Similarity analysis of articles published in the Turkish Journal of Sports Medicine

• Main Authors: Şerife Şeyma Torgutalp, Bülent Ülkar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkish Sports Medicine Association 2021-02-01
• Series: Spor Hekimligi Dergisi
• Subjects: bibliometrics; similarity index; research misconduct; editorial policies
• Online Access: https://journalofsportsmedicine.org/eng/full-text-pdf/572/eng

Objective: Turkish Journal of Sports Medicine (TJSM) has used a web-based software program to define the phrasal similarity of submitted articles since 2017. The aims of this study were; to determine the similarity scores obtained in the preliminary evaluation of the articles published in TJSM since 2017, and to evaluate the relationship between the similarity scores and the article type, article language, and publication year. Materials and Methods: A total of 125 articles published in TJSM from 2017 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed from the digital archive. Research articles, review articles, and case reports were included in the analysis. Similarity scores, including total similarity score and highest match scores in All Sources mode and Match Overview mode, were obtained from Similarity Reports acquired using iThenticate plagiarism checker software. Data were recorded regarding the type and language of the article, the year of publication, whether the corresponding author was from Turkey or any other country, and similarity scores. Results: Of the 119 analyzed manuscripts, 76.5% (n=91) were research articles. The majority of the articles (95%, n=113) were submitted by authors from Turkey, and most of the articles (62.2%, n=74) were in Turkish. The median similarity score for all articles was 9.0% (Q1: 4.0 - Q3: 17.0), and the median highest matching scores were 2.0% (Q1: 1.0 - Q3: 3.0) and 3.0% (Q1: 2.0 - Q3: 6.0) for the Match Overview mode and All Sources mode, respectively. The median total similarity score and the median highest matching score from All Sources mode were significantly higher in research articles (p = 0.004 and p = 0.017, respectively) and in articles written in English (p < 0.001 for both). Conclusion: Total similarity and highest matching scores among articles published in TJSM between 2017 and 2020 were significantly higher in research articles and articles written in English.