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From Paper to Practice; Indexing Systems and Ethical Standards
Behrooz Astaneh1, Sarah Masoumi2
1Department of Medical Journalism, School of Para-Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Science and Engineering Ethics
|April 13, 2017
Summary
Indexing databases like Scopus and Web of Science are crucial for journal visibility and author citations. However, most do not mandate adherence to publication ethics, creating a gap in research integrity standards.
Area of Science:
- Bibliometrics
- Scholarly Publishing
- Research Ethics
Background:
- Journal visibility and author citation are key goals in academic publishing.
- Indexing in prominent databases (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science) is highly sought after.
- Publication ethics are central to maintaining research integrity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the ethical requirements of major indexing databases.
- To determine if these databases mandate adherence to publication ethics for journal indexing.
Main Methods:
- Review of indexing criteria for prominent databases including Scopus, Web of Science (ISI), Medline, Directory of Open Access Journals, and PubMed Central.
- Analysis of whether ethical considerations are mentioned or mandated.
Main Results:
- Only Scopus mandates clear ethical policies on journal websites for indexing.
- Medline and Directory of Open Access Journals advise adherence but do not mandate it.
- Web of Science (ISI) and PubMed Central do not mention ethics as an indexing criterion.
Conclusions:
- A significant gap exists between indexing system requirements and international publication ethics guidelines.
- The lack of mandatory ethical standards in indexing may hinder full implementation of ethical practices by journals and authors.
- Current indexing practices partially recommend ethical considerations, rather than enforcing them.