Plagiarism Policy

ACEE is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. Plagiarism—including direct copying, mosaic plagiarism, duplicate publication, and self‑plagiarism—is strictly prohibited and subject to editorial investigation and action.

Definitions & Types of Plagiarism

  • Direct plagiarism: Verbatim or near-verbatim copying of another’s work without attribution.
  • Self‑plagiarism (text recycling): Reuse of significant portions of one’s own prior work without proper citation.
  • Mosaic/plagiarism: Piecing together text from multiple sources without adequate citation or paraphrasing.
  • Duplicate or redundant publication: Publishing substantially similar content in more than one venue without referencing the original.

Screening & Detection

All manuscripts undergo automated similarity checking (e.g. using iThenticate or Crossref Similarity Check). Editors assess similarity reports, review overlap contextually, and determine whether overlap is acceptable (e.g. methods section) or requires revision or rejection.

Thresholds & Acceptable Overlap

Typically, similarity indices above 20%–25% may trigger further scrutiny. Minimal overlap in methodological descriptions or common terminology may be permitted, but substantial overlap without attribution will result in rejection.

Actions on Detection

  • Minor overlap: Author is notified to revise, add attribution, or paraphrase appropriately.
  • Significant overlap: Manuscript may be rejected outright; authors may be barred from submission for a defined period.
  • Post-publication discovery: Formal investigation may lead to correction, expression of concern, or retraction. The author’s institution may be informed.

Author Responsibilities

  • Ensure that sources are properly cited and unattributed text is avoided.
  • Use quotation marks for direct text and cite accordingly.
  • Declare overlapping or pre-published material (e.g. conference abstracts or preprints).

Editorial & Reviewer Role

Editors review similarity reports and may consult reviewers. Reviewers are encouraged to flag potential issues if they recognize uncited overlap or suspect unethical behavior.

Appeals Process

Authors may appeal a plagiarism decision by providing transparent justification or evidence (e.g. reuse of preprint or prior work). Appeals are handled by an independent editor to avoid conflict of interest.

Institutional & Disciplinary Reporting

For confirmed major misconduct, ACEE reserves the right to notify the author’s institution and relevant funding bodies. Retracted material remains clearly marked in both HTML and PDF formats.