IEEE Guidelines for Plagiarism

According to the IEEE Publication Services and Products Board (PSPB) Operations Manual, “Plagiarism is the reuse of someone else’s prior ideas, processes, results, or words without explicitly acknowledging the original author and source.” This includes copying text, figures, tables, or concepts from another work without proper credit.

Levels of Plagiarism (IEEE PSPB Manual, Section 8.2.4.E)

The IEEE identifies different levels of plagiarism based on the extent of copied material and the action taken by IEEE:

• Level 1: Small portion copied (few lines or sentences) without citation.
  Action: Warning and request for correction.
• Level 2: Some copied content with citation but no quotation marks or permission.
  Action: Paper revision required.
• Level 3: Large sections copied without citation or permission.
  Action: Paper rejected; possible publication ban (1–3 years).
• Level 4: Major part of the paper copied from another work.
  Action: Rejection; 3–5 years publication ban.
• Level 5: Full paper copied or presented as own work.
  Action: Permanent publication ban and institutional notification.

Similarity Limits

IEEE follows a similarity percentage threshold for evaluating manuscripts:

• Below 15% – Generally acceptable (common terms, references, methods).
• 15–30% – Needs review or clarification; may require revision.
• Above 30% – Considered unacceptable plagiarism; rejection likely.

• Note: The percentage alone does not determine plagiarism; context and originality also matter.

Authors are encouraged to maintain originality and ensure proper citation of all referenced works.

IEEE Ethical Actions

If plagiarism is detected in a submitted or published paper, IEEE may take the following actions:

• The paper may be rejected or retracted.
• The author may face a temporary or permanent publication ban.
• The author’s institution may be notified.
• The author may lose reviewer or editor privileges within IEEE.

These actions are taken to uphold academic integrity and maintain the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing.

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