Publishing Ethics

Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. Therefore, it is important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behaviour for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, the publisher and the society.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors should ensure that they present entirely original material, and if they have used work and/or the words of others, that this has been appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism takes many forms, from “passing off” another’s  paper  as  the  author’s  own,  to  copying  or  paraphrasing substantial parts of another’s work without attribution, or claiming credit for research conducted by others. Whatever form it takes, plagiarism is unethical and will not be tolerated.

Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication

Authors should not publish manuscripts describing the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is not acceptable. Publication of some kinds of articles (e.g. clinical guidelines, translations) in more than one journal is only justifiable if certain conditions  are  met. Authors and the editors of the journals concerned must agree to the secondary publication, which must reflect the same data and interpretation of the primary document. The primary reference must be fully documented in the secondary publication.

 Authorship of the Paper

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the  conception, design, execution, or  interpretation of  the  reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where others have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that only appropriate co-authors are credited, that they have seen and approved  the  final  version  of  the  paper,  and  that they have  agreed to its submission for publication.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

When  an  author  discovers  a  significant  error  or  inaccuracy  in  his/her  published work, it is their obligation to notify the journal editor or publisher promptly and cooperate with the editor to make the necessary corrections. If the editor or publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to retract or correct the paper or provide evidence of its accuracy in a timely manner.

Duties of the Editorial Board

See the existing Elsevier policies and COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Fair Play

Editors should evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality

Editors or editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher.

  Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must likewise be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

Editors should recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other association with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected with the papers.

All contributors are required to disclose conflicting interests and publish corrections if competing interests are revealed after publication. Further action should be taken, such as the publication of a retraction or expression of concern, where necessary.

Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

based on the Publishing ethics resource kit of Elsevier

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/editorshome.editors/Introduction

http://publicationethics.org/files/u2/Best_Practice.pdf

Published on 31 May 2017