The International Tinnitus Journal

Standards for Ethical Publication

Author(s): Abraham Shulman; Barbara Goldstein; Claus-Frenz Claussen; Michael Seidman

Authors are ethically obligated to be sure that data are presented accurately and in a fair and unbiased way. The supporting data for any scientific investigation should be maintained in authors’ office files for a minimum of 5 to 7 years after publication. (This is dependent on the study and the governing agency. Some institutions require less time, particularly for retrospective data.) Scientific data should never be altered or deleted. In this era of modern computer science, authors must also be careful that photographs and other illustrations when enhanced or otherwise “touched up” do not mislead readers or distort information. Digital enhancement of pictures that might be interpreted as intending to adjust or enhance findings or that could otherwise potentially mislead the reader is considered a major ethical breach.

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