Anti-Plagiarism Policy

World Nutrition is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical publishing. All submitted manuscripts are expected to represent original work that has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. Plagiarism, in any form, is considered a serious breach of publication ethics and will be handled in accordance with international best practices, including guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Plagiarism Detection Software

All manuscripts submitted to World Nutrition are screened for textual similarity using reputable plagiarism detection software that is part of Grammarly, or any other such as iThenticate and/or Turnitin, at one or more stages of the editorial process. Screening may occur:

  • At initial submission (prior to peer review), and/or
  • After revision and prior to final acceptance.

The similarity report generated by the software is used as a screening and decision-support tool, not as the sole basis for editorial decisions. Editorial judgment is applied to interpret similarity findings in context.

Similarity Thresholds and Interpretation

World Nutrition does not rely on a single numerical similarity score to determine plagiarism. However, as a general guideline:

  • Overall similarity index above 20% may trigger further editorial scrutiny.
  • Single-source similarity above 5% may be investigated in detail.
  • High similarity in the Results, Discussion, or Conclusions sections is considered particularly serious.

The following are typically excluded from plagiarism concerns, provided they are appropriately cited:

  • Short, commonly used phrases
  • Standard methodological descriptions
  • Properly quoted and referenced material
  • References, acknowledgments, and appendices

Types of Unacceptable Overlap

The journal considers the following practices unacceptable:

  • Direct plagiarism: verbatim copying without quotation or attribution
  • Mosaic plagiarism: patchwork copying with minor rewording
  • Self-plagiarism: substantial reuse of an author’s previously published work without disclosure or citation
  • Redundant or duplicate publication: submission of substantially similar content to more than one journal

Authors must clearly disclose any related or overlapping publications at the time of submission.

Procedures for Suspected Plagiarism

When potential plagiarism is suspected, World Nutrition follows a structured and fair process:

  1. Pre-review stage
    • Manuscripts with clear evidence of plagiarism may be desk rejected.
    • Authors may be contacted for clarification if overlap appears minor or potentially unintentional.
  2. During peer review
    • If plagiarism is identified by reviewers or editors, the review process is suspended.
    • Authors are asked to provide an explanation and, where appropriate, submit a revised manuscript.
  3. Post-acceptance or post-publication
    • Serious cases may result in withdrawal of acceptance, publication of a correction, or retraction of the article.
    • The author’s institution or funding body may be notified in severe cases.

All investigations are handled confidentially, and authors are given an opportunity to respond before a final decision is made.

Author Responsibilities

By submitting a manuscript to World Nutrition, authors confirm that:

  • The work is original and properly cited
  • All sources have been acknowledged
  • Any reused material is disclosed and permitted
  • The manuscript complies with the journal’s ethical and plagiarism policies

Failure to comply may result in rejection, retraction, or restriction from future submissions.

Alignment with Ethical Standards

This Anti-Plagiarism Policy aligns with:

World Nutrition is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record and ensuring trust in the research it publishes.