Xinjiang Petroleum Geology
Policy on the Identification and Handling of Academic Misconduct
To strengthen the ethical standards of scientific journals, promote research integrity, protect the rights of readers and authors, and maintain the quality and reputation of the journal, Xinjiang Petroleum Geology will, in accordance with the editorial and publication process, rigorously conduct multiple checks and screenings of all submitted manuscripts. Manuscripts identified as involving academic misconduct will be rejected, and, depending on the severity of the case, may be subject to further serious measures. The specific detection, identification procedures, and handling methods are hereby announced as follows:
1 Procedure for Identifying Academic Misconduct
The journal uses the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) “Academic Misconduct Literature Checking System” and other search engines to screen manuscripts, while actively considering clues from peer review. The China Academic Journals Full-text Database is used as the reference database for full-text comparison. At each stage of the editorial and publication process, manuscripts are checked for plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, improper authorship, multiple submission, and other forms of academic misconduct. Manuscripts with high similarity rated by the system will be carefully reviewed by experts in the relevant research field or by the editorial board.
2 Scope of Manuscripts to be Checked
(1) All submitted manuscripts, manuscripts pending acceptance, and manuscripts already accepted;
(2) Published manuscripts reported for suspected academic misconduct.
3 Standards for Identifying Academic Misconduct
Manuscripts are checked using the CNKI “Academic Misconduct Literature Checking System.” If the similarity rate is 10% or higher, the editorial office will submit the manuscript together with the compared documents to peer review experts or the editorial board to determine the nature and type of the duplication. A “Report on the Identification and Handling of Similarity between Manuscripts and Compared Documents” will be prepared.
Manuscripts are considered to involve academic misconduct under the following circumstances:
(1) The manuscript copies another person’s work verbatim or almost verbatim;
(2) The manuscript changes the type of another person’s work but presents it as the author’s own independent work; or, without changing the type of the work, uses content protected by copyright and alters the specific form of expression, presenting the work as the author’s own independent work;
(3) Ideas, methods, materials, or data protected by copyright are used without proper citation or reference;
(4) The main content of the manuscript is identical to previously published work by the author or others, or work already available online, with only superficial modifications and insufficient substantive research progress;
(5) Research results, survey data, experimental data, or literature materials are fabricated or falsified;
(6) The same manuscript is submitted simultaneously to this journal and other journals;
(7) Disputes exist regarding authorship, author order, or author affiliations.
4 Handling of Manuscripts Involving Academic Misconduct
(1) The journal will treat manuscripts identified as having academic misconduct with prudence. Authors will be notified promptly and allowed to provide explanations or defenses before any final decision is made.
(2) If the manuscript has not yet been accepted, the editorial office will immediately terminate the processing procedure, reject the manuscript, and provide the author with criticism and guidance.
(3) If the manuscript has been accepted but not yet officially published, the editorial office will reject the manuscript, revoke its acceptance, and issue a warning and record to the author.
(4) If the manuscript has already been formally published, the editorial office will publish an official retraction notice in both the print version and on the journal’s website, and will notify cooperating databases to remove the online version, halting its dissemination. The author’s affiliated institution will also be informed. The author must return any remuneration received for the paper, publicly apologize in print to the journal, the rights holders, the institution, and all readers in case of infringement or any adverse effects. Authors should assume corresponding responsibilities. If the journal suffers reputational or other losses, the editorial office reserves the right to pursue further compensation.
(5) Authors of manuscripts found to involve serious plagiarism, or multiple submissions/publications, who are listed as first or corresponding authors, will be banned from submitting to the journal for three years.
5 Handling of Author Appeals
If authors disagree with the journal’s determination or handling of a manuscript, they may submit a written request for review within 10 working days of receiving the notification (requests submitted after this period will not be accepted). The editorial office will invite experts to re-evaluate the manuscript, issue a final decision, and notify the authors of the re-evaluation results within 30 working days.
These measures take effect from the date of publication and shall be interpreted by the Editorial Office of Xinjiang Petroleum Geology.
