Ethics Guidelines

Read Wiley's Best Practice Guidelines on Publishing Ethics.

Publishing ethics guidelines

Take advantage of the industry’s most comprehensive publishing ethics guidelines.

For detailed ethical guidance, refer to our Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics. First published in 2006 and updated in 2014, these multi-disciplined guidelines provide resources and practical advice on ethical concerns that arise in academic publishing. Includes guidance on whistle-blowers, animal research, clinical research including clinical trial registration, human rights and confidentiality, and addresses how approaches differ between cultures.

Our top publishing ethics tips for authors

  1. Declare exclusivity: Confirm that your manuscript is not published elsewhere
  2. Disclose conflicts: Clearly declare any conflicts of interest, which could include relevant financial interests or personal, political, or religious interests
  3. Verify authorship: Ensure all co-authors meet authorship criteria and appropriate acknowledgments are made in the manuscript
  4. Describe use of GenAI tools: Any use of a GenAI tool to develop any portion of a manuscript should be clearly described in detail in the Methods section, via a disclosure or within the Acknowledgement section
  5. Include funding statements: Provide details on funding sources in the manuscript
  6. Ensure informed consent: Show informed consent and protect participants' rights*
  7. Register clinical trials: The The World Health Organization and Declaration of Helsinki both recommend that clinical trials should be registered prospectively, before participants are enrolled*
  8. Practice responsible animal research: Explain how animal research is conducted ethically*
  9. Avoid bias: Be vigilant about bias and follow guidelines for accurate and complete reporting or research
  10. Report errors: Inform the journal if you discover errors in your research post-submission. Use this correction template  when drafting corrections for a previously published article
  11. Sign a copyright agreement: Complete and sign the copyright agreement as required

* Where appropriate

Further Information

Further information related to publication ethics is available in our Licensing Info & FAQs. This includes information on publishing copyrighted material within a Wiley journal article, obtaining permission to reproduce material published in a Wiley article, guidelines on plagiarism and defamation, and additional Wiley policies on dual publication and retractions.