Publication ethics and publication malpractice statement

This ethics statement is designed to provide a set of minimum standards to which authors, reviewers and editors of BUT adhere.

In order to promote integrity in research publication, our journals adhere to all the standards promoted by COPE COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION ETHICS (http://publicationethics.org).

Standards for authors

The COPE International Standards for Authors recommend:

Publication is the final stage of research and therefore a responsibility for all researchers. Scholarly publications are expected to provide a detailed and permanent record of research. Because publications form the basis for both new research and the application of findings, they can affect not only the research community but also, indirectly, the society at large. Researchers therefore have a responsibility to ensure that their publications are honest, clear, accurate, complete and balanced, and should avoid misleading, selective or ambiguous reporting. Journal editors also have responsibilities for ensuring the integrity of the research literature and these are set out in companion guidelines (Kleinert & Wage, 2011).

The following is a summary of COPE’s international standards for authors of scholarly research publications and describes responsible research reporting practice:

• The research being reported should have been conducted in an ethical and responsible manner and should comply with all relevant legislation.

• Researchers should present their results clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification or inappropriate data manipulation.

• Researchers should strive to describe their methods clearly and unambiguously so that their findings can be confirmed by others.

• Researchers should adhere to publication requirements that submitted work is original, is not plagiarised, and has not been published elsewhere.

• Authors should take collective responsibility for submitted and published work.

• The authorship of research publications should accurately reflect individuals’ contributions to the work and its reporting.

• Funding sources and relevant conflicts of interest should be disclosed (Wager, & Kleiner, 2011).

Standards for reviewers

Basic principles to which peer reviewers should adhere:

• only agree to review manuscripts for which they have the subject expertise required to carry out a proper assessment and which they can assess in a timely manner

• respect the confidentiality of peer review and not reveal any details of a manuscript or its review, during or after the peer-review process, beyond those that are released by the journal

• not use information obtained during the peer-review process for their own or any other person’s or organization’s advantage, or to disadvantage or discredit others declare all potential conflicting interests, seeking advice from the journal if they are unsure whether something constitutes a relevant interest

• not allow their reviews to be influenced by the origins of a manuscript, by the nationality, religious or political beliefs, gender or other characteristics of the authors, or by commercial considerations

• be objective and constructive in their reviews, refraining from being hostile or inflammatory and from making libellous or derogatory personal comments

• acknowledge that peer review is largely a reciprocal endeavour and undertake to carry out their fair share of reviewing and in a timely manner

• provide journals with personal and professional information that is accurate and a true representation of their expertise

• recognize that impersonation of another individual during the review process is considered serious misconduct (Hames, 2013).

References and further readings

Hames, I. (2013). COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Retrieved from http://publicationethics.org/files/Peer%20review%20guidelines_0.pdf

Kleiner, S. & Wager, E. (2011). Responsible research publication: international standards for editors. A position statement developed at the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, Singapore, July 22-24, 2010. Chapter 51 in T. Mayer & N. Steneck (Eds.) Promoting Research Integrity in a Global Environment. Imperial College Press / World Scientific Publishing, Singapore (pp. 317-28). (ISBN 978-981-4340-97-7). Retrieved from http://www.oeawi.at/downloads/International%20standard_editors_for%20website_11_Nov_2011.pdf

Ritter, S. K. (2001). Publication ethics: rights and wrongs. Balancing obligations and interests surrounding dissemination of research is an arduous task. Science & Technology, 79(46), 24-31, ISSN 0009-2347. Retrieved from http://pubs.acs.org/cen/topstory/7946/7946sci1.html

Wager, E. & Kleiner, S. (2011). Responsible research publication: international standards for authors. A position statement developed at the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, Singapore, July 22-24, 2010. Chapter 50 in T. Mayer & N. Steneck (Eds.) Promoting Research Integrity in a Global Environment. Imperial College Press / World Scientific Publishing, Singapore (pp. 309-16). (ISBN 978-981-4340-97-7). Retrieved from  http://publicationethics.org/files/International%20standards_authors_for%20website_11_Nov_2011.pdf

*** COPE Council (2011). Code of conduct and best practice guidlines for journal editors.   Retrieved from http://publicationethics.org/files/Code%20of%20Conduct_2.pdf

*** COPE Council (2011). Text Recycling Guidelines. Retrieved from http://publicationethics.org/text-recycling-guidelines