Table 1.

Plagiarism framework

	No of copied sentences detected
	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Abstract	1 to 2	3 to 6	6+; or 4+linked
Background	1 to 2	3 to 6	6+; or 4+linked
Methods	1 to 2	3 to 6	6+; or 4+linked
Results	1 to 2	3 to 6	6+; or 4+linked
Discussion	1 to 2	3 to 6	6+; or 4+linked
Overall score	Some plagiarism	Moderate plagiarism	Extensive plagiarism
Definition	One or more sections with plagiarism of 1 to 2 sentences; or level 2 plagiarism in the methods section	One or more sections with plagiarism of 3 to 6 sentences; or level 3 plagiarism in the methods section	One or more sections with plagiarism of 4 or more linked sentences, or plagiarism of more than 6 sentences