The term “publication ethics” refers to generally accepted rules of behavior for persons who publish the results of scientific research or other intellectual endeavors. It is a generic term that refers to a regulation that protects intellectual property and bans the illegal dissemination of another’s work.
The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) is a global forum for peer-reviewed journals, editors, and publishers.
It includes a “code of conduct” and “best practice guidelines” that describe publishing ethics and provide guidance to editors on how to handle instances of research and publication misconduct.
Ethical publication standards exist to ensure the quality of scientific publications, the public’s trust in scientific results, and the recognition of individuals for their effort and ideas.
Ethics and Professional Misconduct in Scientific Writing
A critique of the write-up
Each submitted manuscript undergoes peer review and must adhere to stringent academic writing standards. Peer reviewers will assess submissions and their identities will be kept anonymous to the authors if the submitted paper is accepted by the chief editor.
Occasionally, the editorial team will seek assistance outside of traditional peer review, for example, with submissions that raise major publication ethics, security, biosecurity, or societal concerns.
They may consult with specialists and the academic editor before taking appropriate decisions, such as recruiting reviewers with specific expertise, analyzing submissions with other editors, or rejecting to investigate a submission further.
Plagiarism in Scientific Writing
Authors may not use another’s words, figures, or ideas without providing appropriate credit. All sources used in your written documents must be acknowledged at the point of use, and the term “reuse” must be avoided where possible and properly attributed or quoted in the text.
Various publishers employ a variety of plagiarism and similarity detection tools to identify submissions that duplicate previously published or submitted content.
Manuscripts found to be plagiarized from the work of another author, whether published or unpublished, will be rejected, and the writers may face repercussions. Previously published publications may require revision or retraction.
Duplicate submissions to the same journal and publication
In general, all publishers and journals accept only original work, which is items that have not been previously published, including in a language other than English. Manuscripts submitted to any journals are not permitted to be submitted elsewhere while they are under consideration and must be withdrawn prior to submission elsewhere.
Authors who are found to have submitted manuscripts concurrently to another journal may face penalties.
If an author submits a manuscript based on previously published or under review work, they must cite the earlier works and explain how their planned research differs from their previous work. When utilized outside of the methods, the authors’ original words should be credited or quoted in the text.
It is the authors’ responsibility to obtain permission from the copyright holder to republish their own figures or considerable parts of the text.
The journals will consider extended versions of works previously published at conferences, provided that this is stated in the cover letter, the previous version is correctly credited and discussed, the extended version has significant extra content, and all necessary permissions are secured.
Duplicate publication, or the inappropriate division of study results into numerous papers, may result in submission rejection or a request to consolidate submitted manuscripts, as well as rectification of published articles.
Duplication of the same or substantially similar work may result in the succeeding publication being retracted and the authors being sanctioned.
Manipulation of the reference source
Authors who submit manuscripts containing citations with the primary goal of increasing the number of citations to a certain author’s work or articles published in a particular journal may be subject to penalties, because editors and reviewers should not solicit references only to increase citations to their own or an associate’s work, to the journal, or to another publication with which they are involved.
Citation for Yourself or Self Citation in Scientific Writing
Self-citation is the practice of citing or referencing one’s own published work in subsequent publications that are unrelated to the revealed study. This is viewed as unethical by the majority of authors, who look down on it. Occasionally, though, authors will have published a significant quantity of material on their subject and the subsequent publication will be a continuation of previous work, needing self-citations. However, authors should avoid introducing concepts that are irrelevant to the current study just to reference their own work and the authors are accountable for preventing future instances of similar scientific misconduct.
Errors and lapses in judgment in scientific writing
If authors of submitted manuscripts or published articles are found to have fabricated or misrepresented results, including image manipulation, they may face sanctions, and published articles may be revoked.
Authorship and acknowledgments
Each listed author must have made a significant scientific contribution to the work described in the publication, must have approved its claims, and must have agreed to be an author. It is vital to recognize everyone who has contributed significantly to science.
Authors may characterize their contributions, optionally stated responsibilities, at the end of the submission. All authors are required to provide an ORCID in their submissions, and we strongly urge them to do so.
Without their approval, all individuals who contributed to the research or production of the work but are not authors should be acknowledged, and submissions from only one author will be rejected.
Rectifications and Recantations in Scientific Writing
When inaccuracies in published papers are discovered, the publisher will choose the appropriate course of action, which may include consulting with the editors and the authors’ institution (s).
If errors seriously impair the conclusions or if there is evidence of misconduct, retraction or a statement of concern may be required in accordance with the journal’s policies.
The notice’s language will be agreed upon by all authors, and upon request to the journal or the editorial team, the author’s name in the paper and any reference publications will be updated without the need for documentation, a corrigendum notice, or communication of other authors.
Agreements or Penalties in Scientific Writing
If an author breach publication ethical guidelines, regardless of whether the breach occurred in any journal, the following sanctions may be enforced across, the author paper is rejected and ban subsequent submissions, restriction of submissions for few years’ periods and refusal to take on the role of editor or reviewer.
In the event of major ethical violations, the publisher has the power to apply additional penalties.
This concludes this article, and you now understand the general publishing ethics and professional misconduct in scientific writing that you used in your research report and why it was rejected. Hopefully, these ideas will assist you in properly formatting and adhering to the journal’s rules, minimizing the possibility of future rejection.
KRS is an academic cum research platform that supports professional development by providing you with new articles on a regular basis, so stay connected.
If this is your first visit to our site, please share and subscribe to help us spread the word. Visit our website for further E-content and research assistance, or send an email to info@kressup.com to schedule a complimentary consultation.
If you find this article useful, don’t forget to share it!
Related Articles:
- What Are Conflicts Of Interest In Scientific Writing
- What Are The Publication Ethics And Professional Misconduct In Scientific Writing