Research Ethics

Q: Can I publish an SCI paper as an independent researcher?

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Hi, I am a graduate student. I wrote a review article in English which doesn't have data from trial or lab. I want to submit it to a tier 4 journal with lower IF, but my supervisor disagreed and refused to review the paper for me. Can I publish it as an individual? Or just use the university name? Will that be unethical or some form of misconduct? Thanks!

Asked on 11 Mar, 2019

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You can definitely publish an article either as an independent researcher or using your university affiliation. However, please think about it carefully before you arrive at such a decision. Why do you think your supervisor doesn't want you to publish this paper? Since he/she is an experienced person, there could be a valid reason why he/she feels it will not be good for you at the moment.

Generally speaking, writing a good review paper requires in-depth knowledge of the field. Most good review papers are written by experienced researchers. Possibly, this is why your supervisor doesn't want you to publish the review paper. Possibly he/she feels that you do not yet have the necessary expertise to write a great review paper.

Additionally, if you publish the review paper against your supervisor's wishes, he/she might take offense. Do you want to annoy your supervisor at this stage when you would still require his/her support till the time you graduate?

I think you should weigh your odds carefully. How much do you stand to gain by publishing a review paper that might not be of excellent quality in a low impact factor journal? On the contrary, you might lose your supervisor's support and the chance to publish a good quality original research paper which would definitely add more value to your CV. If you still think you should publish the review paper, you can go ahead and do so. It is not unethical and would not be regarded as academic misconduct.