Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism is the use of another person's ideas, words, data, or work without appropriate acknowledgement, presented as if it were one's own. It includes copying text verbatim, close paraphrasing without citation, reusing figures or tables without permission and attribution, and presenting the ideas of others as original. Annals of Infectious Diseases and Therapy treats plagiarism as serious misconduct.
Self-plagiarism and text recycling
Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published text without citation and clear indication of reuse is also unacceptable, except for brief Methods descriptions that must be repeated for accuracy, which should be cited and, where necessary, quoted.
Screening
Every submission is screened with iThenticate on receipt and again on revision. The similarity report is reviewed by the editorial office and the handling editor, who assess not only the overall percentage but the nature, location, and extent of overlapping text.
As a guide:
| Overlap (excluding references and correctly quoted text) | Action |
|---|---|
| Less than 10 %, scattered common phrases | Proceed to review |
| 10–25 % | Returned to authors to rewrite and cite before review |
| More than 25 %, or any single source > 5 %, or any copied results/discussion | Rejected; authors notified of the reason |
| Evidence of deliberate plagiarism | Rejected; institution may be informed; possible submission ban |
Percentages are indicative; editors exercise judgement.
Image and data plagiarism
Reused figures, tables, or datasets must be credited to the original source, and permission obtained from the copyright holder where the licence requires it. Undisclosed reuse is treated in the same way as text plagiarism.
Plagiarism discovered after publication
Handled under the Corrections and Retractions Policy following COPE flowcharts. Minor cases lead to a published correction with proper attribution; major cases lead to retraction. The authors' institution may be notified.
Authors' responsibilities
- Cite every source of ideas, data, text, and images.
- Use quotation marks for verbatim text.
- Obtain written permission for copyrighted material that exceeds fair use.
- Disclose any prior publication of part of the work (conference abstract, preprint, thesis) in the cover letter.
Last updated: 29 September 2026
