In academia, the pressure to publish is high and the competition intense. This can lead authors to follow unethical publication practices, such as salami slicing, duplicate publication, and simultaneous submission. This slide deck explains these malpractices and shares tips on how authors can avoid them.

1. Salami Slicing
and
Duplicate Publication

2. Salami slicing

3. What is Salami Slicing?
When authors break up a large study into two or more
smaller published articles, they are creating “slices” of their work.
What happens in salami slicing?
A single research is divided into “slices,” each of
which is a “least publishable unit.”
Why do authors do it?
• To increase their publication count
• To get more recognition
• To achieve faster career progression
• To receive more funding

4. Why is it unethical?
1. You cannot break up a study into parts and present them as
separate studies.
2. Salami slicing is harmful to science. For example, readers may
believe that each slice, which looks independent, is the result of
studies on different groups of subjects.
3. It increases the quantity of scientific literature instead of quality.
4. It leads to self-plagiarism.
5. It is an unfair waste of peer reviewers’ time.
6. It increases the author’s citation record.
7. It is an unethical means of achieving career progression.

5. Duplicate publication and
multiple submissions

6. What do these terms mean?
Duplicate submission
• These practices are unethical and are categorized under “author
misconduct”.
• They are brought to the notice of all editors within the field.
• Authors stand to lose credibility.
• Some journals ban the author for as many as five years.
Submitting the same
manuscript to multiple
journals
Publishing the same
study in multiple
journals
Multiple submissions

7. Was it intentional?
 Authors are often unaware that they are following unethical
publication practices.
 Often, authors don’t know the difference between salami
slicing, duplicate publication, and multiple submission.
 Authors may find it difficult to decide when they should
publish the same study as a separate paper.
 Authors may not know that they are self-plagiarizing.

8. Example 1
 Early career researchers may feel that breaking up a study into smaller publishable
parts is the best way to get recognition.
 They may not know that they are indulging in salami slicing and that it is unethical!
I need to publish more papers
soon…Maybe I should divide my
original study into smaller parts
and publish them separately. I
guess that’s the right thing to do!

9. Example 2
 The long wait for publication and high rejection rates are tough to handle.
 Authors may think that they are saving time by submitting the same paper to multiple journals
at the same time.
 They may feel that a re-published paper will get them more citations.
It takes so long to hear from
journals. Let me submit my paper
to two journals at once. I will save
time. One of them is bound to
accept my paper.

10. Tips to publish ethically (1/2)
 Your study is very large and addresses many distinct
questions.
 Your study results are re-analyzed from a completely
different angle or given a completely different
treatment.
Break up your paper into smaller papers if:
Avoid breaking up data unless the study demands it!

11.  Focus on the quality of your publications, not on quantity.
 If you are using data from articles that you have previously
published, make sure you cite them in your paper.
 In case you feel there’s an overlap, make sure you declare this at
the time of submission.
 If possible, submit copies of potentially overlapping studies along
with your manuscript to the journal.
 In case you have submitted the same paper to another journal,
inform the journal editors about it, so they know that you do not
intend to deceive them.
Tips to publish ethically (2/2)

12. To know more about salami slicing, duplicate publication, and
simultaneous submissions in details, view:
1. Salami slicing
http://www.slideshare.net/editage/the-pitfalls-of-salami-slicing-
focus-on-quality-and-notquantity-of-publications
And
2. Duplicate publications and simultaneous submissions
http://www.slideshare.net/editage/duplicate-
publicationsandsimultaneous-submissions
Related reading

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