What are Sage’s ethics and responsibility policies for authors?

Authors should ensure that:

• their work is original and written by them
• their work has not been previously published and has been submitted only to the journal 
• where material is taken from other sources (including their own published writing) the source is clearly cited and that where appropriate permission is obtained
• their work does not infringe on any rights of others, including privacy rights and intellectual property rights
• their data is true and not manipulated
• their data is their own or that they have permission to use data reproduced in their paper
• any real or apparent conflicting or competing interest is clearly stated on submission of their paper (this would include funding assistance)
• they adhere to all research ethics guidelines of their discipline, particularly where human or animal subjects are involved
• they contact the Editor to identify and correct any material errors upon discovery, whether prior or subsequent to publication of their work
• authorship of the paper is accurately represented, including ensuring that all individuals credited as authors participated in the actual authorship of the work and that all who participated are credited and have given consent for publication

Above all, authors should be transparent.  For example, if an author is not sure whether her paper is original (for instance, whether it might constitute duplicate publication), she should inform the journal’s editor. If the editor decides it is appropriate to publish, the paper itself should state clearly any potential overlap.

For more information, please visit the Sage Author Gateway.