Salami slicing: clarifying common misconceptions for social science early-career researchers.

Adams, Nicholas Norman

Abstract

The term Salami Slicing is used often within academia to refer to the needless separation of a single research study, attached data set, and argument, that should form a single publication, into two or several separate publications for submission in different journals. While the term is used with frequency, there exists few explicit guidelines that concretely explain firstly: what tangibly constitutes the unethical and damaging practice of Salami Slicing, and secondly: instances relating to social science research where multiple publications from a single body of data are not only acceptable, but necessary for furthering scholarly thought and developing important cross-disciplinary perspectives. These cases actively exist outside of and resist the Salami Slicing label. This paper represents a discussion of the above points from my perspective as a social science early career researcher (ECR) in the hope of clarifying the key misconceptions and ambiguities surrounding this common yet often elusive term. By doing this, I hope to minimise anxiety and panic for fellow ECRs, and help them avoid needlessly withdrawing carefully developed and time-intensive publications that could actively benefit and grow different disciplinary social science perspectives.

Citation

ADAMS, N.N. 2022. Salami slicing: clarifying common misconceptions for social science early-career researchers. SN social sciences [online], 2(7), article 88. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-022-00389-6

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 6, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jun 16, 2022
• Publication Date: Jul 31, 2022
• Deposit Date: May 24, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 17, 2023
• Journal: SN social sciences
• Print ISSN: 2662-9283
• Electronic ISSN: 2662-9283
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 7
• Article Number: 88
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-022-00389-6
• Keywords: Salami slicing; Scholarly communications; Scholarly publishing; Academic publishing; Authorship; Self-plagiarism; Social science researchers; Early-career researchers
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1674154