Similarity Check: Doc-to-doc comparison

Crossref Services Similarity Check
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Hello all!

I understand how to use the doc-to-doc comparison feature. However, I would like to understand in each cases this is actually useful…

If I upload a manuscript after its submission and then I return it to the author to fix some issues (missing references, etc) and the author return it to me, would that be the case? Comparing the 1st to the 2nd version?

Or would it be if I have more than one submitted manuscripts that the subject looks too similar?

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Hi @BrunaErlandsson,

I have asked Kathleen Luschek, our member support specialist who specializes in Similarity Check, to help me with this one, as she has more experience with and knows SimCheck better than me. She’s gathering answers for you.

More soon,
Isaac

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Hi @BrunaErlandsson,

Thanks for your question! The Doc-to-Doc Comparison tool was added to the Similarity Check service at the request of our users a few years ago. As you mention, it’s a way to compare one document against, up to five, others. Obviously, you could use this in both ways that you mention (comparing against versions of itself or against other docs that seem to have a similar subject), but I think the main reason our users were so interested in this feature is that it provides a way to compare a document against another document (or 5), without those other documents having to have been indexed by Turnitin or included in their database.

I would venture to guess that users find it the most useful when they have several manuscripts submitted at once on a particular subject. This feature allows you to compare them early on in the submission process, before DOIs are even registered and before they are published. The advantage is that you are comparing private documents at this stage.

If you do use this to compare versions of the same paper in order to see changes, do remember that this does count as a single document submission, so it will count towards your total of per-document checking fees.

I hope that helps answer your question! Please let me know if there’s anything else I can help with.

Cheers,
Kathleen

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Awesome! :slight_smile: Thank you for the detailed answer, Kathleen! I understood it completely!

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Hi @kluschek, thank you for the information.

  1. Is there any standard guideline for the similarity check and count of similarity? Which text should be excluded from the report and which not? There should be some universal guideline to avoid confusion and misunderstanding among editors regarding similarity text and percentage.
  2. Sometime do not able to exclude bibliography from the result, I think it may be due to some problem but I don’t know it.
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Dear Anjum,
I will try to contribute to your questions. I am a researcher at Research Integrity, I have been asked these questions.

  1. There is no guideline, it is a textual similarity check. Exclusion of text from the report is at the discretion of the Editor and his knowledge of the area. Each area of ​​knowledge has different definitions of similarity and its percentages. eg.: a description of a methodology or protocol will always be very similar; the description of a plant, animal or chemical compound is similar too. Publishers who have to identify within their area and experience what the similarity is, but don’t stick to levels / numbers much until they gain experience. Except in very high porcentage.
  2. Excluding the bibliography is an option, but not only to diminish similarity, because comparing bibliography is also a way of identifying errors or intentional changes, but they are very rare cases. But it´s an option.
    The Similarity Check has twice viewing modes. One to document view the article with figures, images, and has one specific for plain text.
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