Don’t be blinded by the pressure to publish
Demands are high across the academic landscape. Many within the scientific community are calling for faster publication speeds and increased scholarly outputs while still requiring high standards of research quality. In this kind of environment, where authors are expected to publish their work quickly or “perish” and risk the loss of professional opportunities, it’s not surprising that many decide to cut corners or are rushing and make simple mistakes.
But this mentality can be dangerous, resulting in article retractions which can have costly consequences for publishers and create negative attention for authors. Beyond harming reputations, research misconduct also destroys scientific progress and reduces public trust in research.
Don’t fall into the trap of being swayed by the pressure to publish. You should instead properly acknowledge other contributors and follow ethical guidelines to make sure your work educates learners and has a positive impact on science.
Use technology to boost integrity
Integrity issues are becoming more incessant and complex. How can technologies make a difference?
Researchers now have endless digital tools at their disposal that you can use to detect mistakes and identify areas for improvement in your work. Research integrity is so much more than misconduct and authors must take advantage of technology’s ability to minimize human error.
You can find more support for the highest research standards by joining societies and organizations that are just as committed to upholding integrity as you are. Make sure that your community gives you the right opportunities and the freedom to use tools to modify your work. Take a look at your society or publisher’s chosen partners and the type of technology organizations they use to accelerate their publishing workflows.
At Morressier, we have just launched self-service preflight checks that empower you to ensure your work is of the highest quality before submitting. For a limited time only, we’re offering this service at no charge so that authors can expand the possibilities of their research faster and earlier than ever before. Sign up for a free preflight check report here.
Start swimming upstream
Perhaps the key to taking integrity into your own hands is to start the process early. It’s just as important to check the validity of your early-stage research and pre-published findings – be they conference proceedings, videos, ePosters, etc. – as it is to verify your final results.
Ensuring integrity and accuracy early on can help you avoid embarrassing consequences further on in the research process and save time overall, so you can focus on what matters most: your research.
Conclusion
With so many moving parts surrounding scholarly publishing these days, it can be easy to lose sight of what’s important and forget to prioritize integrity. But, the ramifications of these oversights can be extremely damaging.
That’s why it’s crucial to be proactive, independent, and explore different ways to protect your research integrity so that your work can truly find its way into the future. Try our new preflight checks service - free for a limited time - to start taking control of your research integrity.
