Publishing ethics go beyond authorship. They reflect the integrity of the entire scholarly communication process. Researchers, reviewers, editors, and publishers all share responsibility.
Research Integrity
Scientific and scholarly integrity means telling the truth about your work - how it was done, by whom, and what it shows. Violations include:
- Fabrication: making up data or results
- Falsification: manipulating research materials or findings
- Plagiarism: presenting someone else's work as your own
- Self-plagiarism: reusing significant parts of your own published work without citation
Peer Review Ethics
Reviewers must:
- Maintain confidentiality
- Avoid conflicts of interest
- Refrain from using ideas or findings in reviewed manuscripts
- Be respectful and constructive
Authors should never submit to multiple journals at the same time.
Transparency and Disclosure
Ethical publishing also includes:
- Disclosing conflicts of interest
- Acknowledging funding sources
- Reporting ethics approvals (IRB, animal care, etc.)
- Clearly identifying author contributions (CRediT roles)
- Disclosing AI tools used in writing or analysis
Collaboration (see Authorship tab for more detail)
- Avoid authorship pressure (e.g., senior researchers demanding inclusion)
- Treat student co-authors with equal respect
- List institutional affiliations honestly
- Communicate roles and expectations in collaborative work
Retractions and Corrections
Mistakes happen. What matters is how they're handled:
- Erratum: publisher's correction of minor error
- Corrigendum: author-initiated correction
- Retraction: formal withdrawal due to major concern or misconduct
Retractions aren't always signs of misconduct; they may reflect honest error and accountability.