Cellular & Molecular Intelligence (CMI) maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism, text recycling, inappropriate image manipulation, and all forms of intellectual misconduct. The journal is committed to ensuring that every manuscript represents an original, honest, and properly attributed contribution to the scientific literature.

All manuscripts submitted to CMI must be original and must not present the ideas, data, text, results, images, or intellectual work of others as the authors’ own.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all sources are properly acknowledged through accurate citation and appropriate attribution.

Upon submission, manuscripts are screened using industry-standard plagiarism-detection software, such as iThenticate or CrossCheck.

The journal may also use expert editorial review to evaluate possible overlap, citation problems, text recycling, or inappropriate reuse of previously published material.

Substantial plagiarism includes the uncredited copying of text, data, unique ideas, methods, results, or other scholarly material from another source.

Such cases are treated as serious breaches of publication ethics and may result in immediate rejection of the manuscript. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal may issue a formal correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the severity of the case.

Authors must avoid recycling large portions of their own previously published work without proper citation and justification.

CMI recognizes that limited overlap may occur in technical descriptions, especially in the Methods section. However, any reused text must be appropriately cited and kept to the minimum necessary.

If a manuscript builds upon previously published work, authors must provide full disclosure and proper citation of the earlier publication.

In cases of minor or unintentional overlap, such as common technical phrases or standard methodological wording, editors may allow authors to revise the manuscript to improve citation, attribution, and wording.

The decision will depend on the extent, nature, and context of the overlap.

Authors must not submit the same or substantially similar manuscript to more than one journal at the same time.

Authors should not divide a single study into multiple manuscripts in a way that misrepresents the scientific contribution. This practice, sometimes referred to as redundant publication or salami-slicing, is considered unethical when the separate manuscripts do not represent distinct and meaningful scientific contributions.

The integrity of visual and numerical data is essential to the reliability of the scientific record. CMI editors and reviewers may examine figures, images, graphs, and datasets for signs of inappropriate manipulation.

Global adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance may be acceptable only when they are applied to the entire image and do not obscure, remove, or misrepresent any original feature of the data.

Authors must not enhance, obscure, move, remove, or introduce specific features within an image.

Combining separate images into a single figure without clear visual borders or explanation is prohibited. Examples include inappropriate splicing of gel lanes or image sections without clear indication.

Authors should be prepared to provide original, unprocessed source files upon request. This may include uncropped western blots, raw microscopy files, original datasets, protocols, or other supporting documentation needed to verify the integrity of the submitted work.

If authors reuse a figure, table, image, dataset, or substantial text from their own previous work or from another source, they must obtain permission where required and clearly identify the original source.

Reused material must be properly acknowledged in the manuscript, figure caption, table note, or relevant section of the text.

When plagiarism, text recycling, image manipulation, or related misconduct is suspected, CMI may contact the authors for clarification and request original data or supporting documentation.

Where necessary, the journal may consult the authors’ institutions, funding bodies, or relevant regulatory authorities.

When evidence of plagiarism or manipulation is confirmed, CMI follows recognized publication ethics procedures and may take one or more of the following actions:

• Request clarification or correction

• Reject the manuscript

• Publish an expression of concern

• Retract a published article

• Notify the authors’ institution, funding agency, or professional regulatory body

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality, accuracy, and integrity of all submitted work.

When in doubt, authors should cite the original source. If authors reuse a figure, table, image, dataset, or significant text from previous work, they must clearly state the source and obtain permission from the original copyright holder where applicable.