Plagiarism Screening Prolicy

Civil Engineering Science and Technology (CEST) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and publication quality. Every manuscript submitted to the journal undergoes plagiarism screening as part of the initial editorial assessment before entering the peer review process.

To ensure the originality of submitted work, the editorial office uses internationally recognized plagiarism detection software, including Turnitin and/or iThenticate, to identify potential plagiarism, duplicate publication, excessive textual overlap, or inappropriate reuse of previously published materials. Similarity screening is conducted not only to detect unethical publication practices but also to assist editors in evaluating the originality and scholarly integrity of each submission.

Similarity Threshold

CEST applies the following similarity standards:

  • The overall similarity index must not exceed 20%.
  • Excessive similarity originating from a single source may be subject to further editorial investigation regardless of the overall similarity score.
  • Properly cited quotations, references, standard methodological descriptions, legal documents, and commonly used technical terminology may be excluded from the similarity assessment at the discretion of the editorial team.

Compliance with the numerical similarity threshold does not automatically guarantee acceptance. Editorial decisions also consider the context, nature, and significance of any overlapping text identified during the screening process.

AI Writing Detection

In addition to plagiarism screening, CEST evaluates manuscripts using AI writing detection tools to support responsible scholarly publishing and maintain the authenticity of scientific communication.

As an editorial quality guideline:

  • The AI writing detection score should not exceed 30%.

The AI detection score is used solely as an editorial indicator and does not constitute definitive evidence of inappropriate manuscript preparation. Editorial decisions are based on comprehensive consideration of the manuscript's scientific contribution, originality, coherence, transparency, methodological rigor, and intellectual content.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, interpretation, and integrity of all submitted work, regardless of whether artificial intelligence tools have been used during manuscript preparation.

Multi-Stage Similarity Screening

 

To ensure the integrity of the scholarly record, CEST implements a multi-stage plagiarism screening process throughout the editorial workflow.

Stage 1 – Initial Editorial Screening

Immediately after submission, every manuscript is screened for plagiarism and textual similarity before being assigned to the Handling Editor and external reviewers. Manuscripts exceeding the journal's similarity standards or showing indications of unethical publication practices may be returned to the authors for correction or rejected during the desk review stage.

Stage 2 – Final Quality Assurance Screening

Following acceptance, copyediting, layout editing, and author proofreading, every manuscript undergoes a second and final plagiarism screening before publication.

The Production Editor performs this final assessment using Turnitin and/or iThenticate, together with AI writing detection tools employed by the journal, to ensure that the final production-ready version complies with CEST's editorial standards.

Before publication, every article must satisfy the following requirements:

  • Overall similarity index below 20%.
  • AI writing detection score below 30%.

This final verification ensures that editorial revisions, language editing, copyediting, and production processes have not introduced unintended textual similarities or other issues affecting publication quality. If necessary, authors may be requested to revise specific sections before the article proceeds to publication.

Editorial Quality Assurance

 

The final similarity report generated during the production stage becomes part of CEST's Editorial Quality Assurance (QA) documentation. These reports are maintained by the Production Editor and may be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief, Handling Editors, or the Publisher whenever necessary to verify compliance with the journal's publication ethics, editorial policies, and international publishing standards.

This additional quality assurance procedure demonstrates CEST's commitment to transparency, publication integrity, responsible editorial practice, and the long-term reliability of the scholarly record.

Editorial Actions

If plagiarism screening or AI writing detection identifies potential concerns, the editorial office may:

  • Request clarification or additional explanation from the authors.
  • Require revision before the manuscript proceeds to peer review.
  • Request substantial rewriting of overlapping or AI-generated content.
  • Reject the manuscript during the editorial screening process (desk rejection).
  • Suspend the editorial process pending further investigation.
  • Initiate an investigation into suspected publication misconduct in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Academic Misconduct

The following practices constitute serious publication misconduct and are not tolerated by CEST:

  • Plagiarism.
  • Self-plagiarism or redundant publication.
  • Duplicate submission to another journal.
  • Data fabrication or falsification.
  • Image manipulation intended to mislead.
  • Citation manipulation.
  • Undisclosed use of third-party writing services.
  • Submission of manuscripts predominantly generated by artificial intelligence without substantial human intellectual contribution or appropriate disclosure.

Confirmed violations may result in manuscript rejection, article retraction, notification of the authors' affiliated institutions, or other editorial actions deemed appropriate.

Author Responsibility

By submitting a manuscript to CEST, all authors confirm that:

  • The manuscript is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
  • All sources have been appropriately cited and acknowledged.
  • The manuscript complies with the journal's plagiarism and originality requirements.
  • Any use of artificial intelligence tools has been conducted responsibly and transparently in accordance with the journal's AI Policy.
  • The submitted work does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of any individual or organization.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in editorial action, including rejection, withdrawal of published articles, or additional measures consistent with the journal's Publication Ethics and COPE guidelines.