiarism—including direct copying, improper paraphrasing, data falsification, fabrication, duplicate publication, or misrepresentation of authorship—is strictly prohibited.
These practices violate academic integrity and conflict with: COPE’s Core Practices and ICMJE Recommendations.

Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal is also prohibited.

2. Similarity Detection Using iThenticate

All new submissions undergo mandatory similarity screening at the time of submission using iThenticate (Crossref Similarity Check). Additional checks may be conducted at any stage of peer review or post-publication if concerns arise.The similarity report highlights text overlap with published literature. A high score alone does not confirm plagiarism, as legitimate factors may contribute to similarity (e.g., standard methods, cited quotations).Final decisions are made by the editorial board following COPE guidance.

3. Acceptable vs. Unacceptable Similarity

Acceptable Similarity Includes:

- Properly cited quotations
- Standardized methods or protocol descriptions
- Common terminology and background concepts
- Overlap confined to references

Unacceptable Practices Include:

- Copying large segments without citation
- Poorly paraphrased text replicating the original meaning
- Republishing previously published results without attribution
- Data manipulation, duplication, or fabricated content

This classification follows COPE and publisher best practices.

4. Self-Plagiarism (Text Recycling) COPE Text Recycling Guidelines

Self-plagiarism occurs when authors reuse substantial portions of their previous work without proper citation. It compromises the manuscript’s originality and may distort academic metrics.

Consequences may include:

- Major revisions
- Rejection of the manuscript
- Retraction if detected post-publication
- Blocking authors from submitting future works

5. Handling Confirmed Cases of Plagiarism

JBB applies COPE’s systematic approach to managing misconduct:

If detected before publication:

- Manuscript is rejected
- Authors may face a submission ban

If detected after publication:

Article is formally retracted
- A COPE-compliant retraction notice is issued
- The article is watermarked “Retracted”
- Indexing agencies (Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar) are notified