SELF-PLAGIARISM AS A SOCIAL WORK CONCERN

Abstract

Publication ethics in social work have received very little attention. As the research base of the field continues to expand, and as the pressure to publish among academic faculty increases, social work researchers need to examine the ethical issues that can arise in scientific publication, including self-plagiarism and redundant publication. This article examines the issue of self-plagiarism, including "salami-slicing", "text recycling", and duplicate submission. Noting that many researchers may be unaware of publication guidelines, manuscript submission policies were reviewed for 28 major social work journals. Of the journals, 71.43% (n=20) explicitly prohibited simultaneous submissions, and 67.86% (n=19) clearly stated that submitted manuscripts were required to be original. Suggestions are provided to help social work researchers avoid committing intentional and unintentional acts of self-plagiarism and redundant publication.