Plagiarism and Text Similarity Policy

The journal «IT Synergy» upholds high standards of academic integrity and is committed to preventing plagiarism and improper use of textual materials in scholarly publications. This policy is based on international ethical standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which require proper citation, transparency in the use of sources, and author responsibility for the originality of submitted work.

General Approaches

Assessment is based not only on the percentage of text similarity but also on its nature, extent, and impact on the originality and scientific contribution of the work. The Editorial Office considers both direct copying and inappropriate paraphrasing, as well as other forms of non-original text use.

Text Originality Criteria:

  • Above 70% originality – the manuscript is considered to meet the journal’s requirements and may proceed to further editorial processing.
  • 50–70% originality – the decision on further consideration is made by the Editorial Board, reviewer(s), and the Editor-in-Chief, taking into account the nature of the similarities.
  • 50% or less originality – the manuscript is rejected without further consideration.

Unacceptable Practices

  • use of texts, ideas, or data without proper attribution;
  • presenting others’ results as one’s own;
  • self-plagiarism without appropriate citation;
  • inappropriate paraphrasing, including retaining the structure of the original text without proper attribution;
  • compilation of materials without adequate scholarly processing.

Manuscript Screening

All manuscripts are screened using specialised tools to detect text similarity and potential overlap. Based on the results, the Editorial Office may: 

  • proceed with the review process;
  • return the manuscript for revision;
  • reject the manuscript.

Response to Violations

If violations are identified during the review process, the manuscript is either rejected or returned to the author for revision. If violations are identified after publication, appropriate measures are taken in accordance with the journal’s policies (including correction or retraction of the article).

Author Responsibilities

Authors are fully responsible for:

  • the originality of the text;
  • accurate and appropriate citation;
  • compliance with the principles of academic integrity.

How to avoid plagiarism and prepare a manuscript

The journal «IT Synergy» recommends that authors adhere to the principles of responsible academic writing and take into account the specifics of text similarity and plagiarism detection.

Proper Usage of Sources

All ideas, research results, or text fragments taken from other sources must be clearly cited. Direct quotations must be properly formatted and accompanied by appropriate references.

Responsible Paraphrasing

Content should be presented in the author’s own words with genuine interpretation of the original meaning, rather than mechanical substitution of individual words. Even when paraphrasing, the original source must be cited. Excessive similarity in structure to the original text may be considered inappropriate use.

Avoiding Technical Errors

Before submitting a manuscript, authors are advised to verify:

  • that all in-text citations are included and correspond to the reference list;
  • the correct formatting of quotations;
  • the absence of unintentionally inserted or unedited text fragments.

Specific Features of Similarity Detection Systems (Including StrikePlagiarism)

Authors should be aware that such systems:

  • detect textual similarities regardless of the source (including the author’s own publications, legal documents, and open-access databases);
  • may identify similarities in reference lists, standard phrasing, names of organisations, etc.;
  • assess textual similarity but do not provide a legal determination of plagiarism.

Practical Recommendations Prior to Submission

  • check the manuscript for text similarity independently;
  • limit direct quotations to a justified minimum;
  • avoid compiling text from multiple sources without analytical processing;
  • revise sections with a high level of similarity where necessary.