TAC Publication Ethics and Expectations
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Technical
Activities Committee (TAC) has developed the following policies to guide the
ethical conduct of AIAA members participating in the Institute’s technical
activities and events including Conferences, Publications, Standards
Development, etc. This material was prepared by and is maintained by the TAC
Ethical Standards Subcommittee (TESS).
Background:
In 1978, the AIAA published a Code of Ethics approved by the membership that
provides a guideline for professional conduct ‘to uphold and advance the honor
and dignity of the aerospace profession’. The AIAA ECP was established to
respond to inquiries and complaints concerning the code of ethics. The ECP is
guided by the ‘ECP Operating Procedure’ which ensures consistency, fairness,
and privacy in the investigation of potential ethics violations.
To provide further guidance, the AIAA Publications Committee has released
‘Ethical Standards for Publication of Aeronautics and Astronautics Research’
which identifies the specific obligations of Editors-in-Chief and Associate Editors,
Authors, and Reviewers of Manuscripts (including journals, books, papers,
standards, position papers, etc.). ‘Publication Ethical Standards: Guidelines and
Procedures’ was subsequently disseminated by the AIAA Publications
Committee to publicize that committee’s policies for Ethical Standards Violations
and the Procedures for Ethics Investigations. This document identifies the role of
the Publication Ethical Standards Subcommittee which acts in concert with the
ECP in the investigation of plagiarism and other publications-related complaints.
The AIAA Technical Activities Committee has developed the following policies
regarding ethical conduct to consolidate and supplement the existing AIAA
policies and procedures.
Ethical Obligations of Editors-in-Chief and Associate Editors1:
1. The Editor will give unbiased and impartial consideration to all manuscripts
offered for publication, judging each on its scientific and engineering merits
without regard to race, gender, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or
political philosophy of the author(s)
2. The Editor and the editorial staff will not disclose any information about a
manuscript under consideration or its disposition to anyone other than those
from whom professional advice is sought. The names of reviewers will not
be released without the reviewer’s permission.
3. The Editor will respect the intellectual independence of authors.
4. Editorial responsibility and authority for any manuscript authored by an
Editor-in-Chief and submitted to the journal must be delegated to some
other qualified person, such as an Associate Editor of that journal. When it
is an Associate Editor participating in the debate, the Editor-in-Chief should
either assume the responsibility or delegate it to another Associate Editor.
Editors should avoid situations of real or perceived conflicts of interest. If an
Editor chooses to participate in an ongoing scientific debate within the
journal, the Editor should arrange for some other qualified person to take
editorial responsibility.
5. Unpublished information, arguments, or interpretations disclosed in a
submitted manuscript must not be used in the research of an Editor-inChief, Associate Editor, or reviewer except with the consent of the author.
6. If an Editor is presented with convincing evidence that the main substance
or conclusions of a paper published in the journal are erroneous, the Editor
must facilitate publication of an appropriate paper or technical comment
pointing out the error and, if possible, correcting it.
Ethical Obligations of Authors1:
1. An author’s central obligation is to present a concise, accurate account of
the research performed as well as an objective discussion of its
significance.
2. A manuscript or presentation should contain sufficient detail and reference
to public sources of information such that the author’s peers could repeat
the work.
3. An author should cite those publications that have been influential in
determining the nature of the reported work and that will guide the reader
quickly to the earlier work that is essential for understanding the present
investigation. An author should ensure that the paper is free of plagiarism,
i.e., that it does not appropriate the composition or ideas of another and
claim them as original work of the present author(s). Plagiarism in any form
is unacceptable and is considered a serious breach of professional conduct
with potentially severe ethical and legal consequences. Information
obtained privately, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with
third parties, should not be used or reported in the author’s work without
explicit permission from the investigator with whom the information
originated. Information obtained in the course of confidential services, such
as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, should be treated similarly.
The following situations almost always require citation3:
 The use of quotes
 The use of paraphrasing
 The use of an idea that someone else has already expressed
 Specific reference to the work of another
 whenever someone else's work has been critical in developing the
presented ideas
Citation of Internet Sources in AIAA Manuscripts2:
In addition to the traditional citation of published sources that includes
author, title of the work, name and location of the publishing
organization, publish date, and page numbers, the increasing use of the
internet to support research requires additional guidance for citing
internet sources. Specifically, the citation for internet sources should
include the organization hosting the website, the date of retrieval, and
the website address (reference examples in the bibliography of this
policy)
Recommendations for the use of Internet Sources2:
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Print or save to a disk Web documents you cite. They might
disappear, relocate, or become revised. The copy you keep may very
soon be the only way to see it again.
If the Web document is an abridgment of a printed (published)
source, it is better to cite the more complete printed source. Citing
both versions is another option.
Choose to cite signed Web documents whenever possible, i.e. those
whose authors are apparent. Web documents from unknown authors
or organizations are suspect, and may be less reliable and verifiable
than other sources.
Gauge whether the information in the Web document is reliable by
comparing the author's evidence and conclusions with that in other
sources you have used and by researching the author's reputation. It
is wise to use and cite a variety of resources, not only those on the
Web.
The rules of citation (attributing quotations and intellectual content)
apply equally to Internet and traditionally published sources; so do
standards of quality.
4. Fragmentation of research papers should be avoided. A scientist who has
done extensive work on a system or group of related systems should
organize publication so that each paper gives a complete account of a
particular aspect of the general study.
5. It is inappropriate for an author to submit manuscripts describing essentially
the same research to more than one journal of primary publication.
Simultaneous submission to more than one journal may result in suspension
of publication rights for the author(s) in any AIAA journal
6. An accurate, nontrivial criticism of the content of a published paper is
justified; however, in no case is personal criticism considered to be
appropriate.
7. To protect the integrity of authorship, only persons who have significantly
contributed to the research and paper presentation should be listed as
authors. The corresponding author attests to the fact that any others named
as authors have seen the final version of the paper and have agreed to its
submission for publication. Deceased persons who meet the criterion for
co-authorship should be included, with a footnote reporting date of death.
No fictitious name should be listed as an author or co-author. The author
who submits a manuscript for publication accepts the responsibility of
having included as co-authors all persons appropriate and none
inappropriate.
8. It is inappropriate to submit manuscripts with an obvious marketing
orientation.
Ethical Obligation of Reviewers of Manuscripts1:
1. A chosen reviewer who feels inadequately qualified or lacks the time to
judge the research reported in a manuscript should return it promptly to the
Editor.
2. A reviewer of a manuscript should judge the quality of the manuscript
objectively and respect the intellectual independence of the authors. In no
case is personal criticism appropriate
3. A reviewer should be sensitive even to the appearance of a conflict of
interest. If in doubt, the reviewer should return the manuscript promptly
without review, advising the Editor of the conflict of interest or bias.
4. A reviewer should not evaluate a manuscript authored or co-authored by a
person with whom the reviewer has a personal or professional connection if
the relationship would bias judgment of the manuscript
5. A reviewer should treat a manuscript sent for review as a confidential
document. It’s contents, as well as the reviewer’s recommendations, should
neither be shown to nor discussed with others except, in special cases, to
persons from whom specific advice may be sought; in that event, the
identities of those consulted should be disclosed to the Editor.
6. A reviewer should not used or disclose unpublished information, arguments,
or interpretations contained in a manuscript under consideration, except
with the consent of the author.
Prevention of Plagiarism:
To prevent plagiarism in published manuscripts, AIAA may employ the use of
detection tools or contract with detection services. In the event that potential
plagiarism is detected the submitting author will be notified of the findings and
provided with an opportunity to refute.
The procedures for investigating and addressing potential plagiarism are
provided in AIAA’s ‘Publication Ethical Standards: Guidelines and Procedures’.
Penalties range from withdrawal of submittals to permanent ban of publication
through AIAA and revocation of memberships.
Through these policies it is AIAA’s intent to ensure the highest level of
professional standards and integrity for the membership and products of the
Institute.
Bibliography
1. The Ethical obligations are a subset of those that were cited in the AIAA’s
‘Ethical Standards for Publication of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Research’ which acknowledges that the standards embodied in that
document were revised and approved by the AIAA Publications
Committee in January 2006 and are endorsed by the AIAA Editors-InChief. These standards are adapted from those published by the
American Geophysical Union and are used with their permission.
2. Collections, Research, & Instructional Services UCLA Young Research
Library. Citing Internet Sources, Prepared by Patti S. Caravello,
UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library, Reference & Instructional
Services. Retrieved November 7, 2007 from
http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/yrl/referenc/citing.htm
Provides formats, examples, and recommendations.
3. Plagiarism.org, What is Citation? Retrieved on November 8, 2007 from
http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_citation.html