Plagiarism and Similarity Screening
Our Dermatology Online
Our Dermatology Online is committed to maintaining high standards of research and publication integrity.
Manuscripts submitted to the journal may undergo screening for text similarity and potential plagiarism as part of the editorial assessment.
The journal uses Plagramme as one of the tools supporting this screening process.
1. Purpose of Similarity Screening
Similarity screening is used to help the editorial office identify potentially problematic overlap between a submitted manuscript and existing published or publicly available material.
Screening may help identify:
- substantial textual overlap;
- inappropriate copying;
- unattributed use of another author’s wording;
- possible duplicate or redundant publication;
- inappropriate text recycling;
- passages requiring clarification or further editorial assessment.
Similarity screening is an editorial screening tool and does not by itself establish plagiarism or research misconduct.
2. When Screening May Take Place
A manuscript may be screened:
- after submission;
- during initial editorial assessment;
- before external peer review;
- during revision, where appropriate;
- before publication, where appropriate;
- if concerns arise at any stage of the editorial process.
The journal may also conduct additional screening if questions concerning originality arise after publication.
3. Plagramme
Our Dermatology Online uses Plagramme to assist with the assessment of text similarity.
The results of similarity screening are reviewed in their context by the editorial team.
A similarity report may identify matching or similar text, but the presence of a match does not automatically mean that plagiarism has occurred.
For example, legitimate similarity may result from:
- standard scientific terminology;
- commonly used methodological descriptions;
- article titles;
- references;
- names of diseases or treatments;
- properly quoted or cited material;
- unavoidable technical terminology.
The editorial team therefore considers the nature, location, extent, and context of the similarity rather than relying exclusively on a single numerical score.
4. No Automatic Similarity Threshold
The journal does not use a single similarity-percentage threshold as an automatic basis for accepting or rejecting a manuscript.
A numerical similarity score should be interpreted in context.
A manuscript with a relatively low overall similarity score may still contain an inappropriate copied passage.
Conversely, a manuscript with a higher similarity score may contain legitimate overlap resulting from references, terminology, standard methodology, or other non-problematic material.
Editorial decisions are therefore based on the assessment of the identified similarities and the circumstances of the individual manuscript.
5. Author Responsibility
Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts are original and that material originating from other sources is appropriately acknowledged.
Authors should:
- cite sources accurately;
- use quotation marks where direct quotation is appropriate;
- avoid copying text without attribution;
- avoid submitting substantially identical manuscripts to multiple journals;
- disclose relevant previous publications;
- ensure that reused material is appropriately identified and permitted where necessary.
Authors remain responsible for the originality and integrity of their manuscript even when writing or editing tools have been used.
6. Plagiarism
Plagiarism includes the presentation of another person’s work, ideas, words, data, images, or other material as one’s own without appropriate acknowledgement.
Potential plagiarism may include:
- verbatim copying without citation;
- substantial copying with insufficient attribution;
- appropriation of another author’s ideas or content;
- inappropriate reuse of published material;
- other forms of unattributed appropriation.
Where potential plagiarism is identified, the editorial office may contact the authors and request an explanation.
7. Text Recycling and Self-Plagiarism
Authors should avoid inappropriate reuse of substantial portions of their own previously published text.
Limited reuse of standard terminology or methodological descriptions may sometimes be unavoidable.
However, substantial reuse of previously published material without appropriate disclosure may constitute redundant publication or inappropriate text recycling.
Authors should disclose relevant previous publications when submitting substantially related work.
8. Duplicate and Redundant Publication
A manuscript must not be simultaneously submitted to another journal.
Authors must disclose publications that substantially overlap with the submitted work.
Where the editorial office identifies substantial overlap with another publication, the authors may be asked to explain:
- the relationship between the works;
- which material has previously been published;
- whether the submitted manuscript contains new findings or analysis.
The journal may take appropriate editorial action where duplicate or redundant publication is confirmed.
9. Similarity Identified During Editorial Assessment
If potentially problematic similarity is identified, the editorial office may:
- request clarification from the authors;
- request correction of citations or attribution;
- request revision of the manuscript;
- seek additional information or documentation;
- refer the matter for further editorial or ethical assessment;
- reject the manuscript where the circumstances justify rejection.
The appropriate action depends on the nature and seriousness of the concern.
10. Suspected Serious Misconduct
Where substantial plagiarism or another serious publication-integrity concern is suspected, the journal may conduct an editorial investigation in accordance with its Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.
The authors may be asked to provide an explanation or supporting documentation.
Where appropriate, the journal may contact the relevant institution or other responsible body in accordance with applicable publication-ethics procedures.
11. Similarity Identified After Publication
If substantial plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, or other serious originality concerns are identified after publication, the journal may investigate the matter.
Depending on the circumstances, the journal may publish:
- a correction;
- an editorial notice;
- an Expression of Concern;
- a retraction;
- another appropriate post-publication notice.
Further information is available in the journal’s Corrections and Retractions policy.
12. Artificial Intelligence and Similarity Screening
The journal separately considers the use of artificial intelligence in manuscript preparation.
Plagiarism screening and AI-related assessment are not the same process.
Plagramme may be used by the journal as part of its assessment of text similarity and may also assist the editorial team in identifying potential AI-generated or AI-assisted text.
However, automated detection results are not treated as conclusive proof that a manuscript was generated by artificial intelligence.
The editorial team may consider the available evidence and, where necessary, request clarification from the authors.
Authors remain responsible for complying with the journal’s AI Policy.
13. Confidentiality
Similarity reports and related editorial assessments are part of the journal’s editorial process.
Information concerning screening results and editorial investigations should be treated as confidential, subject to applicable publication-ethics procedures.
The journal will not publicly disclose similarity reports merely because a manuscript has been screened.
14. Editorial Decision
Similarity screening is one component of the journal’s editorial assessment.
The final decision concerning a manuscript is made by the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately designated editor, taking into account the available evidence and the journal’s editorial and ethical policies.
A similarity report does not automatically determine whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected.
Contact
Questions concerning originality, plagiarism, text similarity, or related editorial matters may be directed to:
Related Policies
Authors should also consult:
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