Publication Ethics

Data fabrication and falsification:

Data fabrication means that the researcher did not actually conduct the study, but faked the data. Data falsification implies that the researcher performed the experiment, but then intentionally changed some of the data.

Plagiarism:

Taking the ideas and work of other scientists or researchers without giving them credit is unfair and dishonest. Copying even one sentence from someone else’s paper, or even one of your own that has previously been published without proper citation is considered plagiarism- use your own words instead.

Multiple submissions:

It is unethical to submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time. Doing this wastes the time of editors and peer reviewers, and can damage the reputation of the authors and the journals if the manuscript is published in more than one journal since the later publication will have to be retracted.

Redundant publications (or ‘salami’ publications):

This implies that publishing many very similar manuscripts based on the same experiment. Combining your results into one very robust manuscript is more likely to be of interest to a selective journal. However, Editors are likely to reject a weak paper that they suspect is a result of salami slicing.

Improper author contribution or attribution:

All authors listed on the manuscript must make a significant scientific contribution to the research and must approve all its claims. Don’t forget to list everyone who made a significant scientific contribution, including students and laboratory technicians. Do not “gift” authorship to those who did not contribute to the manuscript preparation.