When writing articles for your peers or a non-specialised audience, communicating your message with integrity is fundamental to maintaining trust in your publication. In this series on Communicating with Integrity, we discuss some of the key factors to incorporate when preparing your manuscript for publication to ensure that you are conveying your message effectively and respectfully.

In this first article, we consider some of the fundamental elements of a paper and how trust can be built through transparency.

Include a comprehensive and representative summary of the literature.

The foundation of trust in your research starts from the literature review. The literature included in your paper should be comprehensive and up to date to capture the current state of knowledge of the field. It is usually more appropriate to cite original research articles, however, citation of a comprehensive review article may be appropriate, depending on the context. It is also important to present an accurate representation of the literature, and this may mean the inclusion of studies that do not support your hypothesis or results.

Your work should present a critical assessment of the literature. Citing a range of sources, including competing or opposing work where applicable, can help strengthen the rationale for your study whilst demonstrating that you are conducting your research with a focus on rigour. Deliberate misrepresentation or biased presentation of the literature, aimed at providing support for your conclusions while neglecting conflicting opinions or data, must be avoided.

Declare any potential conflict of interest.

All relationships that could be perceived as a potential conflict of interest must be declared, in accordance with our Editorial policies, even if you do not think the relationship is relevant. As the ICMJE describe:

“Individuals may disagree on whether an author’s relationships or activities represent conflicts. Although the presence of a relationship or activity does not always indicate a problematic influence on a paper’s content, perceptions of conflict may erode trust in science as much as actual conflicts of interest. Ultimately, readers must be able to make their own judgments regarding whether an author’s relationships and activities are pertinent to a paper’s content”

Err on the side of transparency and disclose any relationships that a reader may find relevant to the work.

Detail changes from the original protocol.

Despite your best efforts, reality can get in the way of the best-designed research plans and being transparent about adaptions to planned protocols can help enhance trust in your work. Studies rarely follow a linear path and being open about how projects have been adapted in response to changes in circumstance or new data may in fact enhance the impact of your overall results. On the other hand, failure to explain why a study description differs from a published study protocol can undermine a reader’s trust in the study and may result in a rejection decision. Be straightforward about necessary modifications to the study design and explain how this may or may not impact the generalisability or certainty of the findings.

(Featured image declaration: by wal_172619 from Pixabay)