BJBM expects all submissions to be original, properly attributed, and honestly presented.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
- direct copying without quotation or attribution;
- close paraphrase or patchwriting without adequate acknowledgement;
- misleading appropriation of ideas, arguments, methods, data, or structures;
- presentation of another person’s work as one’s own; and
- reuse that misleads editors, reviewers, or readers about originality.
Redundant Publication and Duplicate Submission
The journal does not permit the same or substantially overlapping work to be submitted simultaneously to multiple journals or publication venues. Redundant publication, salami publication, or fragmented publication that materially misleads the scholarly record may also constitute misconduct.
Prior Dissemination, Prior Publication, and Text Recycling
BJBM distinguishes between acceptable prior dissemination with disclosure, unacceptable prior publication, and borderline cases that require editorial review before or at submission. Authors must disclose all materially related prior public versions, translations, repository deposits, conference outputs, reports, or media publications that overlap with the submitted work.
Acceptable Prior Dissemination with Disclosure
Subject to proper disclosure, citation, transparency about overlap, and any applicable copyright position, the journal will normally consider work that has previously appeared only as a thesis or dissertation, a preprint or working paper, a conference abstract, a poster, an oral presentation, classroom or seminar materials, or a repository deposit that does not amount to prior formal publication of substantially the same article.
Unacceptable Prior Publication
The journal will not normally consider material that has already been formally published as the same or substantially the same journal article, book chapter, full conference proceeding paper, translated publication, professional article, or other public output where the overlap is so extensive that the BJBM submission would not be meaningfully original. Undisclosed duplicate submission, redundant publication, and substantial self-plagiarism may lead to rejection or other editorial action.
Borderline Cases Requiring Disclosure and Editorial Approval
Some outputs require case-specific editorial assessment, including full conference papers, institutional or policy reports, consultancy reports, public technical reports, substantially overlapping working papers, translated or adapted versions of prior work, and manuscripts derived from previously disseminated book chapters or professional articles. In such cases, authors should disclose the prior output at submission, explain what is new, identify the extent of overlap, and seek editorial guidance where doubt exists.
Text recycling must be limited, transparent, and justified. Even where prior dissemination is acceptable, authors must not mislead editors, reviewers, or readers about the originality of the submission. Questions about permissions for third-party material are governed by the journal’s Copyright Policy and permissions requirements.
Similarity Screening
BJBM may use iThenticate or other similarity-detection tools together with editorial judgment. Similarity percentages are interpreted in context; no fixed numerical threshold alone determines the editorial outcome.
Editorial Response
Where originality concerns are identified, the journal may:
- request explanation or revision;
- decline to review further;
- reject the submission;
- pause review pending clarification;
- contact institutions where appropriate; or
- take post-publication action if the issue is discovered after publication.