authors’ obligations
Authors submitting their work to academic journals, conferences, or other scholarly platforms have specific obligations to ensure the integrity, quality, and ethical standards of their research. These obligations are critical for maintaining trust in the academic publishing process. Below is a detailed overview of authors’ obligations:
1. Originality and Plagiarism
- Original Work: Authors must ensure that their submission is original and has not been published elsewhere.
- Avoid Plagiarism: Properly cite all sources, including text, data, and ideas, to avoid plagiarism. Self-plagiarism (reusing one’s own previously published work without citation) is also prohibited.
- Plagiarism Check: Use plagiarism detection tools to verify the originality of the manuscript before submission.
2. Ethical Research Practices
- Human and Animal Subjects: Research involving human or animal subjects must comply with ethical guidelines and obtain approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee.
- Informed Consent: Obtain informed consent from human participants and ensure their anonymity and confidentiality.
- Data Integrity: Ensure that data is accurate, complete, and reproducible. Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data is unacceptable.
3. Authorship and Contributions
- Authorship Criteria: Only individuals who have made significant contributions to the research should be listed as authors. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged.
- Order of Authors: The order of authors should reflect their relative contributions and be agreed upon by all co-authors.
- Corresponding Author: The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and ensuring all co-authors approve the final manuscript.
4. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
- Conflicts of Interest: Disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation.
- Funding Sources: Acknowledge all funding sources and their role in the research.
5. Compliance with Journal Guidelines
- Submission Requirements: Follow the journal’s submission guidelines, including formatting, word count, and referencing style.
- Peer Review: Cooperate with the peer review process, respond to reviewers’ comments, and make necessary revisions.
- Copyright and Licensing: Adhere to the journal’s copyright and licensing policies, such as Creative Commons licenses.
6. Data Sharing and Reproducibility
- Data Availability: Share research data, code, and materials to allow others to verify and replicate the findings.
- Repositories: Deposit data in recognized repositories and provide access links in the manuscript.
7. Corrections and Retractions
- Errors: Notify the journal promptly if errors are discovered in the published work.
- Retractions: Cooperate with the journal to retract the paper if serious ethical or scientific issues are identified.
8. Communication and Collaboration
- Co-Author Approval: Ensure all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript before submission.
- Journal Communication: Respond promptly to journal inquiries and requests for additional information.
9. Ethical Use of AI Tools
- Disclosure: If AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) are used in the research or writing process, disclose their use and describe how they were employed.
- Responsibility: Authors are ultimately responsible for the content and accuracy of their work, even if AI tools are used.
10. Key Takeaways
- Authors must ensure the originality, accuracy, and ethical integrity of their work.
- Proper attribution, disclosure of conflicts of interest, and compliance with journal guidelines are essential.
- Collaboration with co-authors and responsiveness to peer review are critical for successful publication.
- Ethical research practices and data sharing enhance the credibility and reproducibility of the research.
By adhering to these obligations, authors contribute to the integrity and advancement of scholarly research.