The authors, journal editors, and peer-reviewers have responsibilities to meet expected publication ethics at all stages in their involvement from submission to publication of an article. These responsibilities are outlined below.
Editors
lAct in a balanced, objective and fair way.
lHandle submissions for sponsored supplements or special issues in the same way as other. submissions so that articles are considered and accepted solely on their academic merit and without commercial influence.
lAdopt and follow reasonable procedures in the event of complaints of an ethical or conflict nature.
lGive authors a reasonable opportunity to respond to any complaints.
lAll complaints should be investigated no matter when the original publication was approved.
lDocumentation associated with any such complaints should be retained.
Reviewers
lTo contribute to the decision-making process, and to assist in improving the quality of the article by reviewing the manuscript objectively, in a timely manner.
lTo maintain the confidentiality of any information supplied by the editor or author.
lTo explain the judgments so that authors can understand the basis of the comments and judgments.
lTo not retain or copy the manuscript.
lTo alert the editor to any published or submitted content that is substantially similar to that under review.
lTo inform the editor and the journal office if unable to review an article or can do so only with some delay.
lTo not delay the peer review process unnecessarily, either deliberately or inadvertently.
lTo point out relevant work that has not been cited, and use citations to explain where elements of the work have been previously reported.
Authors
lBe aware of and comply with best practice in publication ethics, specifically with regard to authorship, dual submission, plagiarism, figure manipulation, competing interests, and compliance with standards of research ethics.
lLimit authorship to those that have made a significant contribution to conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study.
lMaintain accurate records of data associated with submitted manuscripts, and supply or provide access to these data upon reasonable request.
lWhere appropriate and where allowed by employer, funding body and others who might have an interest, deposit data in a suitable repository or storage location for sharing and further use by others.
lConfirm/assert that the manuscript as submitted is not under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere.
lAdditional participants such as language editors may be recognized in the acknowledgments section.
lEnsure that any studies involving human or animal subjects conform to national, local, and institutional laws and requirements, and confirm that approval has been sought and obtained where appropriate. Researchers should not generally publish or share identifiable individual data collected in the course of research without specific consent from the individual (or their representative). Authors should obtain express permission from human subjects and respect their privacy.
lPromptly notify the journal editor or publisher if a significant error in their publication is identified. Cooperate with the editor and publisher to publish an erratum, addendum, corrigendum notice, or to retract the article where this is deemed necessary.
Corresponding author
lTo ensure that all named authors have approved the submitted version of the manuscript, agree to its submission and are willing to take appropriate responsibility for it.
lAll authors should be consulted about any subsequent changes to authorship (e.g. the list of authors) during the publication process, and it should be made clear to the journal that they have given their consent with written confirmation.
Plagiarism
Submitted articles must be the authors’ own work. Plagiarism constitutes unethical scientific behavior and is never acceptable. Plagiarism ranges from the unreferenced use of others’ ideas to submission of a complete article under 'new' authorship.
Duplicate publication/self-plagiarism
Duplicate publication (sometimes called 'self-plagiarism') is the production of multiple articles with the same, or essentially the same, content by the same authors and is viewed as unacceptable. Submitted research articles must be novel and original.
In the case of articles that expand upon previously published conference proceedings, or conference write-ups that discuss work already published in an earlier article, some limited exceptions to this rule may apply. However, in these cases authors should consult with the journal office before submission. In all instances, articles must clearly cite their sources and present some new contribution to the published literature otherwise such articles will be rejected.
Multiple publications arising from a single research project should be clearly identified as such and the primary publication should be referenced. Translations and adaptations for different audiences should be clearly identified as such, should acknowledge the original source, and should respect relevant copyright conventions and permission requirements. If in doubt, authors should seek permission from the original publisher before republishing any work.