Neo Civic Education applies zero tolerance to plagiarism. Plagiarism is the use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author, and presenting them as one’s own. The policy follows the COPE Core Practices and the COPE flowcharts on suspected plagiarism.

Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere. Authors confirm originality, and awareness of this policy, when they submit.

—  Verbatim text is marked with quotation marks or indentation, and the source is identified.

—  Reproducing more than two or three sentences, or any graphic material, needs the permission of the copyright holder where feasible, and the source must be identified.

—  Paraphrased ideas, data, and arguments are cited as well. Paraphrasing without citation is plagiarism.

—  Translation plagiarism is also plagiarism: translating another author’s work and presenting it as one’s own.

—  All submissions are checked with similarity-detection software. The editor responsible for the paper decides on measures according to the extent of the plagiarism and gives the similarity report to the author.

—  A score is a signal, not a verdict: quotations and correctly cited text also match, and a low score does not rule out plagiarism.

COPE approach. COPE does not set a similarity percentage. The ranges above only guide the editors. Every decision is based on reading the similarity report: what overlaps, where (for example methods or literature review), whether it is cited, and whether the core findings or arguments are copied. Excluded from the score: quotations with citation, the reference list, and small matches of common phrases.

Authors whose manuscripts are returned must revise and resubmit with a new similarity report showing no plagiarism and similarity below 10%. Editors also check for tortured phrases, non-existent references, and overlap with the authors’ earlier work. See Research Misconduct.

Material the author has already published must be identified and referenced, and permission is needed from the copyright holder to republish it.

—  Material from conference proceedings must be identified by the name of the proceedings and the date of publication, and permission must be obtained. The editor may decline such papers.

—  Unpublished presentations may be reused.

—  A translated article must identify the original title, date, and journal, and copyright must be obtained.

1.  Pause. The handling editor suspends review or production and informs the Editor-in-Chief.

2.  Assess. The editor documents the overlap and judges whether it is minor or serious.

3.  Author explains. The corresponding author receives a neutral description and the similarity report, and may respond.

4.  Outcome. Measures follow the similarity table in section 03: rejection, or return to the author for improvement and a new similarity report.

5.  After publication. The article is corrected or retracted under Correction, Retraction & Withdrawal.

6.  Repeat cases. After a second serious case by the same author, the Editorial Board decides further measures, which may include a permanent ban on future submissions. See also Research Misconduct.

—  Authors submit only original work, cite every source, declare overlap with their earlier work, and correct their manuscript when the editor asks.

—  Reviewers tell the editor if they notice overlap with another work they know.

—  Editors handle every case fairly and confidentially, give authors the chance to respond, and follow COPE guidance.

Publication Ethics  ·  Research Misconduct  ·  Correction, Retraction & Withdrawal  ·  Author Declaration Form  ·  Author Guidelines

Committee on Publication Ethics. (2017). Core practices. https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

Committee on Publication Ethics. (n.d.). Flowcharts [Suspected plagiarism in a submitted manuscript; suspected plagiarism in a published article]. https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts

Committee on Publication Ethics. (2025). Retraction guidelines (Version 3). https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/retraction-guidelines