Plagiarism: not accepted
Similarity threshold: no automatic fixed percentage
Text recycling: assessed contextually
Duplicate publication: must be disclosed
Preprints: permitted, disclosure required
Translations: prior publication must be disclosed
Probleme post-publicare: investigate și corectate sau retrase, acolo unde este necesar

 

Cunoașterea Științifică considers originality, proper attribution of sources, and respect for intellectual property to be essential conditions of academic publishing.

The journal does not accept plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of sources, undisclosed redundant publication, inappropriate appropriation of the ideas or results of others, or other forms of academic integrity violations.

Authors are responsible for the originality of submitted works and for the proper citation and attribution of all material derived from other sources.

1. What Is Considered Plagiarism

Plagiarism may include, without being limited to:

  • copying all or part of a text without proper citation and attribution;
  • using the ideas, arguments, results, methods, or interpretations of others without acknowledging the source;
  • paraphrasing too closely to the original text without acknowledging the source;
  • using tables, figures, images, data, or other materials without proper attribution or permission where required;
  • presenting another person’s work as one’s own;
  • translating a work or substantial passages from another language and presenting them as original text without citing the source;
  • using unattributed content from online sources, repositories, theses, reports, conference materials, or other documents, regardless of whether or not they are indexed in academic databases.

Citing a source does not justify reproducing excessive amounts of text without clearly identifying quotations and without respecting applicable rights.

2. Similarity Is Not the Same as Plagiarism

The journal may use software tools to identify similarities between a submitted manuscript and other documents.

A similarity score does not, by itself, constitute proof of plagiarism.

A similarity percentage may legitimately result from:

  • specialized terminology;
  • institutional names;
  • standardized phrases and expressions;
  • methodological descriptions;
  • titles of works;
  • reference lists;
  • properly marked quotations;
  • legislative texts;
  • previously published material by the author that has been properly disclosed.

Conversely, a low overall similarity score does not exclude the possibility of serious plagiarism where an original idea, result, or important passage has been appropriated without attribution.

For this reason, the journal does not establish a single fixed similarity percentage that automatically determines acceptance or rejection of a manuscript.

Each case is assessed individually, taking into account the nature, extent, location, and context of the overlap.

3. Text Recycling and Reuse of an Author’s Own Text

Reuse by an author of passages from their own previously published work is often referred to as “self-plagiarism.” In editorial terminology, the journal prefers the term text recycling when referring to reuse of one’s own text.

Not every reuse of one’s own text automatically constitutes misconduct.

There may be situations in which a certain degree of overlap is justified, for example when describing a standard method or continuing previous research.

Authors must nevertheless avoid:

  • presenting previously published text of their own as entirely new;
  • reusing extensive passages without citing the earlier work;
  • republishing the same results as new original findings;
  • reusing figures or tables without identifying the source and complying with copyright conditions;
  • artificially dividing the same research into multiple publications without academic justification.

Text recycling is assessed according to its extent, location, attribution, and the nature of the publication and should be distinguished from redundant publication.

4. Redundant or Duplicate Publication

A manuscript must not substantially reproduce a work that has already been published without academic justification and transparent disclosure of the previous publication.

Authors must inform the Editorial Board if:

  • the work has previously been published in another form;
  • an earlier article contains significant overlap;
  • the same data or results have been used in another publication;
  • the manuscript represents an extension, revision, or development of previous work.

Where a relevant earlier publication exists, it must be cited appropriately.

Redundant publication is distinct from limited reuse of wording and may constitute a serious academic integrity concern.

5. Preprints, Theses, and Conference Papers

Depositing a preprint is not considered, in itself, duplicate publication and does not prevent submission of the manuscript to Cunoașterea Științifică.

The author must, however, disclose the existence of the preprint at the time of submission.

Similarly, the existence of an earlier version in the form of:

  • a thesis or dissertation;
  • a report;
  • a conference paper;
  • a working paper;
  • material deposited in a repository;

does not automatically result in rejection of the manuscript.

The author must inform the Editorial Board and clearly explain the relationship between the submitted version and the previous material.

Each case is assessed according to the degree of overlap, the new contribution, and the conditions of the earlier publication.

6. Translations

A translation of a previously published work must not be presented as a completely new original work.

If the manuscript represents a full or partial translation of an earlier publication, the author must:

  • inform the Editorial Board before publication;
  • identify the original publication;
  • obtain any necessary rights or permissions, where applicable;
  • clearly state in the article that it is a translation or a derived version.

An unattributed translation of another person’s work may constitute plagiarism.

Republication of one’s own work in another language may be accepted only where there is editorial justification, the prior publication is transparently disclosed, and the rights attached to the original publication are respected.

7. Quotations and Paraphrasing

Direct quotations must:

  • be clearly distinguished from the author’s own text;
  • reproduce the source accurately;
  • include proper citation;
  • comply with any applicable copyright restrictions.

Paraphrasing must represent a genuine reformulation of the ideas in the author’s own language and must be accompanied by citation where the idea does not originate with the author.

Simply replacing some words or changing the order of words in text taken from another source is not sufficient to transform that text into an original contribution.

8. Bibliographic Sources

Authors must cite sources that they have actually used.

The following are not accepted:

  • fabricated references;
  • citations to non-existent sources;
  • attributing statements to a source that does not contain them;
  • deliberately inaccurate citation;
  • including references solely for the purpose of manipulating bibliometric indicators.

Authors are responsible for checking the accuracy of bibliographic references and are encouraged to include the DOI where one exists.

9. Content Generated with the Assistance of Artificial Intelligence

Use of an artificial intelligence tool does not remove the author’s obligations regarding originality and citation.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that material generated or transformed with the assistance of AI:

  • does not reproduce unattributed text or ideas belonging to others;
  • does not contain fabricated references;
  • does not attribute claims to non-existent or inappropriate sources;
  • respects copyright;
  • is factually and academically accurate.

Substantial use of generative AI must be disclosed in accordance with the Editorial Policy and the author guidelines.

An AI tool cannot be used as a justification for plagiarism or for the inclusion of false references.

10. Manuscript Checking

Manuscripts may be checked for similarities:

  • during the initial editorial screening;
  • during peer review, where concerns arise;
  • after manuscript revision;
  • after publication, where a possible problem is reported.

Checking may involve software tools, bibliographic searches, search engines, academic databases, and direct editorial assessment.

The decision is not based exclusively on the automated result of a software tool.

11. Issues Identified Before Peer Review

If a possible problem is identified during initial editorial screening, the Editorial Board may:

  • ask the author for an explanation;
  • request correction of citations or attribution;
  • require sections to be rewritten;
  • request removal of unjustified overlap;
  • reject the manuscript in serious cases.

A minor and clearly unintentional overlap may be corrected editorially.

A substantial case of plagiarism or unauthorized presentation of another person’s work as one’s own may result in immediate rejection.

12. Issues Identified During Peer Review

If a reviewer identifies a possible case of plagiarism or another integrity concern, the reviewer should report it confidentially to the editor.

The reviewer must not contact the author directly regarding the suspicion.

The editor may then:

  • request an explanation from the author;
  • conduct additional checks;
  • temporarily suspend the editorial process;
  • request revision of the manuscript;
  • reject the work.

13. Issues Identified After Publication

A plagiarism concern may also be investigated after an article has been published.

If the concern is confirmed, the journal may, depending on its seriousness:

  • publish a correction;
  • publish a clarification or editorial notice;
  • correct the attribution of material;
  • retract the article in serious cases.

In serious and justified situations, the journal may contact the author’s institution or other appropriate bodies.

14. Assessment of Severity

The journal does not treat all forms of overlap in the same manner.

When determining an editorial response, the following may be considered:

  • the amount of material reproduced;
  • the nature of the material;
  • the originality of the copied content;
  • the presence or absence of citation;
  • the location of the overlap within the article;
  • whether research data or results are affected;
  • whether the overlap involves original ideas;
  • whether there may be a copyright infringement;
  • the author’s explanation;
  • whether similar cases have occurred repeatedly.

Measures should be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the problem.

15. The Author’s Right to Respond

Before a significant editorial action is taken, the author will normally be given an opportunity to explain the situation and provide relevant documents or information.

Failure to respond within a reasonable period does not prevent the Editorial Board from making a decision based on the available information.

The author may use the complaints and appeals procedure provided in the Editorial Policy if they believe that a decision has been made in error.

16. Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for:

  • the originality of the manuscript;
  • correct citation of all sources;
  • respect for copyright;
  • transparency regarding previous publications;
  • disclosure of preprints and relevant earlier versions;
  • accuracy of references;
  • obtaining any necessary permissions;
  • the content of material generated or processed with the assistance of AI.

The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors are aware of and accept these obligations.

17. Responsibilities of Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers must handle any suspicion impartially and confidentially.

An allegation must not automatically be treated as proven.

The investigation should focus on the facts and context, and the individuals involved should be treated fairly.

Information concerning suspected plagiarism should not be unnecessarily disclosed outside the process required to clarify the matter.

18. Application of this Policy

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to Cunoașterea Științifică and may also be applied to previously published articles where new information concerning possible academic integrity violations becomes available.

This policy should be read together with:

  • the Editorial Policy;
  • the Peer Review Process;
  • Publishing Articles;
  • Copyright;
  • the Repository and Self-Archiving Policy.

The journal follows internationally recognized good practices for addressing plagiarism and protecting the integrity of the scholarly record.