Anti-Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is the publication of a work or part of it in an unchanged or modified form, including the publication of a translation of a foreign-language work or part of it, under the name of a person who is not the author of this work. In particular, plagiarism has the following types:

  • Using fragments of text, ideas, images, or data from other sources without proper reference to the original source.
  • Incorrect borrowing – using the structure or text of previous works that inspired the research without clearly citing them.
  • Paraphrase - retelling someone else's thoughts in your own words without citing the original source.
  • Self-plagiarism (duplication) is the reuse by the author of significant parts of his own previously published works without citing them or notifying the editors.

The editorial board of the journal "Scientific Bulletin of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas" adheres to internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and a policy of zero tolerance for plagiarism and any manifestations of academic dishonesty. All manuscripts submitted for publication undergo mandatory verification for signs of text borrowing.

 

Verification procedure

  • Within three days of receipt and before the start of the review process, each manuscript is checked for uniqueness by an expert from the editorial board – the editor-in-chief, executive secretary, or a member of the editorial board (at the direction of the editor-in-chief), who are knowledgeable both in the technical aspects of detecting academic plagiarism and in the current state of the subject area of research.
  • During the check, the editorial office follows the recommendations of the instruction "Methodological instruction for checking academic texts for the presence of text borrowings using software and technical means", approved and put into effect by order of the rector of IFNTUOG dated 06/10/2025 No. 185 with amendments dated 10/02/2025 No. 289 (hereinafter referred to as the Instruction).
  • To detect signs of plagiarism, the editorial office uses specialized software (the StrikePlagiarism.com anti-plagiarism system or similar checking services).
  • The system automatically generates a similarity report that contains information for effectively assessing the legitimacy and correctness of borrowings found in the analyzed document, and also calculates the similarity coefficient value, which determines what percentage of the text in relation to the total volume of the text was found in different sources.
  • For a scientific article, the recommended threshold value of the similarity coefficient should be ≤ 10%, and the recommended allowable similarity index for one of the sources should be ≤ 3% (Table 1 of the Instructions). The level of originality of an academic text is determined by subtracting the similarity coefficient from one hundred: ≥ 90% (high), from 80 to 90% (satisfactory), from 60 to 80% (low), < 60% (very low).
  • The expert reviews the manuscript text and the similarity report and marks in the report the permissible text fragments that are identified by the anti-plagiarism system as similar, but are legitimate in accordance with the Instructions. The expert also performs additional checks provided for in the Instructions. After that, the system automatically recalculates the similarity coefficient and updates the similarity report.
  • The originality of the text should be high. The presence of borrowings of technical terms or standard descriptions of methods is assessed by the editor individually, however, the detection of hidden plagiarism of ideas or results is grounds for immediate rejection.
  • Recommended actions of the expert depending on the calculated level of originality:
  • High – the text can be considered original and, in the absence of unauthorized text borrowings, obvious manipulation of the text to conceal unauthorized borrowings, and/or other manifestations of fabrication or falsification, can be recommended for further consideration.
  • Satisfactory – there is a possibility of some illegal text borrowings and/or certain signs of academic plagiarism. It is necessary to determine which fragments of the text can be considered legitimate and mark them as acceptable, make sure that there are references to primary sources, that there are no possible manipulations with the text to hide plagiarism, check the sources in which the highest similarity index is found, etc. The need for re-checking is determined if errors are found in the design of references and/or borrowings placed in sections that directly describe the author's research, and the number of citations exceeds the volume justified by the purpose of the work.
  • Low – high probability of illegal text borrowings and/or academic plagiarism. It is necessary to determine which fragments of the text can be considered legitimate and mark them as acceptable, make sure that there are references to the original sources, the absence of probable manipulations with the text to hide plagiarism, check the sources for which the highest similarity index is detected, etc. In the absence of obvious manipulations with the text aimed at hiding plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, but errors in citing the original sources, excessive borrowings from a separate source/sources, especially in the sections describing the results obtained by the author, the material may be accepted subject to revision with mandatory subsequent verification of the originality of the revised work, as noted in the expert opinion.
  • Very low – extremely high probability of illegal text borrowings and/or academic plagiarism, the academic text requires careful verification. If the verification reveals illegal text borrowings, intentional text distortions and manipulations to conceal text borrowings and/or fabrication or falsification of data and/or other manifestations of academic dishonesty , the academic text is not recommended for further consideration without the possibility of resubmission for verification, as noted in the expert opinion.
  • The expert evaluates the academic text and forms an expert opinion. The following conclusions are possible:
    • Borrowings found in the academic text are justified, have appropriate references and citations, are drawn up in accordance with current regulations and do not constitute plagiarism. No facts of fabrication or falsification have been found. The academic work is recommended for publication;
    • The academic text does not contain signs of falsification and fabrication, but errors in the design of references and/or borrowings are found, placed in sections that directly describe the author's research, and the number of citations exceeds the volume justified by the purpose of the work. The academic work may be accepted for publication after it has been corrected and revised and successfully passes a re-check for academic plagiarism;
    • The academic text contains plagiarism and/or intentional textual distortions and manipulations to conceal borrowings, fabrication or falsification of data, other manifestations of academic dishonesty. The academic text is not accepted for publication and is returned to the author without the possibility of resubmission for review.
  • The processed similarity report is sent to the author to inform him of the results of the check.
  • If an academic text is sent for revision, its new version is re-checked according to the procedure specified above.
  • A second party has the right to file a reasoned complaint in accordance with Complaints Review Procedure if he/she disagrees with the editorial decision.
  • The editorial board has the right to report cases of systemic dishonesty by the author to the management of the institution where the author works or to the ethics commission.
  • Obtaining a positive expert opinion based on the results of the initial review does not exclude the possibility of identifying signs of academic dishonesty at subsequent stages of review, editing, or after publication of the article.

 

Stages of detecting plagiarism

  • During the review stage. If plagiarism is detected during verification, review, or editing, the manuscript is rejected without the right to resubmit. The editorial office informs the author of the results of the verification.
  • After publication. The editorial board accepts and considers substantiated claims of plagiarism in published articles from members of the scientific community, readers, or external experts. All appeals undergo a thorough internal review in accordance with Complaints Review Procedure . If plagiarism is detected in an already published article, the editorial board initiates a retraction (withdrawal) procedure in accordance with Retraction Policy for Published Articles . The decision on retraction is made at a meeting of the editorial board. The article remains on the journal website in the archive, but with a clear mark “RETRACTED” on the PDF version and a description of the reasons for the retraction.

 

Ethical obligations of authors to prevent plagiarism

  • Authors must ensure that their work is completely original and is not under consideration in other publications at the same time.
  • All citations must be formatted in accordance with the current standards adopted by the journal.
  • If the research was inspired by previous works, these works should be clearly cited.
  • The use of graphic or textual information from other works is permitted only with written permission from the copyright holders or clear citation.
  • The use of generative AI for paraphrasing and other methods of concealing plagiarism in manuscripts is unacceptable. Authors are required to adhere AI Use Policy .