If this number is lower, does that mean the thesis is safe to submit?

Not automatically. Submission safety still depends on school rules, highlighted passages, and whether the overlaps are properly cited and acceptable.

Does this field matter if I have never published before?

Much less. It is mainly useful when your report may include overlap with your own previously published material.

Will schools always use this field instead of total similarity?

No. Different schools and departments may emphasize different indicators. Follow the local rule rather than guessing from the label alone.

CNKI Field Guide

What Does CNKI “Similarity Excluding the Author’s Published Work” Mean? | How It Differs from Total Similarity

This guide explains what CNKI means by similarity excluding the author’s previously published work, and how it differs from total similarity and other report indicators.

What this page helps you do first

Separate total similarity from exclusion-based indicators
Understand which metric helps explain the source of overlap
Useful when the report contains several numbers and none of them feel intuitive

Why this field confuses people so easily

A CNKI report often shows total similarity, exclusion of quoted material, and exclusion of the author’s previously published work at the same time.

Those numbers answer different questions, so they should not be treated as one interchangeable similarity score.

What this field is trying to show

It attempts to separate the overlap caused by your own previously published work
It helps answer how much overlap remains after that personal-publication influence is removed
It does not automatically mean all remaining overlap is problematic or all excluded overlap is harmless

How it differs from total similarity

Total similarity reflects the full overlap picture of the document
The exclusion-based field helps isolate overlap not explained by your own prior publications
A large gap between the two often means your own prior work contributes heavily to the overlap
A small gap often suggests the main overlap comes from other sources instead

What not to ignore when reading it

Your school may care more about one indicator than another
A lower value here does not mean all highlighted overlap can be ignored
You still need to check paragraph sources, citation quality, and highlighted sections together

A more practical way to use this field

First confirm which indicator your school or department actually uses. Then use this field as an aid for understanding where the overlap comes from, not as a standalone submission decision.

Common university scenarios for this issue

If you are solving this problem under a specific university format, check the relevant school requirement pages below before making final edits.

Browse thesis requirements by university Peking University submission guide Fudan submission guide Wuhan University submission guide

Frequently asked questions

If this number is lower, does that mean the thesis is safe to submit?: Not automatically. Submission safety still depends on school rules, highlighted passages, and whether the overlaps are properly cited and acceptable.
Does this field matter if I have never published before?: Much less. It is mainly useful when your report may include overlap with your own previously published material.
Will schools always use this field instead of total similarity?: No. Different schools and departments may emphasize different indicators. Follow the local rule rather than guessing from the label alone.