Here are our guidelines addressing five core issues on the principles of publishing to avoid conflicts among authors and researchers and safeguard the integrity of our publications. These issues are:
- Authorship:
- Authorship should be credited only to those who have made significant contributions.
- Major contributions qualify for authorship and include origination of research idea, design of the research, major analysis, interpretation of findings, and writing a significant section of the paper.
- Minor contributions, such as data collection or designing research apparatus, don’t qualify for authorship but should be acknowledged.
- The order of authors should reflect the magnitude of contributions.
- The head of a research group or department does not automatically merit authorship.
- Duplicate Publication:
- Duplicate publication deceives the community and can breach copyright.
- Manuscripts with significant overlap should not be submitted to multiple publishers at the same time.
- A paper’s content shouldn’t be fragmented across multiple papers unless it enhances communication.
- Plagiarism:
- Plagiarism involves using another’s ideas or writings without acknowledgment.
- Both direct quotations and paraphrasing require proper citation.
- Accuracy of Reporting:
- Authors should accurately report their research process and findings.
- All data collection and analysis methods should be detailed.
- Data should be available for inspection unless there are privacy concerns.
- Authors should disclose research funding sources that might create a perceived conflict of interest.
- Role of Reviewers:
- Reviewers and editors are in positions of trust and must maintain confidentiality.
- They must respect the ownership rights of authors and ensure ethical standards.
The guidelines aim to uphold the standards and integrity of scientific research and its publication, ensuring transparency, fairness, and accuracy in the dissemination of knowledge.