Plagiarism Policy

Annals of Clinical and Medical Research (ACMR) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, ethical publishing, and responsible scientific communication. The journal maintains a strict policy against plagiarism and all forms of publication misconduct.

 

All manuscripts submitted to ACMR must represent original scholarly work and must not contain plagiarized material, falsified data, fabricated results, manipulated images, or unethical research practices.

 

The journal follows the ethical principles and recommendations established by the:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), 
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), 
  • and internationally accepted standards of scholarly publishing ethics. 

 

Originality Requirement

Authors submitting manuscripts to ACMR must ensure that:

  • the submitted work is original, 
  • the manuscript has not been previously published, 
  • the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere, 
  • and all sources of information are appropriately cited and acknowledged. 

Proper academic attribution must be provided for all referenced content, including text, figures, tables, data, and previously published materials.

 

Definition of Plagiarism

The journal considers the following practices as plagiarism or unethical publication behavior:

  • Direct copying of text without proper citation 
  • Paraphrasing another work without acknowledgment 
  • Misappropriation of ideas, data, or intellectual property 
  • Duplicate or redundant publication 
  • Self-plagiarism or excessive text recycling 
  • Uncredited use of images, tables, or graphical materials 
  • Manipulation or fabrication of research data 

Any form of plagiarism is considered a serious breach of publication ethics.

 

Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts may undergo plagiarism screening using internationally recognized similarity detection software prior to editorial review and peer review. Similarity reports are evaluated carefully by the editorial office to distinguish legitimate scholarly overlap from unethical duplication.

The journal does not rely solely on similarity percentage; editorial assessment also considers:

  • context of overlap, 
  • citation quality, 
  • methodological repetition, 
  • and scientific originality. 

 

Acceptable Similarity Standards

Authors are strongly encouraged to maintain minimal textual overlap with previously published literature.

Manuscripts demonstrating excessive similarity, inappropriate copying, or significant overlap with published or submitted work may be:

  • returned for revision, 
  • rejected during editorial assessment, 
  • or subjected to ethical investigation. 

 

Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

Authors must not:

  • republish substantially similar work, 
  • submit identical manuscripts to multiple journals, 
  • or reuse previously published content without proper disclosure and citation. 

Reuse of limited methodological descriptions may be acceptable where scientifically necessary; however, extensive text recycling is discouraged.

The journal follows COPE guidance in evaluating cases of self-plagiarism and redundant publication.

 

Editorial Handling of Suspected Plagiarism

Where plagiarism or publication misconduct is suspected, ACMR reserves the right to:

  • request explanations or revisions from authors, 
  • reject the manuscript, 
  • suspend the review process, 
  • retract published articles, 
  • notify authors’ institutions or funding bodies, 
  • and implement additional corrective actions where necessary. 

The journal follows COPE flowcharts and ethical procedures in handling allegations of misconduct.

 

Post-Publication Ethical Oversight

If plagiarism or ethical misconduct is identified after publication, the journal may publish:

  • corrections, 
  • expressions of concern, 
  • retractions, 
  • or article withdrawals 

to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

 

Author Responsibility

Authors are fully responsible for:

  • ensuring manuscript originality, 
  • verifying proper citation practices, 
  • obtaining necessary permissions, 
  • and maintaining ethical research and publication standards. 

Failure to comply with the journal’s plagiarism policy may result in immediate rejection or future submission restrictions.

 

Commitment to Research Integrity

ACMR is dedicated to promoting ethical publishing practices, transparency, scientific credibility, and integrity in biomedical and clinical research publishing.