Ethics in Preparing
A Scientific Manuscript
Lukman Hakim
May 29th, 2015
Why should scientists publish?
Present new, original results or methods;
Rationalize or counter published results;
Present a review of the field or to summarize a particular topic.
Scientists publish to share with the research community findings that advance knowledge and understanding.
What about
common people?
What do publisher want?
“The statistic that 27% of our papers were not cited in 5 years was disconcerting. It certainly indicates that it is important to maintain high standards when accepting papers...…”
(Marv Bauer, Editor, Remote Sensing of Environment)
Publishers do not want zero-cited articles
What do publisher want?
Originality;
Significant advances in field;
Appropriate methods and conclusions;
Readability;
Studies that meet ethical standards.
Duplications;
Reports of no scientific interest;
Work out of date;
Inappropriate methods or conclusions;
Studies with insufficient data.
WANTED NOT WANTED
“Publisher do want quality”
so do reviewers and readers
Authors Editor Reviewers
Submit a manuscript
Assign reviewers
Collect reviewers’
recommendation
Review and provide recommendation
Revise the manuscript
Accept?
Revision?
Basic requirement met?
ACCEPT
REJECT N
N Y Y
N
Y START
Early rejection
Limited interest or covers local issues only
(sample type, geography, specific product, etc);
A routine application of well-known methods;
Presents an incremental advance;
Novelty and significance are not sufficiently well- justified;
Unacceptably poor English;
Failure to meet submission requirements.
Ethical Issues
Submit only ONCE at a time
DO NOT gamble by scattering your manuscript to many journals;
International ethics standards prohibit multiple simultaneous submissions, and editors DO find out!
Stop Plagiarism!
The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own;
(Oxford Dictionaries)
The appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit;
Plagiarism is a serious offence that could lead to academic charges, termination of employment, and seriously affect your scientific reputation;
!
No Fabrication & Falsification!
Fabrication
Making up data or results, and recording or reporting them.
Falsification
Manipulating research materials,
equipment, processes; or changing / omitting data or results such that the
research is not accurately represented in the research record.
Improper Author Contribution
Substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or
analysis and interpretation of data;
Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
Final approval of the version to be published.
Author {
Redundant Publication
An author should not submit a previously
published paper, for consideration in another journal, unless there are significant findings or advances in that research.
Re-publication of a paper in another language is acceptable, provided that there is full and
prominent disclosure of its original source at the time of submission.
Other ethical issue
Improper use of human subjects and animals in research (Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000);
If doubt exists concerning the compliance of the research with the Helsinki Declaration,
authors must explain the rationale for their
approach and demonstrate approval from the institutional review body.
