Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Meat Science (JMS) maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism in any form. All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening before the peer-review process.

1. Similarity Check

  • All manuscripts are checked using plagiarism detection software (Turnitin/iThenticate or equivalent).

  • The maximum acceptable similarity index is 15%, excluding references.

  • Any manuscript exceeding this limit is returned to the authors for revision.

2. Types of Plagiarism

The journal considers the following as plagiarism:

  • Direct plagiarism – copying text without attribution

  • Self-plagiarism – republishing one’s own previously published work

  • Mosaic plagiarism – patching together material from multiple sources

  • Image plagiarism – using figures/tables without permission

  • Duplicate submission/publication

  • Salami slicing – splitting data into multiple papers improperly

3. Editorial Actions in Case of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected:

  • Minor overlap → Authors asked to revise and resubmit

  • Major overlap (>30%) → Immediate rejection

  • Post-publication discovery → Retraction following COPE guidelines

4. Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for:

  • Submitting only original work

  • Properly citing previously published material

  • Obtaining permissions for copyrighted content

The journal adheres to the COPE Plagiarism Guidelines.