Research and publication ethics- Need for introspection

Research ethics provides appropriate guidelines for conducting research. Additionally, it ensures that scientists doing research adhere to high ethical standards set by the institutional ethics committee by educating and monitoring them. It is crucial that all research initiatives strictly adhere to ethical principles. Ethics is the set of rules that determine how someone should behave while conducting an activity. Professional organizations set the standards to be followed during research to avoid any harm to the trial subjects. It is the responsibility of the ethics committee to closely monitor the progress of research until the study is completed. If the researcher does not follow the guidelines, he can be reprimanded by the ethics committee, and they can also recommend other suitable remedial measures including stopping of the study. While conducting research, all ethical principles should be taken into consideration. This review discusses the fundamental ethical principles mentioned in the Belmont report i.e., autonomy, beneficence, justice and equality. It briefly covers research misconducts like fabrication, falsification of data, plagiarism and publication ethics.