research publications and ethics

1. Dr. R. Venkatesh
Professor, VIT Business School &
Dy. Director – Academic Staff College
VIT Chennai
Mobile: +91 – 98409 51652
Email: venkatesh.r@vit.ac.in
chennai.dydirectorasc@vit.ac.in
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2. Publication Ethics
 Publication ethics are rules of conduct generally agreed upon
when publishing results of scientific research or other scholarly
work.
 Generally, it is a standard that protects intellectual property and
forbids the re-publication of another's work without proper
credit.
 Ethical standards for publication exist to ensure high-quality
scientific publications, public trust in scientific findings, and
that people receive credit for their work and ideas
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3. Publication Ethics
 Publication is the final stage of research and therefore a
responsibility for all researchers.
 Scholarly publications are expected to provide a detailed and
permanent record of research.
 Because publications form the basis for both new research and
the application of findings, they can affect not only the research
community but also, indirectly, society at large.
 Researchers therefore have a responsibility to ensure that their
publications are honest, clear, accurate, complete and balanced,
and should avoid misleading, selective or ambiguous reporting.
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4. Responsible Research Publication
 Soundness and Reliability
 Honesty
 Balance
 Originality
 Transparency
 Appropriate authorship and acknowledgement
 Accountability and responsibility
 Adherence to peer review and publication conventions
 Responsible reporting of research involving humans or animals
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5. Best Practices/Standards Setting
Initiatives and Guidelines
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6. Committee on Publication Ethics
(COPE)
 COPE was founded in 1997 to address breaches of research and publication
ethics.
 It is a voluntary body providing a discussion forum and advice for scientific
editors, it aims to find practical ways of dealing with the issues, and to
develop good practice.
 The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) is an international forum for
editors and publishers of peer-reviewed journals that provide the “code of
conduct” and “best practice guidelines” that define publication ethics and
advises editors on how to handle cases of research and publication
misconduct.
 https://publicationethics.org/guidance
 https://publicationethics.org/files/u7141/1999pdf13.pdf 6

7. World Association of Medical
Editors (WAME)
 Established in 1995, WAME (pronounced “whammy”) is a
nonprofit voluntary association of editors of peer-
reviewed medical journals from countries throughout the
world who seek to foster international cooperation among
and education of medical journal editors.
 Membership in WAME is free and all decision-making
editors of peer-reviewed medical journals are eligible to
join.
 WAME has more than 1830 members representing more
than 1000 journals from 92 countries (as of July 27,
2017).
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8. Publication Ethics Checklist
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9. Conflicts of Interest
 Effective July 2021, all authors are required to include a
Conflict of Interest Disclosure statement in their submitted
manuscripts.
 A conflict of interest is anything that interferes with, or could
reasonably be perceived as interfering with, the full and
objective presentation, commissioning, peer review, editorial
decision-making, or publication of research or non-research
articles submitted to AIP Publishing Journals.
 A conflict of interest exists if a person or institution has a
relationship, personal or otherwise, which has the potential to
compromise or in any way interfere with professional
objectivity or judgment in issues related to the relationship.
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10. Conflicts of Interest
 A conflict of interest is actual if a relationship exists, or
apparent if the possibility for a relationship could be inferred.
In either case, it is the responsibility of journal Editors,
Associate Editors, Editorial Board members, authors and
reviewers to declare Conflicts of Interest, actual or apparent, in
order that appropriate mitigating action is taken.
 As conflict of interest is common, it reaches the level of
concern when an observer may wonder if the individual’s
behavior or judgment was motivated by his or her competing
interest. Having competing interest does not imply
wrongdoing, however it could undermine the credibility and
trustworthiness of the journal. AIP Publishing, through this
policy, aims to protect the integrity of the journals.
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11. Publication Misconduct
 The U.S. Office of Research Integrity defines research
misconduct as “fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in
proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting
research results”
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12. Violation of Publication Ethics
 Broadly, the ways in which ethics could be breached fall under the following
categories:
• Plagiarism: presenting another person’s ideas or materials as if they were his or her
own, or without proper acknowledgement or attribution
• Copyright infringement: presenting another person’s original work of authorship –
their expression of ideas – as if it were his or her own, without proper
acknowledgement or attribution.
• Duplicate (or redundant) publication: an author copies and re-publishes their own
work without reference to previous publication.
• Data fabrication/falsification: either making up results or altering results of
experiments.
• Inappropriate attribution of authorship, which may lead to disputes (including
individuals who have not contributed to an article or excluding authors who have
contributed, lack of acknowledgment of guest or ghost authorship).
• Misconduct within the publication process (for example authors submitting
manuscripts under fraudulent names or with fraudulent affiliations or reviewer
misconduct during the peer review process).
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13. Causes of Unethical Behaviour
 Promotions and academic advancements
 Voluminous curriculum vitae
 Sanctioning of grants
 Competition
 Professional supremacy
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14. Types of Publication Misconducts
 Plagiarism
 Salami slicing
 Gift Authorship
 Ghost Authorship
 Duplicate Publication
 Selective Reporting
 Fabrication
 Falsification
 Breach of Confidentiality
 Uninformed Consent
 Non Disclosure of Conflict of Interest
 Simultaneous Multiple Submissions
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15. Predatory Publishers and Journals
 Predatory journals and publishers are entities that
prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and
are characterized by false or misleading information,
deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a
lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and
indiscriminate solicitation practices.”
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16. Predatory Publishers and Journals
 Predatory journals are driven by self-interest, usually
financial, at the expense of scholarship. They are
characterized by the following:
 False or misleading information.
 Deviation from best editorial and publication practices.
 Lack of transparency.
 Aggressive, indiscriminate solicitation.
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17. THANK YOU
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