Submission Review: Similarity Rate and Self-Citation Concerns

Dear [Author],

We appreciate your submission to our journal and the effort you've invested in your work. During the review process, we identified a significant similarity rate of 22% between your manuscript and this conference paper: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9441641.

Could you please confirm the conference copyright and whether the previous version of your submission was published after a peer-review process? Additionally, we kindly request that you reduce the self-citation rate (currently 18%, representing 4 references of the 1st authors in the references section) to below 15%.

Your prompt response by April 18th would be greatly appreciated, enabling us to proceed with the next steps for your manuscript.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards, [Your Name] [Journal Name]