Research & Publication Ethics

Ethics in Research Publication

Plagiarism, scientific fraud, and hidden competing interests are just a few of the difficulties that can jeopardize not just the integrity of science but also a scientist's reputation. Understanding the ethical limits and "rules" is

critical to ensure that your business and career start on the right foot.

Authorship

Authorship of a scientific article guarantees that the right people get credit for the work and are held accountable for it. Misrepresenting a scientist's link to their work on purpose is considered a kind of misconduct that undermines trust in the work's reporting.

"All people identified as authors should qualify for authorship, and all those who qualify should be identified," the International Committee of Pharma Journal Editors (ICPJE) says in its authorship rules.

To be acknowledged as an author, you must meet all four criteria:

  • Contributed significantly to the study's idea and design, as well as data collection, analysis, and

  • Creating or rewriting the article in order to improve its intellectual

  • The final version is

  • Acceptance of responsibility for all parts of the job that are connected to the correctness or integrity of

    any portion of the

Some broad criteria, which may vary from field to field, are as follows:

  • "A collective decision of the co-authors" should be used to determine authorship

  • Individuals who participated in a study but did not meet the journal's authorship standards should be identified as "Contributors" or "Acknowledged Individuals." Giving advice, providing research space, departmental monitoring, and securing financial assistance are all examples of how you might help with research. 3,2

  • A list of doctors and centers, as well as a declaration of individual contributions, is usually included for big, multi-center studies. Some organizations list authors alphabetically, with a notation stating that all authors contributed equally to the study and publishing. 2

Authorship disputes might arise if they are not addressed properly. Some disagreements are the result of wrongdoing (such as lying about one's part); others are the result of interpretation issues, such as the extent to which a person's contribution may be regarded as "significant" and whether authorship is warranted.

If a dispute is reported, an inquiry involving the journal editor and the author's institution may be initiated to find a solution. Because of the possibility of ambiguity and miscommunication,

it is strongly recommended that a conference be held before the study begins to document how each individual would be acknowledged.

Competing Interest

A possible conflicting interest occurs when an investigator, author, editor, or reviewer has a financial/personal interest or belief that might compromise their objectivity or unduly influence their conduct. Dual obligations,

conflicting interests, and conflicting loyalties are all terms used to describe such partnerships. Financial connections, for example, are the most visible opposing interests.

  • Employment, stock ownership, awards, and patents are all examples of direct

  • Honoraria, consultancy to sponsoring organizations, mutual fund ownership, and compensated expert

    testimony are examples of indirect

Financial conflicts of interest that aren't disclosed might jeopardize the journal's, authors', and science's reputation. Conflicts can be hypothetical or actual, and not all connections constitute a legitimate competing interest. 1.2 Some things to evaluate include whether the person's affiliation with the organization interferes with their ability to do the research or write the article objectively and whether the link, when discovered later, makes a reasonable reader feel tricked or misled.

Full disclosure of a relationship that potentially represents a conflicting interest should be declared to the institution's ethical committee and the journal editor to whom an article is submitted, even if the individual does not feel it impacts their judgment. Most publishers need disclosure in the manuscript in the form of a cover letter and/or a footnote.

The wisest course of action is always full openness, and if in doubt, reveal.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is one of the most prevalent forms of publishing misbehavior, in which one author utilizes another's work without permission, credit, or recognition.

Plagiarism can take several forms, ranging from outright copying to paraphrasing someone else's work, and can include the following:

  • Data

  • Words and Phrases

  • Ideas and Concepts

Plagiarism can be classified into several levels of severity, including:

  • What percentage of someone's work was stolen–a few lines, paragraphs, pages, or the entire article?

  • What was copied–the findings, the techniques, or the introduction?

Always remember that attributing the work of others (including your advisor's or your own earlier work) is an important aspect of the process when it comes to your work. Always put

your work in the perspective of the field's growth, and recognize the results of others upon which your study is based.

 

Simultaneous submission

Simultaneous submission happens when a person submits a work to multiple journals at the same time, with the possibility of the article being published in more than one journal.

• Duplicate/multiple publishing happens when two or more articles have basically the same hypothesis, data, discussion points, and/or conclusions without complete cross-reference. This can take several forms, including exact duplicate, partial but significant duplication, and even paraphrase

Duplicate publishing of original research is unethical because it might lead to "inadvertent double-counting or incorrect weighting of the outcomes of a single study, which distorts the available data."

The fundamental rule of thumb is that articles submitted for publication must be unique and have never been published elsewhere. Authors must provide any information about relevant studies (including those in a foreign language), similar articles in publication, and translations at the time of submission.

Research Fraud

The act of publishing data or conclusions that were not derived from tests or observations but rather from invention or data manipulation is known as research fraud.

Fabrication and falsification are major types of misconduct because they produce a scientific record that does

not precisely represent what is seen.

Fabrication is the process of creating something from nothing. Creating research data and outcomes, then documenting or reporting them.

Most publications have rigorous limits on picture alteration and access to reported data to assist in avoiding fraud. It's a good idea to become acquainted with them before submitting a paper.

Manipulation of images

  • Only to improve clarity, images may be

  • There is no way to enhance, conceal, relocate, delete, or insert any specific aspect inside a

  • Brightness, contrast and color balance adjustments are normally permissible as long as they don't obscure or erase any information in the

Data access & retention

  • When submitting an article for editorial review, authors may be required to supply raw data. As a result, all data for a particular study should be kept for a reasonable period following publication. The data should have a designated

Human studies, such as clinical trials, have strict requirements for data retention.