Ethics Guidance for Occupational Health Practice 9th Edition - Book - Page 107
Authors should not pursue, without justification and disclosure, publication of
the same or similar results in more than one peer reviewed journal. Commercial
secrecy in the private sector and political embarrassment in the public sector
can both be barriers to the dissemination of information. Occupational health
professionals are well placed to understand potential sensitivities in their
organisation
and,
whether
conducting
research
themselves
or facilitating external researchers, they should ensure that issues are addressed
in advance of studies, commencing with (preferably written) agreement about
the dissemination of results.
5.60. Journal editors are expected to encourage ethical research through
endeavouring to ensure that research they publish has been conducted
according to the relevant internationally accepted guidelines. Guidelines are
published by the Committee on Publication Ethics 88. In doing this they will seek
assurances that all relevant research has been approved by an appropriate
body, e.g. an independent research ethics committee, where one exists 89 .
Where research has not been independently reviewed then authors should
provide evidence that they have considered and met the appropriate
ethical standards.
5.61. Protecting the confidentiality of the individual’s information obtained in the
course of research or professional interactions, e.g. between occupational
health professionals and workers, is of particular concern. It is therefore almost
always necessary to obtain written informed consent for publication from
people who might recognise themselves or be identified by others, e.g. from
case reports. It may be possible to publish individual information without
express consent if:
Public interest considerations outweigh possible harms.
It is impossible to obtain consent.
A reasonable individual would be unlikely to object to publication.
All three criteria must be met, and authors should submit a full justification to
the editor on submission of paper for publication without the subject’s consent.
5.62. Occupational health professionals may be invited to give a critical review of
funding applications and manuscripts offered for publication. Reviewers should
ensure that they are impartial, competent in the subject and that reviews are
courteous and as constructive as possible.
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