Being published in a peer-reviewed journal is an essential part of any researcher’s career. Benefits to you as the author (and to your funder and institution) come from the work that is done to make sure that every article adheres to certain standards. For example, researchers must report their work accurately so that other people can make use of it and apply it.
There are many of the guidelines for ethical publishing which authors should understand and follow. There are also ethical guidelines for journal editors and peer reviewers.
Below are the major ethical issues you should be aware of as an author.
Case 1: Authorship
Every author listed on a journal article should have made a significant contribution to the work reported. This could be in terms of research conception or design, or acquisition of data, or the analysis and interpretation of data. As an author or co-author, you share responsibility and accountability for the content of your article.
What to avoid:
Gift (guest) authorship: where someone is added to the list of authors who has not been involved in writing the paper.
Ghost authorship: where someone has been involved in writing the paper but is not included in the list of authors.
Case 2: Plagiarism
“When somebody presents the work of others (data, words or theories) as if they were his/her own and without proper acknowledgment.”
Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE)
When citing others’ (or your own) previous work, please make sure you have:
Self-plagiarism is the redundant reuse of your own work, usually without proper citation. It creates repetition in the academic literature and can skew meta-analyses if you publish the same sets of data multiple times as “new” data. Therefore, if you’re discussing your own previous work, make sure you cite it.
Any allegations of plagiarism or self-plagiarism made to a journal will be investigated by the Editor-in-Chief of the journal. If the allegations appear to be founded, we will then contact all named authors of the paper and request an explanation of the overlapping material. We may ask the Editorial Board members to assist in further evaluation of the paper and allegations. If the explanation is not satisfactory, we will reject the submission. We may also choose not accept future submissions.
Case 3: Data fabrication / falsification
It is essential that all data is accurate, and representative of your research. Data sharing is more and more prevalent, increasing the transparency of raw data.
Cases of data fabrication/falsification will be evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief. We may then ask authors to provide supporting raw data where required. We may also ask the journal Editorial Board members to assist in further evaluation of the paper and allegations. If the explanation is not satisfactory, we will reject the submission. We may also choose not accept future submissions.
Case 4: Competing interests
It is very important to be honest about any competing interests, whether sources of research funding, direct or indirect financial support, supply of equipment or materials, or other support.
If an author does not declare a competing interest to the journal upon submission, or during review, and it affects the actual or potential interpretation of the results, the paper may be rejected or retracted.