All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using industry-standard similarity detection software (e.g., iThenticate, Turnitin) before being sent for peer review. A similarity index of less than 15% (excluding references, quotes, and standard methodology sections) is generally required.

Manuscripts with excessive similarity to published works may be rejected without review. Borderline cases are reviewed by the editorial team to distinguish between appropriate citation, text recycling, and plagiarism.

Plagiarism is defined as the use of others' published or unpublished ideas or words (or other intellectual property) without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from an existing source. Forms of plagiarism include:

• Direct plagiarism: Verbatim copying of text without quotation marks or citation
• Mosaic plagiarism: Mixing copied phrases with original text without proper citation
• Paraphrasing plagiarism: Restating someone else's ideas in different words without citation
• Self-plagiarism: Republishing one's own previously published work or substantial portions thereof without disclosure
• Idea plagiarism: Using someone else's novel ideas or concepts without attribution

While authors hold copyright over their own work, extensive text recycling from previously published work is considered unacceptable. Authors must not submit manuscripts that substantially overlap with work they have already published elsewhere.

Limited text recycling may be acceptable in specific sections (e.g., description of a standard methodology) but must be minimal and properly cited. Authors should disclose any overlap with their previous publications in the cover letter.

Duplicate publication (publishing the same study in more than one journal) and redundant publication (publishing multiple papers from the same dataset without meaningful new findings) are prohibited. Exceptions may be made for:

• Translations into another language (with full disclosure and citation of the original)
• Publication in conference proceedings followed by journal publication (with disclosure)
• Multiple publications from a large dataset, provided each addresses a distinct research question and cross-references the related publications

Any such exceptions must be disclosed to the editorial office.

Confirmed plagiarism results in immediate rejection. For published articles found to contain plagiarism, we will:

• Retract the article and publish a retraction notice
• Inform the authors' institutions
• Report the case to relevant academic integrity organisations
• Consider banning the authors from future submissions to Kmed Journals

Note:These policies are subject to periodic review and update. Authors, reviewers, and readers should check this page for the most current version. Material changes to policies will be announced via the journal website and communicated to registered users. For questions or clarifications about any policy, please contact the editorial office at support@kmedjournals.com.