Similarity Report Editing Support for Research Papers
A similarity report is a prompt to look again at your text, not a verdict. We help you read the report, fix real problems in wording and citation, and disclose overlap honestly.
Similarity report editing support is for authors who have a Turnitin or iThenticate report, or a query from a journal about overlap, and want an honest edit of the text that was flagged. It is not a service that lowers a score by any means available. We help you understand the report, rewrite and cite properly where your own text is too close to a source, and disclose legitimate overlap. Publish With Scopus is a UK-registered consultancy in London. We do not guarantee a similarity score, a pass, or acceptance.
What a similarity report is
A similarity tool compares your text with a database of published articles, web pages and, in some systems, previously submitted work or repositories. It returns a percentage and colour-coded matches. Many publishers screen submissions with iThenticate through Crossref Similarity Check, and universities often use Turnitin. The databases and settings differ, so the same manuscript can produce different numbers in different systems.
The report finds matching text. It does not decide whether that text is plagiarism. An editor or an integrity officer reads the matches and judges them.
Why a single number misleads
- Settings can exclude or include quotations, the reference list and very short matches, and as an author you may not control them
- Your own thesis, preprint or conference paper may sit in the database and match your submission
- Standard phrases such as ethics statements, equipment descriptions and common methods wording can match without any problem
- One source supplying a large block of text is more serious than many tiny matches spread through the paper
- A low number can still hide a paraphrase that follows another author’s ideas closely and gives no credit
Some institutions and journals use numeric limits. Ask yours what applies and how it is measured. We do not set a target figure.
Where overlap comes from, and the honest fix
Your own thesis or preprint. Cite it, say in the cover letter that the paper draws on it, and rewrite passages that would otherwise be repeated across several papers. Our thesis-to-paper guide covers reuse in more detail.
Standard methods wording. Keep the technical terms, cite the protocol, and describe what you did in your own sentences. Some overlap in routine methods is normal.
A close paraphrase. If you kept the source’s structure and swapped words, reread the source, close it, and write from your understanding, with a citation. If the exact wording matters, use quotation marks.
Quotations without marks. Add the marks and the citation, or paraphrase properly.
A literature review built from other abstracts. Compare and synthesise the studies instead of restating each one.
Text translated from another language. Translation does not remove the need to cite. Write the passage in your own words and credit the source.
An invented example
This sentence from a hypothetical source: “Rapid urbanisation has increased the pressure on municipal water systems in low-income regions, leading to unequal access.”
A flagged version from an author: “Fast urban growth has raised the pressure on city water systems in poorer regions, which leads to unequal access.” Only the words changed. The sentence, its order and its idea are the same, and there is no citation.
A repaired version: “[Author] (year) links unequal water access in lower-income cities to the pace of urban growth. In our three study districts, the gap was widest where new settlements had no connection to the main network.” The source is credited, and the second sentence adds the author’s own finding. Fixes of this kind often lower a score as a side effect, but the aim is a paper that is honest about what is yours.
What editing can do
- Go through the report with you and separate matches that matter from references, quotations and routine wording
- Rewrite your own sentences for clarity where they stayed too close to a source, while keeping the credit
- Add missing citations and quotation marks
- Restructure paragraphs so each makes your point instead of summarising another author
- Reduce unnecessary overlap with your earlier work and help you word a clear disclosure
- Help you draft a factual note to an editor or integrity office that explains the overlap
For language-level work on the finished text, see our manuscript editing services.
What it cannot and will not do
- Guarantee a figure, a pass, or acceptance by a journal
- Use paraphrasing tools, synonym swapping, hidden characters, white text or images of text to confuse software. These are manipulation, they are often detected, and they can lead to rejection or retraction
- Remove citations or the reference list to reduce a number
- Rewrite someone else’s work so that it can be presented as yours. If the ideas or data are not yours, no edit repairs that
- Issue an official report. Reports come from your institution, library or journal, and we cannot see what a journal’s database holds
AI-writing detectors are a separate matter. Their results are contested, and we do not promise any outcome from them. If you used AI tools, follow the journal’s policy and disclose the use as it asks.
If a journal or university has already queried your paper
- Read the message carefully and ask for the full report with the matched sources, not only the score.
- Sort each match: your own earlier work, routine wording, quotation, or text that follows a source too closely.
- Reply factually and without defensiveness, and say what you changed in the manuscript.
- If the cause is your own earlier publication, say so and cite it.
- Do not send the paper to another journal to avoid the question.
If the concern is serious, speak to your supervisor or research integrity office. We can help prepare a factual reply and revise the text, but we cannot argue that copied text was not copied. For other reasons papers are returned early, see why research papers get desk-rejected, and for the letter that accompanies a submission, see journal cover letter writing support.
What to send us
Send the report as a PDF with the matches shown, the manuscript, the journal’s policy or your university’s rules, a list of your earlier outputs such as the thesis, preprints and conference papers, and your deadline. We confirm the scope and the price before work begins.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a similarity score the same as plagiarism?
No. The score measures matching text. Whether the matches are a problem is a human judgement made by an editor or integrity officer.
What similarity score is acceptable?
There is no universal figure. Journals and institutions differ, and so do the tools and settings. Ask yours what applies. We do not offer a target.
Can you lower my Turnitin or iThenticate score?
We edit real problems in wording, citation and structure, and the number may fall as a result. We do not promise any figure, and we do not use tricks to change what the software sees.
Does the tool compare my paper with my own thesis?
It can, depending on the system and its database. Assume it might, cite the thesis, and mention it in your cover letter.
Do references and quotations count towards the score?
That depends on the settings used. Some systems let the viewer exclude them, but the journal chooses its own view.
Are paraphrasing tools a good way to reduce overlap?
No. They often produce awkward text that still follows the source and can create odd phrasing that editors notice. Rewrite from your own understanding and cite.
Do you run the similarity check for me?
Official reports come from your institution or the journal. Send us yours and we work from it.
What if I copied text from a source without citing it?
The honest fix is to rewrite it from your own understanding and cite the source. If the copying is extensive, speak to your supervisor or integrity office. We will not help disguise it.
Important answers
Do you guarantee acceptance or Scopus indexing?
No. Journals and indexes decide. We help with readiness, selection, submission preparation, and reviewer responses in an ethical way.
Are you a journal or publisher?
No. We are a UK-registered consultancy based in London.
Who is this for?
Professors, doctors and clinician-researchers, and PhD researchers who want practical, ethical support.
How should indexing claims be checked?
Use official sources and the publisher’s own pages. Social graphics are not enough.