Plagiarism Policy

Medical and Life Sciences (MLS) abide by a strict policy of zero tolerance for plagiarism. They are aligned with the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) standards. Commitment to academic integrity requires that all plagiarism-claimed manuscripts undergo originality checks and reviews to preserve the journal’s reputation, as well as the journal’s credibility as a publisher.

Plagiarism Checking Procedure

  • Every manuscript, after being received, is checks for similarity using plagiarism detection tools such as iThenticate and/or Turnitin before the peer review stage.
  • The editorial team checks the similarity report to see if the content matches any previously published work, making sure it fits the journal’s standards.

Acceptable Similarity Thresholds

  • Overall similarity indices must remain below the value of 15 percent.
  • No single source may exceed five per cent overlap.
  • Overlaps which stem from minor standard methodology references, which are cited appropriately, are considered at an editor’s discretion.

Dealing with Alleged Plagiarism

  • If a manuscript has more copied content than allowed, it will either be sent back for correction or completely rejected.
  • For cases of alleged plagiarism, the journal undertakes a thorough investigation according to COPE guidelines.
  • Confirmed instances of plagiarism before publication will result in the rejection of the manuscript.
  • They will take transparent corrective measures by issuing a Retraction Notice or an Expression of Concern if plagiarism is detected post-publication.

Author Responsibility

  • Authors are expected to submit only original work and must ensure that all sources are correctly cited.
  • By submitting a manuscript to MLS, authors confirm that:
    • The content is free from plagiarism.
    • The manuscript has not been published elsewhere.
    • The manuscript is not under consideration by any other journal.

Contact
For queries regarding plagiarism policies or similarity checks, authors may contact the editorial office at mls@smarcons.com