Publication Ethics: Clinical Chemistry Editorial Standards

Abstract

Each person’s work is always a portrait of himself. — Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) In the last decade there has been increasing adverse publicity regarding the ethics of researchers, and in some cases journals, for not presenting research data and conclusions in an honest and transparent manner. As editors, we acknowledge our responsibility in making efforts toward reversing this trend. Therefore, on the first anniversary of Clinical Chemistry ’s new editorial team, we want to review the Journal’s policies regarding ethics in publication and to clearly identify the steps Clinical Chemistry is taking to avert ethical breeches in the publication of reports. Assurance of the scientific integrity of any publication depends on 3 parties—the editors, the authors, and the reviewers. Editors exercise control over the entire evaluation process of a manuscript and must be beyond reproach. Authors take responsibility for honest and complete reporting of original data produced in ethically conducted research studies. Reviewers give their honest appraisal of a study’s novelty, scientific value, experimental design, and completeness of the data reported. We present the Journal’s positions on several areas of publication ethics with the intention of ensuring the integrity of material published in Clinical Chemistry . Editors are accountable to authors, readers, and the public. The editors have sole responsibility for the integrity of material published in the Journal and exercise control over this process as mandated by their contracts with the AACC. The editors oversee the entire evaluation process of all manuscripts, including specifying the requirements for submission, selection of reviewers, management of the review process, and decisions regarding acceptance of manuscripts for publication. The editorial process has to be honest and fair, and all decisions regarding the outcome of a manuscript must be made without delay. Editors must establish policies and procedures to assure authors, reviewers, and readers …