Page 169 - How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 8th Edition 8th Edition

Page 193

Page 193

Chapter 31
Ethics, Rights, and Permissions

Science does not select or mold specially honest people: it simply places them in a situation where cheating does not pay. . . . For all I know,
scientists may lie to the IRS or to their spouses just as frequently or as infrequently as everybody else.
—S. E. Luria

Importance of Originality

In any kind of publishing, various legal and ethical principles must be considered. The principal areas of concern,
which are often related, involve originality and ownership (copyright). To avoid charges of plagiarism or copyright
infringement, certain types of permission are mandatory if someone else's work, and sometimes even your own, is to
be republished.

In science publishing, the ethical side of the question is even more pronounced, because originality in science has a
deeper meaning than it does in other fields. A short story, for example, can be reprinted many times without violating
ethical principles. A primary research paper, however, can be published in a primary journal only once. Dual
publication can be legal if the appropriate copyright release has been obtained, but it is universally considered to be a
cardinal sin against the ethics of science. "Repetitive publication of the same data or ideas for different journals,
foreign or national, reflects scientific sterility and constitutes exploitation of what is considered an ethical medium for
propagandizing

Page 194
one's self. Self-plagiarism signifies lack of scientific objectivity and modesty" (Burch, 1954).

Every primary research journal requires originality, the requirement being usually stated in the journal masthead
statement or in the Instructions to Authors. Typically, such statements read as follows:

"Submission of a paper (other than a review) to a journal normally implies that it presents the results of original
research or some new ideas not previously published, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and
that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, either in English or in any other language,
without the consent of the editors" ("General Notes on the Preparation of Scientific Papers," The Royal Society,
London).

The "consent of the editors" would not be given if you asked to republish all or a substantial portion of your paper in
another primary publication. Even if such consent were somehow obtained, the editor of the second journal would
refuse publication if he or she were aware of prior publication. Normally, the consent of the editors (or whoever
speaks for the copyright owner) would be granted only if republication were in a nonprimary journal. Obviously, parts
of the paper, such as tables and illustrations, could be republished in a review. Even the whole paper could be
republished if the nonprimary nature of the publication were apparent; as examples, republication would almost
always be permitted in a Collected Reprints volume of a particular institution, in a Selected Papers volume on a
particular subject, or in a Festschrift volume comprising papers of a particular scientist. In all such instances, however,
appropriate permission should be sought, for both ethical and legal reasons.

Authorship

The listing of authors' names (see Chapter 5) is of considerable ethical import. Can each listed author take intellectual

file:///C|/...0208%20Books%20(part%201%20of%203)/How%20to%20write%20&%20publish%20scientific%20paper/31.htm[4/27/2009 1:26:12 PM]