Challenges to ethical publishing in the digital era
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society
ISSN: 1477-996X
Article publication date: 14 March 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to lay out some of the more complex issues arising in the area of publication ethics. The impact of electronic publishing and electronic information is a main focus of the paper.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws in particular upon the work of the Committee on Publication Ethics including illustrative cases discussed at the forum, guidelines and discussion documents.
Findings
Three areas are highlighted to stimulate discussion around challenges of publication ethics in the digital era. These are the role of the internet in facilitating misconduct, the issue of confidentiality in publishing and how incentives in research assessments drive author behavior.
Originality/value
The paper brings together a variety of issues discussed under the broader umbrella of electronic information and new technologies in publishing.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The COPE cases included in this review are reproduced here with permission from COPE and were adapted for readability. All cases are freely accessible at www.publicationethics.org
Conflicts of interest declaration: Mirjam J. Curno is a council member of the Committee on Publication Ethics and a full-time member of staff at the publisher Frontiers. This review was written on invitation by the journal.
Funding declaration: No funding was used for this work.
Author contribution statement: Mirjam J. Curno wrote the article and approved the final version.
Citation
Curno, M.J. (2016), "Challenges to ethical publishing in the digital era", Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 4-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-08-2015-0026
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited