Plagiarism Policy

At MEER, we uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. To ensure the originality and integrity of the manuscripts we publish, all submissions undergo a thorough plagiarism screening process using Turnitin, a reputable Plagiarism Prevention Software. We consider plagiarism, along with other ethical violations such as duplicate publication, data fabrication, falsification, and improper crediting of author contributions, as serious breaches of publication ethics.

 

Plagiarism Definition

Plagiarism is defined as the act of presenting someone else's work, ideas, or intellectual property as one's own without proper acknowledgment or permission. This includes, but is not limited to, verbatim copying, paraphrasing, or replicating substantial portions of text, data, or findings.

 

Unethical Publishing Practices

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals concurrently is considered unethical publishing behavior and is strictly prohibited. Authors are advised that MEER may overlook instances of manuscript duplication up to 20%. However, intentional and repeated violations of this policy will be thoroughly investigated.

 

CrossCheck Verification

To reinforce our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, MEER employs CrossCheck, a service designed to assist our editorial board in verifying the originality of submitted manuscripts. CrossCheck utilizes Turnitin software to conduct similarity checks on all new submissions automatically. Moreover, Editorial Board Members may opt to perform additional similarity checks at any stage during the review process or post-publication.

 

Interpreting Similarity Scores

It is essential to note that a high similarity score does not conclusively indicate plagiarism. The percentage reflects the overlap between the manuscript and previously published works, and it could result from various legitimate sources. For instance, re-used text properly cited in the bibliography may contribute to the similarity score. Editorial expertise is crucial in interpreting CrossCheck reports accurately and determining the relevance and legitimacy of any identified similarities.

 

Authors, reviewers, and editors involved in the publication process are expected to adhere to these policies to ensure the credibility and integrity of the research published in MEER. We appreciate the cooperation of all stakeholders in upholding the ethical standards of scientific publishing.