Plagiarism policy

1 Definition of Plagiarism

BJET defines plagiarism as the use of another person's ideas, words, data, figures, or intellectual contributions without proper attribution, regardless of whether this is done intentionally or unintentionally. Plagiarism encompasses multiple forms, each of which is treated as a breach of research integrity.

Forms of plagiarism recognized by BJET:

a) Verbatim Plagiarism (Copy-Paste): Reproducing exact text from another source without quotation marks and proper citation. This is the most identifiable form and will be detected at the screening stage.

b) Mosaic Plagiarism (Patchwriting): Copying text from one or more sources and making minor alterations — substituting synonyms, rearranging sentence structures — while retaining the original author's ideas and sentence framework without attribution.

c) Paraphrase Plagiarism: Substantially restating another author's ideas or arguments in different words without citing the original source.

d) Idea Plagiarism (Concept Plagiarism): Presenting another researcher's original theory, hypothesis, framework, or conceptual model as one's own, even when the wording differs entirely.

e) Data Plagiarism: Reproducing tables, datasets, graphs, or experimental results from prior publications without permission and proper attribution.

f) Self-Plagiarism (Duplicate Publication): Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work — including text, data, figures, or methods — in a new submission without appropriate disclosure and citation. This includes submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously (dual submission).

g) Figure and Image Plagiarism: Using diagrams, photographs, charts, or visual outputs from published works without obtaining copyright permission and citing the source.

h) Citation Manipulation: Citing sources that do not support the stated claims, or omitting citations to sources that clearly informed the work, in order to mislead readers about the originality of contributions.

2 Acceptable Use of Prior Work

BJET acknowledges that scientific writing necessarily builds on existing literature. The following practices are acceptable and encouraged:

• Proper citation: Quoting short passages (generally fewer than 40 words) from prior published work with quotation marks and in-text citation.
• Acknowledged paraphrasing: Restating an idea from a cited source in one's own words, with the source explicitly credited.
• Reproducing one's own prior figures/data: Permitted when the prior publication is cited and the editor is notified of the reuse.
• Common knowledge: Statements of widely accepted facts in a field (e.g., "Ohm's Law states that V = IR") do not require citation.

3 Similarity Threshold and Screening

All manuscripts submitted to BJET are screened using automated plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate / Turnitin or an equivalent tool) before peer review begins.

BJET's Similarity Thresholds:

Similarity Range

Editorial Action

0–15%

Acceptable; manuscript proceeds to peer review

16–20%

Editorial review required; authors may be asked to revise and reduce similarity

21–30%

Manuscript returned to authors for major revision; resubmission required

Above 30%

Desk rejection; the manuscript will not be reconsidered

Notes on threshold interpretation:

• These thresholds exclude the References section, quoted text in quotation marks, and boilerplate legal/methodology language.
• A manuscript may be rejected even below the 30% threshold if the editor determines that the similar content is concentrated in a core section (e.g., the Introduction or Conclusion is substantially copied).
• A manuscript with a low overall similarity score may still be flagged for plagiarism if a single source contributes a significant unattributed block.

4 Self-Plagiarism and Prior Publication Policy

BJET requires that submitted manuscripts represent original work not previously published in a peer-reviewed venue. The following clarifications apply:

• Conference papers: Manuscripts that substantially expand a previously published conference paper are acceptable if the new submission contains at least 40% new content and the conference paper is cited in the submission.
• Preprints: Posting to recognized preprint servers (e.g., arXiv, TechRxiv, SSRN) prior to submission to BJET is permitted and does not constitute prior publication. Authors must disclose the preprint in the cover letter.
• Theses and dissertations: Manuscripts derived from graduate theses are eligible provided they are re-written for the journal format, the thesis is acknowledged, and the work has not been published elsewhere in substantially the same form.

Authors must declare all related prior publications in their cover letter. Concealment of prior related publications is considered a form of research misconduct.

5 Investigation Procedure

When plagiarism is suspected — whether detected by automated tools, reviewers, editors, or third-party reports — BJET follows the procedures recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE):

Step 1 — Initial Assessment: The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) reviews the flagged content and determines whether the concern warrants investigation.

Step 2 — Author Notification: The corresponding author is contacted with a detailed description of the suspected plagiarism and given 10 business days to respond with an explanation or evidence of original authorship.

Step 3 — Editorial Panel Review: The EiC, together with at least one associate editor, reviews the author's response and makes a determination.

Step 4 — Outcome Decision: Based on the review, the editorial panel may determine one of the following:

• No plagiarism found; manuscript proceeds normally.
• Minor plagiarism; authors required to revise with proper attribution.
• Significant plagiarism; manuscript rejected.
• Severe/deliberate plagiarism; manuscript rejected and institution notified.

Step 5 — Post-Publication Cases: If plagiarism is confirmed in an already-published article, BJET will issue a formal retraction notice in accordance with its Retraction Policy, and the article will be clearly marked as retracted in all indexing databases.

6 Sanctions

Sanctions are proportionate to the severity and apparent intent of the plagiarism:

• Minor/unintentional: Revision required; no additional penalty.
• Moderate: Rejection of current submission; author placed on a 12-month submission embargo.
• Severe/deliberate: Permanent or multi-year submission ban; formal notification to the author's institution, funding body, and relevant professional society.

7 Author Responsibilities

By submitting to BJET, all authors confirm that:

1. The manuscript is original and has not been published elsewhere in substantially the same form.
2. The manuscript is not under review at any other journal simultaneously.
3. All sources, ideas, data, and figures drawn from prior work are properly cited and attributed.
4. All co-authors have reviewed the submission and are aware of its content.