Violation of Publication Ethics PDF

# Violation of Publication Ethics ## Introduction - Publication of articles is a kind of documentation, and journals are one of the most powerful tools for documentation - **Publication Ethics** - a self-regulatory mechanism insisting on integrity on the part of authors, peer reviewers and publish...

# Violation of Publication Ethics ## Introduction - Publication of articles is a kind of documentation, and journals are one of the most powerful tools for documentation - **Publication Ethics** - a self-regulatory mechanism insisting on integrity on the part of authors, peer reviewers and publishers to establish higher standards of editorial processing for the scholarly journals - Violation of publication ethics includes: - duplicate submission - multiple submissions - plagiarism - gift authorship - fake affiliation - ghost authorship - pressured authorship - salami publication - fraud ## Need to Publish - Description of hypothesis data and conclusions - Aim was to create a public record of original contributions to knowledge to encourage scientists to speak directly to others - Publications in peer-reviewed journals give national and international recognition to an author and institutions - Research work has to be published; otherwise, it is considered not done ## Violation of publication ethics This section describes the different types of violation of publication ethics. - Data manipulation - Publications that report results and draw conclusions from data that are not generated by the study - Or generated by manipulating the data - For experienced reviewers and editors, it is easy to find whether the authors indulged in research fraud by looking at the statistics, tables, p values, 95% confidence intervals etc. - Duplicate publication - Publication of a paper that substantially overlaps with one which is already published, without clear visible reference to the previous publications. - It is the breach in the copyright law and against the ethical conduct. - Simultaneous submission - Submitting a manuscript to multiple scientific journals at the same time - Most journals obtain a declaration from authors that the manuscript is original and is not being considered for publication by any other scientific journals. - Plagiarism - Stealing of another person's words, ideas or results without citation of reference source. - Salami slicing - Segmental or part publications of results or reanalysis derived from a single study. - Done to increase the number of publications and citations - Considered unethical because it can cause distortion in the conclusions drawn for a reader. - Guest or gift author - One who did not contribute in a meaningful way to the design, research, analysis, or writing of a paper, but is named as an author. ## Ethics related organizations and their role - Give recommendations and develop guidelines to assist authors, editors and reviewers. - Aim is to create and disseminate accurate, clear, reproducible, unbiased research papers. - Organizations involved are: - International committee of medical journals editors (ICMJE) - World association of medical editors (WAME) - Committee on publication ethics (COPE) ## Responsibility of Author - Do not fabricate or manipulate the data - Avoid plagiarism and give proper acknowledgment. - Declare whether research work has been published or presented before. - Avoid gift or guest authorship. - Do not submit the manuscript to more than one journal for simultaneous considerations. - Take approval from the institutional ethics committee before conducting research. ## Conclusion - Awareness of good publication practices should be generated among novice authors to prevent unethical practices in the publication of scientific research. - Research work represents not only one person but the co-authors, funding body and institutions. - If these ethical guidelines are religiously followed by the authors, it will increase the credibility of publications. ## Journal Publication Process The following diagram shows the steps involved in the journal publication process. | Step | Stage | Description | |---|---|---| | 1 | Submission | Initial screening by editor/sub-editor | | | | Desk review (screening based on submission checklist) | | | | Accept and send for desk review or reject and return to author | | | | Reject/revision and return to author | | | | Accept/revised and send for peer review or reject and return to author | | 2 | Review | Peer review | | 3 | Copyediting | Send review comments to editor and author | | | | Accepted (with major/minor revision) or reject/revision and return to author | | | | Accept/revised and send for peer review | | 4 | Schedule for publication | Editor in chief to make final decision | | | | Proofreading (proofing galley by author) | ## Conflicts of interest ### What is conflict of interest? A conflict of interest arises whenever there is any potential bias that could affect a researcher's work. Conflicts of interest can include both financial and non-financial gains. For example, consider a peer reviewer who is evaluating a study that decreases the importance of the reviewer's own research. This could lead the reviewer to recommend rejection of the study even if the study itself is original and robust, which gives rise to a conflict of interest. Conflict of interest due to financial gain is the most common one that authors face and must disclose. It includes sources of funding, ownership of stocks in companies that may gain financially from the research, and acceptance of consulting fees or salary from a company that may benefit from the research, among others. For example, a review on the publication of research findings revealed that research sponsorship contributes to publication bias because the sponsors often own the data, making the data susceptible to manipulation and suppression. The World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) has a very good description of conflicts of interest that may arise in various scenarios. ### The six Ps Conflicts of interest are inevitable in an academic career, and it is the responsibility of researchers to identify potential or actual conflicts. The Integrity Coordinating Group has outlined an excellent list - known as the six Ps - that researchers can use to determine whether a conflict of interest exists: - **Public duty versus private interest:** Do I or the research sponsor have personal or financial interests that may conflict or be perceived to conflict with the interests and welfare of the general public? - **Potentialities:** Could there be financial or other intellectual benefits for me, my organization, or research sponsor that could cast doubts on my research and data? - **Perception:** How will my or my research sponsor's involvement in study conception, study supervision, study design, research conduct, and manuscript writing be perceived by others? Would any bias in research design, sample selection, data reporting, data modification, and manuscript preparation be perceived as a conflict of interest associated with me, my organization, or research sponsor? Are there any risks associated with me, my organization, or research sponsor? - **Proportionality:** Does my or my research sponsor's involvement in all decisions regarding the research appear to be fair and reasonable? - **Presence of mind:** What consequences will I face if I ignore or do not disclose a conflict of interest? Can I give a reasonable answer if editors, reviewers, or readers question my or my research sponsor's involvement? - **Promises:** Have I, my organization, or research sponsor made any promises or commitment in relation to conducting or publishing the research? Do I stand to gain or lose from the promised action/decision? ### Why authors must disclose conflicts of interest Almost all scientific and non-technical journals require authors to disclose potential or actual conflicts of interest related to their study. Some journals, like JAMA, require authors to submit signed financial disclosure statements. Other journals, like BMC Cancer, insist in their guidelines that a separate section on conflict of interest be included in the manuscript and that any details be provided in the covering letter. When declaring conflicts of interest, researchers are expected to provide detailed information about relevant financial interests; grants, financial support, and funding received from industry; and other intellectual benefits like filed or pending patents that represent future financial gains. Researchers are also required to specify the role of the funding organization or sponsor in the study design and conduct; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; and manuscript drafting, review, and final approval. It is very important to inform journals about conflicts of interest. Journals may not always publicly disclose conflicts of interest at the time of publishing the paper. However, if any one questions the study or raises doubt that a conflict of interest exists, the journal will publish the authors' conflict of interest disclosure and mention that the authors had already informed the journal; this makes the authors' conduct seem less suspicious. However, if the authors had not informed the journal and it is discovered that conflicts of interest did indeed exist, the consequences can be serious, including retraction of the paper and investigation by the authors' affiliated institutes. Journals do not usually police conflicts of interest issues themselves. Rather, it is the authors' affiliation (university or research institute) that creates, implements, and monitors conflicts of interest policies for their faculty. Thus, authors are usually able to avoid conflict of interest scenarios before their research is complete and their paper is submitted for publication. When in doubt, researchers are advised to consult their institution before approaching the journal. ### Conclusion When the potential for bias is disclosed, readers are aware of the situation and will judge the research on its merits. On the other hand, failure to disclose relevant financial/intellectual interests violates the public's trust, and if such information is revealed subsequently, the credibility of the researchers and the journal that publishes the work may be seriously damaged. # Predatory Publishing ## Introduction Predatory publishing or deceptive publishing is an exploitative academic publishing business model that involves charging publication fees to authors without checking articles for quality and legitimacy, and without providing editorial and publishing services that legitimate academic journals provide, whether open access or not. ## Characteristics of Predatory Publishers - Their primary goal is to make money (i.e. there will be fees). - They do not care about the quality of the work published (i.e. no or little editing or peer-review). - They make false claims or promises (i.e. claims of impact factors and indexing). - They engage in unethical business practices (i.e. not as advertised). - Using ISSN improperly - Citing or non-existent impact factors - They fail to follow accepted standards or best practices of scholarly publishing (various). ## What is a Predatory Journal? - A predatory journal is a publication that actively asks researchers for manuscripts. - They have no peer review system and no true editorial board; they are often found to publish or even worthless papers. - They charge huge publication charges. - For many, career progression depends on publishing, so one may look for journals that promise to publish all submissions ## Cabell's Blacklist: A New Way to Tackle Predatory Journals - Jeffrey Beall, a librarian at the University of Colorado in Denver, coined the term "predatory publishers". - Cabell's Blacklist was launched on June 15. - It would publish both "White List" and "Black List". - Approximately 4000 journals were included on the list. - Both open access and subscription-based journals are included. - The whitelist database includes 18 academic disciplines from more than 13,000 international scholarly publications as per the website. ## Why Peer Review is Important? - Peer review involves subjecting the author's scholarly work and research to the scrutiny of other experts in the same field to check its validity and evaluate its suitability for publication. - A peer review helps the publisher decide whether a work should be accepted. - Peer review is especially important for medical research. ### Goals of Peer Review - Scholarly work falls within the journal's scope. - A suitable approach has been taken to address the scientific issues involved. - Examines the methodology and reproducibility of the work. - The peer review will also cover ethical aspects. - In addition, the author of the work will generally receive useful advice on how to improve their work. ## Baell's Criteria for Identifying Fake Journals - No editorial board - No academic expertise - Insufficient information - Hidden fees - Name unrelated to mission or origin - Poor website with dead links - Unauthorized use of licensed images - Republishing published papers - Location is hidden ## How to Avoid Predatory Journals - Borderline journals with low h-indices even if they are listed in good databases such as SCOPUS. This will reduce the odds of the journal getting blacklisted later. - Invitations from conferences with overly generic names (e.g., Global Conference on Science, Engineering, and Biotechnology). - Extremely large conferences that combine different fields (e.g., arts, science, and history). - Responding to invitations from emails with free email accounts (e.g., [email protected]). - Attending a conference with relatively unknown speakers, unclear agenda, and unclear peer review or anti-plagiarism policies. - Conferences promising a quick turnaround time for papers, offering a large number of rewards, or sounding like tourist events. ## Useful Tools for Identifying Predatory Journals - **Software Tool to Identify Predatory Publications Developed by SPPU:** Savitribai Phule Pune University appointed a committee to look after the issues of predatory journals. A recent analysis of who is publishing in such spurious journals has indicated that most authors in predatory journals are from developing countries, especially India, Nigeria, and some African and Middle East countries. The appointment of this committee by the Hon Vice Chancellor, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) is commendable. - **SHERPA:** SHERPA (Securing a Hybrid Environment for Research Preservation and Access) was originally set up by the Nottingham University in 2002. Its aim was to encourage change in the scholarly communication process by creating open access institutional repositories for the dissemination of research findings. - **Journal Finding Tools:** - **Edanz Journal Selector:** Edanz is an editing service but also provides journal selection from among 28,554 journals and 12,010,643 abstracts. It uses the cutting-edge semantic technology which can refine the results based on publication frequency and impact factor or publishing model for even open access journals. - **Elsevier Journal Finder:** Elsevier Journal Finder uses smart search technology and field of research specific vocabularies to match the input with the Elsevier journals to publish them. - **EndNote Manuscript Matcher:** EndNote Manuscript Matcher requires registration through Web of Science or EndNote register login using the ECU email to give the right journal match for the keywords, title, and abstract. Along with the appropriate journal, it also gives the journal impact factor and related articles. - **JANE - Journal/Author Name Estimator (PubMed):** JANE tags journals that are currently indexed in MEDLINE and also open access journals approved by DOAJ or Directory of Open Access Journals. It also relies on the data in PubMed to identify high-quality journals from the predatory journals. - **IEEE Publication Recommender:** It searches 170+ periodicals and 1500+ conferences to compare critical points such as impact factor and submission to publication time for the best match for the scholarly research paper. # Copyright ## What is Copyright? Copyright protects the moral and economic rights of writers, publishers and other creators. Copyright is protected by the **Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988** and subsequent statutory instruments. Copyright applies to physical materials and the electronic environment. Copyright is infringed by copying without permission. Copyright law and associated licenses are highly complex. All staff and students of the University have obligations to observe copyright law and the terms of associated licenses. ## Copyright is Automatic - Cannot copyright an idea - Can have copyright over the "physical expression" of that idea. - The copyright is enforceable once the work is "fixed," which includes saving to disk or writing it down on paper. ## Copyright Ownership - 1st owner, normally author - Commissioned works - Works created during the course of employment - Copyright as "property" ## The Rights of Authors The owner of the copyright in a work has the exclusive right to: - Copy the work - Issue copies of the work to the public - Perform, show, or play the work in public - Broadcast the work or include it in a cable program service - Make an adaptation of the work or do any of the above in relation to an adaptation The author, director or commissioner of the work, whether or not that person is the copyright owner, has the following rights: - To be identified as author or director - To object to derogatory treatment of the work - The right to privacy of certain photographs and films ## Length of Copyright - Books & Journals - 70 years - Music - 70 years - Artistic Works - 70 years - Films - 70 years - Maps - 50 years - Newspapers - 70 years - UK Official Pubs - 50 years - Broadcasts - 50 years - Unpublished Works - 70 years **Note:** The terms above only begin on the death of the copyright owner. ## The Legislative Basis for Copyright Copyright is a property right intended to protect the rights of those who create works of various kinds. The basis of UK copyright law is the **Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.** The Act states that copyright is a property right and can lie in the following types of work: - Original literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic works - Sound recordings, films, broadcasts, or cable programs - The typographical arrangement of published editions ## Copyright Exceptions Copyright is not infringed where limited copying is carried out within: - The concept of **fair dealing** - The terms of a **licensing scheme** - **Written permission** of the copyright holder ("clearing copyright") ## Copyright Licences ### Blanket Licences - Blanket licenses are purchased by organizations from agencies and suppliers acting on behalf of copyright holders. - They set out the terms under which use of copyright material is permissible within the institution for educational purposes. ## Copyright Licences Held by the University The University holds licenses which enable it to use some copyrighted works for educational purposes without breaching the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The University is licensed under: - The Copyright Licensing Agency Photocopying and Scanning Licence - The Newspaper Licensing Agency Educational Licence - The Ordnance Survey Educational Copyright Licence - The Educational Recording Agency Educational Recording Licence - The Open University Licensed Off-air Recording Scheme The University also subscribes to the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC) Off-air Recording Backup Service. ## Fair Dealing Fair dealing applies to: - Paper to paper copying only (i.e. to photocopying from print originals) - Copying by individuals of short extracts for the purpose of: - Private study - Non-commercial research - Criticism or review ## Parody or Rip-off? This section includes an image to show the difference between parody and rip-off. <start_of_image>ことです。