Publication Ethics Guidance
A publication record that is clean, transparent and defensible — and the judgement to keep it that way.
What this service covers
Ethical publishing protects your degree, your reputation and your future. The rules are stricter than most scholars realise: a paper submitted to two journals at once, a co-author added as a favour, a paragraph reused from your own earlier work, an undisclosed use of AI — any of these can lead to rejection, retraction or an inquiry years later. We help you publish in a way you will never have to defend.
The standards that apply
We explain the standards that journals and universities actually apply — COPE guidelines, UGC regulations on plagiarism, and journal-specific ethics policies.
Similarity & self-plagiarism
We run similarity checks before submission and help you address genuine overlap, including self-plagiarism from your thesis or earlier papers.
Authorship
We guide you on authorship: who qualifies, in what order, and how contributions should be declared — so there are no disputes later.
One study, right number of papers
We advise on duplicate submission, salami slicing and redundant publication, so one study becomes the right number of papers, not too many.
Approvals & statements
We guide you on ethics approval, informed consent and data-availability statements, and on how to report them in the paper.
Disclosure
We advise on disclosing the use of AI tools, funding and conflicts of interest according to the target journal's policy.
Avoiding predators
We help you recognise and avoid predatory journals, paid-authorship schemes and fake conferences, and tell you plainly when an offer is not what it seems.
After publication
If a problem arises after publication — an error, a correction, an allegation — we guide you on how to respond responsibly.
A clear, guided process
- 01
Understand
We explain the standards journals and universities actually apply — COPE guidelines, UGC regulations and journal-specific ethics policies.
- 02
Check
We run similarity checks and help you address genuine overlap, including self-plagiarism from your thesis or earlier papers.
- 03
Declare
We guide you on authorship, ethics approval, consent, data-availability statements, and disclosure of AI, funding and conflicts of interest.
- 04
Avoid harm
We help you avoid duplicate submission, salami slicing, predatory journals and paid-authorship schemes.
- 05
Respond
If a problem arises after publication, we guide you on how to respond responsibly.