Top 4 Anti-Plagiarism Tools Used by Academic Journal Editorial Boards
In today’s academic communication, plagiarism detection is not a formality — it is an essential stage of the editorial process.
Journals indexed in Scopus, Web of Science and other international databases strictly follow the principles of academic integrity.
Editorial boards of Futurity Publishing, like most international publishers, rely only on verified professional systems capable of detecting text overlaps, paraphrasing, translated or hidden plagiarism, as well as AI-generated content.
In this article, we’ve compiled the top 4 tools most commonly used by journal editors worldwide.
How Editorial Boards Check Manuscripts After Submission
The plagiarism-checking process usually includes several key stages:
Initial automatic screening through one or more systems (such as Turnitin or StrikePlagiarism).
Editorial analysis of the report — focusing not only on the similarity percentage but on the quality and sources of matches.
Manual review in complex cases — some particularly meticulous editors may additionally check suspicious fragments manually via Google or academic search engines. Although this is not common practice, such “perfectionist editors” can still be found even in large publishing houses.
Feedback and recommendations to authors on how to reduce similarity, followed by a second check after revisions if needed.
This process helps editorial boards ensure the ethical standards, originality and authenticity of publications — all key requirements for Scopus and Web of Science journals.
Turnitin is the undisputed leader among academic plagiarism detection systems.
Its database includes over one billion sources — student papers, books, journals, dissertations, and web pages.
It is widely used across universities in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and the EU.
For publishers, Turnitin also allows the creation of custom internal databases, which further enhances comparison accuracy.
Advantages:
Exceptional precision and the largest source database.
Detects both direct matches and paraphrased content.
Integrates easily with university learning management systems (LMS).
Limitation: available only through institutions or official partners.
⚙️ Want to make sure your text is 100% original before submission?
Even a carefully written article may contain unintentional overlaps or AI-generated fragments — which can lead to rejection.
That’s why Futurity Publishing offers a professional service:
With us, you’ll get:
✅ Full plagiarism and AI-content check via Turnitin or StrikePlagiarism (your choice)
✅ Detailed similarity report with expert commentary
✅ Recommendations for reducing similarity
✅ Guaranteed confidentiality and delivery within 1–2 business days
StrikePlagiarism is an international plagiarism detection system used by over 200 universities across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
It is certified under the EN 17100 standard and officially recognized by universities and state agencies in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Poland, Azerbaijan and Romania.
Its key strength is the ability to detect translated plagiarism — when a text has been translated from another language, StrikePlagiarism can identify structural and semantic similarities.
Advantages:
Supports simultaneous multi-language checking.
Detects translated or modified phrases.
Provides official similarity reports accepted by universities and ministries.
Interface available in Ukrainian, English, Russian and Kazakh.
It is a convenient solution for authors preparing papers for Scopus, Web of Science or Category B journals.
After merging with Urkund in 2021, Ouriginal became one of Europe’s most trusted academic integrity tools.
It is actively used by universities in Germany, Sweden, Finland and Poland.
Unlike simpler tools, it not only detects similarities but also analyzes text structure and writing style, helping identify deeper paraphrasing and rewording patterns.
Advantages:
High accuracy for multilingual texts.
Syntax and logical structure analysis.
Integration with Moodle, Blackboard, and Canvas.
Ouriginal is commonly used for internal university checks and academic integrity projects across the EU.
An accessible, fast, and accurate solution for English-language texts.
It checks publicly available online sources but does not access journal or institutional databases, making it more suitable for preliminary self-screening rather than official plagiarism verification.
Ideal for authors who want to check their manuscript before submitting it to a journal.
Advantages:
Detects matches with public web sources.
Simultaneous grammar, style, and punctuation check.
Simple, fast, and user-friendly.
📊 Comparison of Major Systems
| Tool | Primary Use | Unique Features | Typical Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnitin | Universities and educational institutions | Largest database of student papers | USA, EU, Canada |
| StrikePlagiarism | Universities and researchers | Detects translated plagiarism | Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Poland |
| PlagScan (Ouriginal) | European academic institutions | Analyzes structure and writing style | Germany, Sweden |
| Grammarly Premium | Individual authors | Grammar + basic plagiarism check | Worldwide |
💡 Expert Tip from Futurity Publishing
Editorial boards at Futurity combine multiple systems — primarily Turnitin and StrikePlagiarism — to achieve maximum verification accuracy.
This approach allows not only identifying direct overlaps but also evaluating the quality, originality, and conceptual uniqueness of manuscripts.
Conclusion
No system can guarantee absolute precision, but using professional plagiarism detection tools is a mark of editorial responsibility and publication ethics.
That’s why Futurity Publishing stands by the principle: “The quality of a scientific publication begins with the integrity of its author.”