All submissions to the OLBA Journal are scanned for similarity/overlap during the editorial pre-review phase. The similarity report alone is not a plagiarism decision; the final evaluation is made by the editors, taking into account the context of the text and the citation/citation rules.

Tools Used: • A similarity report is obtained via PlagiarismNet within the DergiPark infrastructure, as directed by the system (for each article submitted to the journal). • Editors may also re-scan using tools such as iThenticate (Crossref Similarity Check) and/or Turnitin.

Editorial Pre-Review Criteria
(Total similarity rate is evaluated excluding the bibliography.)

• Upper limit for total similarity: 10%
• Upper limit for similarity from a single source: 3% (flexibility may be considered in mandatory standard expressions due to the nature of the field, at the editorial discretion).

Editorial Decision Options (when the report approaches or exceeds 10%)
Similarity report; The correct presentation of citations, self-plagiarism, mandatory repetition of method/standard texts, and adequacy of citation are examined. The following procedures may be applied:
1. Return to the author for correction (citation order, rewriting, citation marking, etc.)
2. Rejection by editorial decision (desk reject) (suspicion of ethical violation, excessive overlap, lack of citation, etc.)
3. Referral to the Editorial Board/Ethics review (grey areas, suspicious situations, repeated violations, etc.)

Editorial Discretion
The stated percentages do not automatically mean acceptance/rejection; editors reserve the right to request revisions or reject even the lowest similarity rate if they see ethical problems.

Editorial Board's Responsibilities Regarding Copyright and Ethical Violations

The OLBA Editorial Board has the obligation to initiate a review of a published or under-review work in cases of actions and situations that do not comply with publication and research ethics policies.

In cases of blatant plagiarism, false/misleading citations, systematic self-overlapping, or unauthorized use of visuals/tables, editors may take action in accordance with COPE guidelines (rejection, notification to institutions, retraction/correction processes, etc.).

If the Editorial Board, after reviewing a work under consideration, determines that it has violated copyright or plagiarism, it will withdraw the work from consideration and return it to the authors, detailing the identified issues and citing the sources.

If the Editorial Board determines that a published work contains copyright infringement or plagiarism, it will carry out the following retraction and notification procedures within 15 days at the latest:

For the work found to have committed an ethical violation:

1. The phrase "Withdrawn:" will be added to the beginning of the title in the electronic publication.
2. The abstract and full text content in the electronic publication will be replaced with a publication explaining the reasons for the retraction, along with detailed supporting evidence and, if applicable, notifications from the institutions and organizations to which the author(s) are affiliated.
3. The retraction notification will be announced on the main page of the journal's website. 4. Following the withdrawal date, the table of contents of the first issue to be published (both electronic and print) will include the heading “Withdrawn: Study Title,” and the reasons for the withdrawal and the original quotations cited will be shared with the public and researchers, starting on the first page.
5. The above withdrawal notifications will be sent to the organization(s) to which the author(s) are affiliated.
6. The above-mentioned withdrawal notifications will be sent to the institutions and organizations where the journal is indexed, for inclusion in their indexing systems and catalogs.

Furthermore, the Editorial Board may recommend to the publishing houses or editorial boards of the author(s) whose work has been found to have committed an ethical violation that they ensure the validity and reliability of the published works or withdraw them.