Ethical Considerations

Members of INSPECT-LB who are authors or co-authors of scientific publications are requested to adhere to the policy below. These guidelines have been designed to protect INSPECT-LB from any unethical authorship behaviors.

RESEARCHER-RELATED CONSIDERATIONS

• All INSPECT-LB members should abide by ethical considerations and bylaws of INSPECT-LB and must sign the oath of researchers available online (https://inspect-lb.org/ethical-considerations/).
• All INSPECT-LB members are entitled to add INSPECT-LB affiliation to their publications (articles, books, book chapters, posters, and oral communications).
• INSPECT-LB members who co-author a scientific publication with scientists who are not INSPECT-LB members are entitled to include INSPECT-LB affiliation in the publication.
• INSPECT-LB members MUST NOT add the INSPECT-LB affiliation when they doubt the quality of a manuscript. They are also recommended to exclude their name from questionable/flawed works to protect their reputation and that of INSPECT-LB.
• INSPECT-LB members can collaborate with other researchers on any research theme; however, the first author(s) must be knowledgeable, preferably expert, through education or work in the subject matter to avoid scientific flaws.
• Researchers are responsible scientifically and morally for the part(s) they write, which should conform to the following:
  
  • Conduct a complete literature review, and update it throughout the writing process;
  • Avoid any of the known forms of plagiarism in the narrative sections;
  • Describe a clear and detailed methodology according to the available checklists (https://inspect-lb.org/methodological-checklists/);
  • Clean the database before proceeding with the analysis;
  • Include a flawless results section, applying all the assumptions as appropriate, such as normality check, required by most journals, even with big samples.
• INSPECT-LB members should refrain from using irrelevant citations to support their writing, particularly when self-citing. Citing own work is sometimes necessary to avoid self-plagiarism or reflect the continuum of a long-term project. However, excessive self-
  citation aiming to raise the scores of authors by promoting their work lies under data manipulation and undermines academic integrity. Excessive self-citation consists of using biased references (geographical, school-of-thought, agreement for mutual citation between a group of authors) that do not represent the state of knowledge in the field at the time of writing.
• When serving as editors or reviewers, INSPECT-LB members should refrain from practicing coercive citations to raise their score or that of the journal.
• INSPECT-LB members are advised not to enroll in projects if they believe that they will find themselves working beyond the limits of their capacities or if they cannot dedicate the time required.
• Students can be listed as first authors, provided they are working on their thesis and agree to participate in the article submission and correction process until it is fully accepted. However, the following must be taken into consideration with respect to students’ duties in the research work:
  • Even when the first author is a student, the last author (senior investigator) will be the person in charge of reviewing and correcting the paper and its consecutive versions before submitting it to other co-authors for editing and approval.
  • If a student is performing an analysis, the last author (senior investigator) is responsible for the quality of results.
  • INSPECT-LB members are allowed to include students in research projects that are not within the students’ scope of specialty; however, students must not be held accountable for mistakes they have made during research work or paper writing. If they are assisting in writing, these students must not be listed as first authors, last authors, or corresponding authors. If the last author (senior investigator) believes that a student is entitled to be first author, then the student should be significantly involved in all steps of the research work and paper writing, including eventual corrections the reviewers require, under the supervision of the last author (senior investigator).

MANUSCRIPT-RELATED CONSIDERATIONS

• The manuscript writing process is under the direction of the last author (senior investigator).
• The database, syntax, and output files should be neat and available upon request.
• When reviewer comments are received, it is the duty of the first author(s) to review the manuscript. They can request the help of the other authors (each for their part) whenever necessary.
• Answers to reviewers’ comments must be written by the first author, reviewed by the analyst for statistical considerations, the critical editor, and the team leader for overall consistency. All other authors will also review the final version of the modified article.
• The writing, submission, and revisions must be conducted promptly but neatly; they must be carefully thought of, rigorously done, and conscientiously written to avoid unnecessary errors.