Submitting the same article to multiple publications is an unethical practice and is not allowed. This is known as concurrent or concurrent submission and is considered a violation of publishing ethics. It is an absolute rule that protects both authors and editors from duplication of efforts, in addition to avoiding situations like this. The main reason publishers prohibit multiple submissions is because it wastes the time of reviewers, which is a precious resource for editors. Finding qualified reviewers is one of the most difficult parts of an editor's job, and persuading them to donate their time to review an article without payment is even more challenging.
Therefore, editors are very reluctant to squander their time asking them to review an article that could be withdrawn because it has been accepted by another journal. When it comes time to submit your manuscript, you have to play a frustrating game of “send and wait”. The golden rule of publishing ethics is to never send the draft to more than one journal at a time. This can easily translate into weeks or even months of waiting for an editorial team to review your article. If it is rejected, you may need to revise your journal manuscript and send it to another journal. In these situations, it's natural to wonder why you can't just send the same manuscript to more than one journal and simply withdraw your submission once you receive an affirmative answer from one of the editors.
Sending the same query to separate posts (concurrent submissions) gives you more opportunities to publish, but it can also ruin your chances with publishers if they know it was sent somewhere else, unless they accept concurrent submissions. Authors should not send the same manuscript, in the same language or in different languages, simultaneously to more than one journal. The justification for this rule is the possibility of disagreement when two (or more) journals claim the right to publish a manuscript that has been sent simultaneously to more than one journal, and the possibility that two or more journals unknowingly and unnecessarily carry out peer review work, edit the same manuscript and publish the same item. When you submit a manuscript to Scientific Reports, we understand that the manuscript has not yet been published or sent anywhere else. If a similar or related work has been published or submitted elsewhere, you must provide a copy with the submitted manuscript. You cannot submit your manuscript anywhere else while it is being considered in Scientific Reports. Multiple publication is only allowed under certain specific circumstances, for example, a journal could publish a translation of an article that it considered particularly relevant to its readers, which would otherwise be inaccessible because it was first published in another language.
The statement included in the article file must be explicit and unambiguous, and must describe any potential competitive interest (or lack thereof) for EACH contributing author. By signing a contract, you will find that most publishers want the first publication rights or the right to publish the article for the first time in any periodical publication. The corresponding (submitting) author is solely responsible for communicating with Scientific Reports and managing communication between co-authors. When a pre-printed article has subsequently been published in a peer-reviewed journal, authors should cite the later published article instead of the pre-printed article, where appropriate. The corresponding author (submitter) is responsible for ensuring that this agreement has been reached and for managing all communication between the publication and all co-authors, before and after publication. When authors submit a manuscript that reports on a work that has already been reported in large part in a published article or that is contained or closely related to another work that has been submitted or accepted for publication elsewhere, the cover letter must state this clearly and authors must provide copies of related material to help the publisher decide how to handle the submission. If the publisher was not aware of the violations and the article has already been published, the article could justify retraction with or without the author's explanation or approval. For articles describing human transplant studies, additional information should be provided (see below).
Medical journal readers deserve to be able trust that what they are reading is original, unless there is a clear statement that the author and publisher are intentionally republishing an article (which could be considered for historical or emblematic documents).In conclusion, submitting an article simultaneously to multiple publications is not allowed as it violates publishing ethics. Authors should never send the same manuscript in either language simultaneously to more than one journal. If authors submit a manuscript that reports on a work that has already been reported in large part in a published article or that is contained or closely related to another work that has been submitted or accepted for publication elsewhere, they must provide copies of related material with their submission. It's important for authors to understand all aspects of publishing ethics before submitting their manuscripts. Knowing when it's appropriate to submit an article simultaneously to multiple publications can help authors avoid potential ethical issues while also increasing their chances of getting published.
