Authors are expected not to submit the same manuscript, in the same or different languages, simultaneously to more than one journal. When authors submit a manuscript reporting work that has already been reported in large part in a published article or is contained in or closely related to another paper that has been submitted or accepted for publication elsewhere, the letter of submission should clearly say so and the authors should provide copies of the related material to help the editor decide how to handle the submission.

Authors who attempt duplicate publication without such notification should expect at least prompt rejection of the submitted manuscript. If the editor was not aware of the violations and the article has already been published, then the article might warrant retraction with or without the author’s explanation or approval.

Secondary publication is acceptable if the authors have received approval from the editors of both journals; the paper for secondary publication is intended for a different group of readers; the secondary version informs readers, peers, and documenting agencies that the paper has been published in whole or in part elsewhere