Hey friends,
Back in June, I was reviewing a manuscript for a conference
I was pretty happy with the paper
But there was a problem: a missing citation.
The reference was there in my reference list but I completely forgot to cite it in the discussion section
Nothing dramatic. The reviewers missed it, but I contacted the editors/organizers of the conference they fixed it on time before publishing the proceedings
But it made me think.
Because in research, small ethical gaps don’t stay small for long
We often think of ethics as something that happens at the end.
Right before submission
Right before publication (like in my case)
But that’s not how it works.
Ethics is not a final check, it’s a cycle.
It shows up at every stage of your research
Let me explain
1. Ethics of funding
Everything starts here.
Where is your funding coming from?
Who is supporting your work?
You don’t need perfect funding, but you need transparency
If there’s a potential conflict of interest, declare it.
Simple rule:
If it could influence your results, it should be visible
2. Ethics of research data
This is the foundation of everything.
Your data must be:
• Accurate
• Honest
• Reproducible
No shortcuts, no “adjusting” results to fit expectations.
Because once data is compromised, everything built on top of it becomes weak.
3. Ethics of writing, citing, and plagiarism
This is where many researchers struggle.
Always:
• Cite properly
• Use quotation marks when needed
• Give credit where it’s due
Remember:
Using someone else’s work without credit is not a mistake it’s a real problem.
And if you use AI mention it
4. Ethics of submission and peer review
This stage is often misunderstood.
Submitting the same paper to multiple journals (to increase your chances of publication)?
Trying to influence reviewers?
And if you are a reviewer:
Confidentiality matters.
You’re seeing unpublished work. Treat it with respect.
5. Ethics of publishing and copyright
Once your paper is accepted, the job is not over.
You need to understand:
• Who owns the content
• What rights you keep
• How your work can be shared
This is where many researchers sign things without reading
Take a minute. It matters more than you think.
6. Ethics of predatory journals
This is a big one today.
Not all journals are equal.
Some look real… but aren’t.
They promise:
• Fast publication
• Easy acceptance
But skip proper peer review.
Before submitting, ask yourself: Is this journal credible?
If something feels too easy, it probably is.
I published a guide about predatory journals and how to spot them: https://www.jamaleo.com/article/how-to-avoid-predatory-journals/
And another one on how to identify relevant journals https://jamaleo.beehiiv.com/p/how-to-find-the-right-journals-to-publish-your-paper
The bigger picture
Now, if you step back, you’ll see something important.
Ethics is not one decision
It’s a series of small decisions at every step
Funding → Data → Writing → Submission → Publishing
If you miss one step it affects everything else.
Here is my simple way to think about it
Before you move to the next step in your research, ask yourself:
“Would I be comfortable explaining this to a reviewer?”
If the answer is no…
Fix it. Then move forward.
We all want the same thing:
To publish good research.
In good journals.
With impact.
But speed should never come before integrity.
Because your reputation in research is built slowly… and can be damaged very quickly.
I would love to hear from you:
Which stage do you find most challenging when it comes to research ethics?
That’s all for now.
See you next Sunday.
Jamal