1. Commitment to Original Scholarly Work

Earth & Planetary Insights (EPI) requires all submitted manuscripts to represent original scholarly work. Authors must ensure that the manuscript has not been copied, fabricated, falsified, inappropriately recycled, or submitted elsewhere at the same time. The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the academic record and to supporting responsible, transparent, and ethical scholarly publishing.

Originality does not mean that a manuscript must be isolated from previous research. On the contrary, strong academic work should engage critically with relevant literature, data, methods, theories, and previous findings. However, all borrowed ideas, wording, data, figures, tables, images, methods, and interpretations must be properly cited, attributed, and used in accordance with copyright and licensing requirements.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when an author presents another person’s words, ideas, data, images, results, interpretations, structure, or creative work as their own without proper acknowledgement. This includes direct copying, close paraphrasing, translation without attribution, unattributed reuse of figures or tables, and the use of another author’s argument or research design without appropriate citation.

Forms of plagiarism may include, but are not limited to:

• copying text from published or unpublished sources without quotation or citation;
• close paraphrasing of another source without proper acknowledgement;
• using ideas, theories, concepts, data, images, tables, maps, or figures without attribution;
• translating text from another language without citation;
• reusing substantial parts of a previous publication without disclosure;
• submitting work written by another person, agency, or tool as the author’s own;
• presenting AI-generated content, fabricated references, or synthetic data without disclosure and verification.

3. Self-Plagiarism and Text Recycling

Authors must also avoid inappropriate reuse of their own previously published work. Reusing limited parts of prior work may be acceptable when necessary, especially in methodology descriptions or background context, but it must be properly cited and should not mislead readers about the novelty of the manuscript.

Unacceptable self-plagiarism or text recycling may include:

• submitting substantially the same manuscript to more than one journal;
• republishing large sections of a previous article without citation;
• presenting previously published findings as new;
• dividing one study into multiple minimal publications without clear scholarly justification;
• reusing tables, figures, datasets, or conclusions without disclosure.

If a manuscript builds on earlier work by the same author or research team, the relationship between the new submission and the previous publication must be clearly explained.

4. Duplicate Submission and Redundant Publication

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not be under consideration by another journal, publisher, conference proceedings volume, book, or repository publication process at the same time, unless this has been clearly disclosed and approved by the editorial office.

Duplicate submission and redundant publication are considered serious ethical concerns because they waste reviewer and editorial resources, distort the scholarly record, and may create copyright or indexing conflicts. If duplicate submission is identified, the manuscript may be rejected immediately.

5. Similarity Screening

The journal may use similarity screening tools, editorial checks, reference analysis, and manual review to assess the originality of submitted manuscripts. Similarity reports are interpreted carefully and are not used as a mechanical decision-making tool. A high similarity percentage does not automatically mean misconduct, and a low similarity percentage does not automatically guarantee originality.

The editorial team considers the nature, source, and context of similarity, including:

• whether the matched text comes from properly cited sources;
• whether similarity appears in standard methodological descriptions;
• whether large blocks of copied text appear without attribution;
• whether the manuscript overlaps with the authors’ previous publications;
• whether figures, tables, or data have been reused without permission;
• whether references or citations appear fabricated or misleading;
• whether AI-generated content may have introduced unreliable or unattributed material.

Based on this assessment, the editorial team may request clarification, ask for revision, return the manuscript for correction, reject the manuscript, or take further action according to the journal’s publication ethics procedures.

6. Use of Third-Party Material

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all third-party material included in the manuscript is properly cited and legally usable. This applies to text, images, maps, photographs, diagrams, tables, datasets, survey instruments, archival materials, artworks, translations, and any other protected content.

Where permission is required, authors must obtain it before submission or publication. The source of each reused or adapted item must be clearly indicated in the manuscript. If material is licensed under Creative Commons or another open license, authors must follow the exact terms of that license.

7. Data, Figures, Images, and Research Integrity

Plagiarism and originality concerns are not limited to text. The journal also treats data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, misleading visual presentation, and improper reuse of figures or datasets as serious ethical issues.

Authors must ensure that:

• data are presented honestly and accurately;
• figures and tables correspond to the underlying research;
• images are not manipulated in a misleading way;
• maps, graphs, and visual materials include appropriate sources;
• datasets are not reused without disclosure or permission;
• research findings are not exaggerated beyond the evidence.

If concerns arise about data or image integrity, the editorial team may request original files, raw data, explanations, permissions, or additional documentation.

8. AI-Generated Content and Originality

The use of AI-assisted tools must be transparent and must not replace the author’s responsibility for the manuscript. AI tools must not be listed as authors and must not be used to fabricate data, create false references, generate misleading claims, imitate sources, or produce text that is submitted without human verification.

If AI tools were used for language editing, formatting, coding assistance, translation support, literature organization, or other purposes, authors must disclose this in the manuscript according to the journal’s AI policy. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, citations, arguments, and integrity of the final submitted work.

9. Editorial Actions in Cases of Suspected Misconduct

If plagiarism, duplicate submission, redundant publication, fabricated content, or other originality concerns are identified, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• request clarification from the authors;
• return the manuscript for correction before review;
• require revision and proper citation;
• reject the manuscript before peer review;
• reject the manuscript after peer review;
• notify the corresponding author and, where necessary, co-authors;
• contact the authors’ institution or relevant body in serious cases;
• issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction if the problem is discovered after publication.

The editorial response depends on the severity, extent, intent, and timing of the concern.

10. Author Responsibility

Authors are responsible for checking their manuscripts carefully before submission. This includes verifying originality, proper citation, accurate references, ethical use of materials, correct authorship, transparent declarations, and compliance with the journal’s policies.

Before submission, authors should ensure that:

• all sources are properly cited;
• quoted text is clearly marked;
• paraphrased ideas are attributed;
• previous work by the authors is cited where relevant;
• reused figures, tables, images, or maps have permission or valid license;
• data and results are presented honestly;
• AI-assisted tool use is disclosed where applicable;
• the manuscript is not under review elsewhere;
• all authors have reviewed and approved the final version.

11. Policy Statement

The purpose of this policy is not only to detect misconduct, but to support a culture of academic honesty, responsible authorship, and trust in scholarly communication. The journal expects authors, reviewers, editors, and readers to respect the integrity of the scholarly record and to contribute to a transparent and ethical publication environment.

Earth & Planetary Insights (EPI) is committed to publishing original, properly attributed, and ethically prepared research that contributes meaningfully to the advancement of knowledge.