Editors will utilize Turnitin's web-based software to assess the similarity index with a quality criterion of 20% to ensure that submitted and published papers are free of plagiarism. This procedure is followed when the author submits the paper for the first time (submission) and again (revision/after being amended based on reviewer feedback).

If the article passes the criteria, it can proceed to the next level (review or publication). Otherwise, the author will be prompted to make the necessary changes.

Aside from Turnitin, the editor will also scan Google Scholar and other sources. This stage is designed to guarantee that papers are not the product of plagiarism or that they have already been submitted/published to other journals (double submission).