Articles submitted for publication must be original and must not have been submitted to any other publication. Duplicate submission in any form: literal duplication, partial but substantial duplication, or even duplication by paraphrasing will be grounds for action. Journal editorial policy also prohibits or discourages the publication of numerous papers based on the same research. Any paper already published in a language other than English in a journal of local circulation will be declined. .

Recommended action

Any complaint to the same will be investigated by the editorial board. The complainant will be informed that the matter cannot be investigated unless, at some point, the journal editor informs the corresponding author and, likely, the other journal.

The first stage will be a simple comparison of the relevant texts. A more thoughtful analysis by the editor of whether the same research or a single research has apparently been inappropriately written up as separate articles will be next. Then the editor would communicate with the corresponding (or complained-about) author and likely the other journal. Either the editor or possibly the publishing staff may contact the other journal where the duplicate publication occurred.

Then the editor will consider whether the author's explanation is reasonable. The editor would also inform the complainant of the author's explanation and seek comment. In case the corresponding author confirms such a duplication, or gives an unsatisfactory explanation, a corrigendum or the retraction procedure will be considered. If the complainant and authors, or the employing institutions and funding agencies, fail to reach a consensus or to act in a reasonable time, then the editor will make a determination, in his or her reasonable judgement, as to the underlying facts, and to make a recommendationfor a corrigendum, or the retraction and removal process.