Ethics in Scientific Publication

T principles that govern the ethics of scientific publication are no different than for any other endeavor: complete and accurate reporting and appropriate attribution to the contributions of others. However, as always, “the devil is in the details.” The ethical responsibilities of authors and reviewers are sufficiently important and complex that the editors of the American Chemical Society journals have developed a detailed document outlining these responsibilities. (This document, “Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research” is presented in Appendix 1-1.) The purpose of this chapter is not to duplicate this document, but rather to discuss some of the important underlying principles and situations that often arise. Scientific research, perhaps more than most professions, crucially depends on the integrity of the investigators. Most research consists of a series of complex experiments or theoretical calculations that cannot (or will not) be duplicated easily elsewhere. Moreover, it is usually extremely difficult to determine in detail if the results are correct and can be trusted. Published results generally are accepted at face value. Very often related work eventually may be done by others that tests the results, so that checks and balances exist within the system. This is usually a long process, however, and the advance of science may be significantly delayed if published results are not correct. The bottom line is that we depend on the integrity of the investigators reporting the results. We assume that the description of the work is accurate and honest unless proven otherwise. This places a considerable burden on the authors to ensure that the system works. Research is by its nature exploratory, and honest mistakes may occur. Errors due to human fallibility are unfortunate, but not unethical. Research inevitably