Publication Ethics for Surgeons

David A Rew
Council Member, Committee on Publication Ethics 

"Publication ethics describes the framework of good conduct and professional courtesies by which we protect the quality and trustworthiness of the publishing process, and the practices which lead to published work. Academic publishing depends, to a great extent, on trust. Editors trust peer reviewers to provide fair assessments, authors trust editors to select appropriate peer reviewers, and readers put their trust in the peer-review process. Academic publishing also occurs in an environment of powerful intellectual, financial, and sometimes political interests that may collide or compete. Good decisions and strong editorial processes designed to manage these interests will foster a sustainable and efficient publishing system, which will benefit academic societies, journal editors, authors, research funders, readers, and publishers. Good publication practices do not develop by chance, and will become established only if they are actively promoted."

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