Plagiarism Policies

 

Plagiarism Statement & Policy

English and Tourism Studies (ETS) applies a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. This page outlines our definitions, tools, similarity thresholds, and editorial actions to guarantee research integrity.

Definition

Plagiarism is the use or close imitation of another person’s ideas, language, data, images, or structures—and presenting them as one’s own original work. This includes verbatim copying, mosaic/patchwork, inadequate paraphrasing, self-plagiarism/duplicate publication, and improper reuse of figures/tables/instruments without proper permission and attribution.

Author Responsibilities

  • Submit an original, unpublished manuscript that is not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Mark any verbatim text with indentation, quotation marks, and source citation.
  • For text beyond fair use (e.g., >2–3 sentences) or any graphic/data material from other sources, obtain written permission and cite properly.
  • Ensure all third-party content (figures, tables, images, instruments) has republication permission compatible with ETS license.

Screening Tools

All submissions are screened for similarity using industry-standard tools such as iThenticate/Turnitin. A similarity report may be shared with authors at the editor’s discretion

Similarity Levels & Editorial Actions

Similarity Index Editorial Action Notes for Authors
> 50% Reject — outright rejection, no resubmission permitted. Indicates pervasive copying/poor paraphrase. Consider complete rewrite with proper citations.
25–50% Revise — return to author for major corrections. Provide citations at every overlap; paraphrase substantially even when a citation exists.
< 25% Proceed / Minor fixes — may require citation improvements. Ensure complete and accurate references; remove residual close paraphrases.

For cases in the 25–50% and <25% ranges: authors must revise carefully, add missing citations, paraphrase properly, and resubmit with an updated similarity report demonstrating < 25% and NO PLAGIARISM.

Editorial Procedure When Similarity is Detected

  1. Assessment: The handling editor reviews the report to distinguish legitimate overlap (methods, references) from problematic text.
  2. Author Contact: For non-egregious cases, authors receive the decision (revise/reject) with guidance on corrections.
  3. Verification: Revised submissions must include an updated similarity report; failure to address issues may lead to rejection.
  4. Serious Misconduct: Clear evidence of intentional plagiarism may result in immediate rejection, author blacklisting, and notification to the author’s institution/funder at the editor’s discretion.
Good Practice: Use quotation marks for exact phrases, paraphrase with your own structure and vocabulary, and cite the original work using ETS’s citation style (IEEE). Obtain written permission for any figures/tables/instruments that require it.

For updates, consult the official ETS policy pages. Questions can be directed to the Editorial Team.