Publication Ethics

PUBLICATION ETHICS AND PRIVACY STATEMENT

 

Author Responsibilities

 

Reporting Standards:

Authors of original research reports should present accurate accounts of the work performed and discuss its significance objectively. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or deliberately inaccurate statements constitute unethical and unacceptable behavior.

 

 

Data Access and Retention:

Authors are asked to make raw data associated with the paper available for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to the data (consistent with the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases), if feasible, and should in any case be prepared to retain the data for a reasonable period after publication.

 

 

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original work, and if the author has used the work and/or words of others, that these have been properly quoted or cited.

 

 

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication:

An author should not generally publish a manuscript that essentially describes the same research in more than one journal or major publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical and unacceptable publishing behavior.

Acknowledgments:

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others should always be given. Authors should cite influential publications that have determined the nature of the reported work.

Authorship:

Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported research. All who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where others have participated in specific substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest:
All authors must disclose in their manuscripts any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that could be construed as influencing the results or interpretation of their manuscripts. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed.

Fundamental errors in published works:
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects:
If the work involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment that have unusual hazards inherent in their use, the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript.

Editor's Duties

Fairness:
Editors evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality, or political philosophy of the author.

Confidentiality:
Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the appropriate authors, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisors, and publishers, as appropriate.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest:
Unpublished material disclosed in submitted manuscripts must not be used in the editor's own research without the author's written consent.

Publication Decisions:
The editorial board of a journal is responsible for deciding which articles submitted to the journal should be published. The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers should always drive that decision. Editors may be guided by the journal's editorial policies and constrained by legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. Editors may consult with other editors or reviewers in making these decisions.

Review of Manuscripts:
Editors must ensure that each manuscript is initially evaluated by an editor for originality. Editors must organize and use peer review fairly and judiciously. Editors must explain their peer review process in the information for authors and also indicate which parts of the journal are reviewed by peers. Editors must use appropriate peer reviewers for papers being considered for publication by selecting individuals with adequate expertise and avoiding those with conflicts of interest.

Reviewer's Duties

Contribution to Editorial Decisions:
Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communication with authors, can also help authors improve their scholarship.