Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Publication Practices In Physics, Marshall Thomsen

Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse

Publication of research results in scholarly journals plays an important role in the scientific community. These publications provide both a means for dissemination of new results and a means for evaluating the quality of scientific work and the scientists who perform it. This paper will examine motivations for publishing, ethical issues in publication, some relevant ethical codes, and some corrective measures that have been taken to shore up areas of ethical concern. Finally, the impact of new communications technologies on the future of publication will be considered.