The Ethical Compass: Establishing ethical guidelines for research practices in sports medicine and exercise science

Authors

  • Noomen Guelmami High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia | Postgraduate School of Public Health, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy | Research Unit: Physical Activity, Sport, and Health, UR18JS01, National Observatory of Sport, Tunis 1003, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4959-9726
  • Lamia Ben Ezzeddine Department of Human and Social Sciences, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Said, University of Manouba, Tunis, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9051-9897
  • Ghouili Hatem High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9558-5448
  • Omar Trabelsi Research Unit: Physical Activity, Sport, and Health, UR18JS01, National Observatory of Sport, Tunis 1003, Tunisia | High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6545-4706
  • Helmi Ben Saad University of Sousse, Farhat Hached hospital, Research Laboratory LR12SP09 “Heart Failure”,Sousse, Tunisia | University of Sousse, Faculty of Medicine of Sousse, Laboratory of Physiology, Sousse, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7477-2965
  • Jordan M Glenn Department of Health, Exercise Science Research Center Human Performance and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2563-4291
  • Abdelfatteh El Omri Surgical Research Section, Department of Surgery, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4112-7924
  • Nasr Chalghaf High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Gafsa, University of Gafsa, Gafsa, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7693-0234
  • Morteza Taheri Department of Behavioral and Conative Sciences in Sports, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8031-3792
  • Anissa Bouassida High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0971-0183
  • Mohamed Ben Aissa High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia | Research Unit: Physical Activity, Sport, and Health, UR18JS01, National Observatory of Sport, Tunis 1003, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7694-1059
  • Khaled Trabelsi Research Laboratory: Education, Motricity, Sport and Health, EM2S, LR19JS01, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunis Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5622-6995
  • Achraf Ammar Institute for Sport Science, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany | Research Laboratory, Molecular Bases of Human Pathology, LR19ES13, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax. University of Sfax, Sfax 3029, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6168-6729
  • Mohamed Mansour Bouzouraa High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0251-1443
  • Mouna Saidane High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1159-0822
  • Özgür Eken Department of Physical Education and Sport Teaching, Inonu University, Turkey Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5488-3158
  • Cain Craig Truman Clark College of Life Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, B15 3TN, UK Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3072-7468
  • Kamdin Parsakia Department of Psychology and Counseling, KMAN Research Institute, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7881-1220
  • Wissem Dhahbi High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia | Qatar Police Academy, Police College, Training Department, Doha, Qatar | Department of Physical Education, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6221-546X
  • Lolwa Barakat Clinical Pharmacy Department University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8536-7607
  • Luis Felipe Reynoso-Sánchez Research Centre for Physical Culture and Health Sciences, Autonomous University of Occident, Culiacan, Mexico Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9008-5105
  • Hesham R. El-Seedi Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah, 42351, Saudi Arabia | International Research Center for Food Nutrition and Safety, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9712-2033
  • Laisa Liane Paineiras-Domingos Departamento de Fisioterapia, Instituto Multidisciplinar de Reabilitação e Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3451-5056
  • Mohamed Romdhani Interdisciplinary Laboratory in Neurosciences, Physiology and Psychology: Physical Activity, Health and Learning (LINP2), UFR STAPS (Faculty ofSport Sciences), UPL, Paris Nanterre University, Nanterre, France | Research Laboratory, Molecular Bases of Human Pathology, LR19ES13, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sfax, Tunisia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1715-1863
  • Ramzi Al-Horani Department of Sports Science, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6915-816X
  • Jad Adrian Washif Sports Performance Division, National Sports Institute of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8543-4489
  • Sheikh Shoib Department of Health Services, Srinagar, 190001 India | Sharda University, Greater Noida, India (SSh) | Psychosis Research Centre University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3739-706X
  • Osamah Mohammed Alyasiri Karbala Technical Institute, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Karbala, 56001, Iraq | School of Computer Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Penang, 11800, Malaysia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2345-2443
  • Leonardo Jose Mataruna-Dos-Santos Canadian University Dubai, Dubai, UAE Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9456-5974
  • Najim Z Alshahrani Faculty of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2163-004X
  • Rodrigo Luiz Vancini Centro de Educação Física e Desportos, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1981-1092
  • Halil İbrahim Ceylan Atatürk University Kazim Karabekir Education Faculty, Physical Education and Sports Teaching Department, Erzurum, Türkiye Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1133-5511
  • Haijiang Dai Department of Cardiology, Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9924-7174
  • Nicola Luigi Bragazzi Laboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8409-868X
  • Sarya Swed Aleppo University, Aleppo, Syria Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9983-2020
  • Beat Knechtle Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2412-9103
  • Piotr Zmijewski Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5570-9573
  • Hamdi Chtourou Research Unit: Physical Activity, Sport, and Health, UR18JS01, National Observatory of Sport, Tunis 1003, Tunisia | Research Laboratory: Education, Motricity, Sport and Health, EM2S, LR19JS01, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunis Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5482-9151
  • Karim Chamari Naufar Wellness & Recovery Center, Doha, Qatar Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9178-7678
  • Ismail Dergaa Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Doha, Qatar | High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia | Research Laboratory: Education, Motricity, Sport and Health, EM2S, LR19JS01, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunis Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8091-1856

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.intjssh.7.2.4

Keywords:

Research Misconduct, Transparency in Research, Authorship Standards, Academic Integrity, Sports Medicine Ethics, Publication Ethics

Abstract

Objective: Research in sports medicine and exercise science has experienced significant growth over recent years. With this expansion, there has been a concomitant rise in ethical challenges specific to these disciplines. While various ethical guidelines exist for numerous scientific fields, a comprehensive set tailored specifically for sports medicine and exercise science is lacking. Aiming to bridge this gap, this paper proposes a comprehensive, updated set of ethical guidelines specifically targeted at researchers in sports medicine and exercise science, providing them with a thorough framework to ensure research integrity.

Methods: A collaborative approach was adopted, involving contributions from a diverse group of international experts in the field. A thorough review of existing ethical guidelines was conducted, followed by the identification and detailed examination of 15 specific ethical topics relevant to the discipline. Each topic was discussed in terms of its definition, consequences, and preventive measures.

Results: The research in sports medicine and exercise science has grown significantly, bringing to the fore ethical challenges unique to these disciplines. Our comprehensive review identifies 15 key ethical challenges: plagiarism, data falsification, role of artificial intelligence chatbots in academic writing, overstating results, excessive/strategic self-citation, duplicate publications, non-disclosure of conflicts of interest, image manipulation, misuse of peer review, ghost and gift authorship, inadequate data retention, data fabrication, falsification of IRB approvals, lack of informed consent, and unethical human or animal experimentation. For each identified challenge, we propose practical solutions and best practices, enriched by the diverse perspectives of our collaborative international expert panel. This endeavor aims to offer a foundational set of ethical guidelines tailored to the nuanced needs of sports medicine and exercise science, ensuring research integrity and promoting ethical responsibility across these vital fields.

Conclusion: This article represents a seminal contribution to the establishment of essential ethical guidelines specifically designed for the fields of sports medicine and exercise science. This article charts a clear course for researchers, clinicians, and policymakers by integrating these ethical principles at the heart of our scholarly and clinical activities. Consequently, it envisions a future where the principles of research integrity and ethical responsibility consistently inform every scientific discovery and every clinical engagement.

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Additional Files

Published

2024-06-06

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2024): Serial Number 17

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Noomen Guelmami, Lamia Ben Ezzeddine, Ghouili Hatem, Omar Trabelsi, Helmi Ben Saad, Jordan M Glenn, Abdelfatteh El Omri, Nasr Chalghaf, Morteza Taheri, Anissa Bouassida , Mohamed Ben Aissa, Khaled Trabelsi, Achraf Ammar, Mohamed Mansour Bouzouraa, Mouna Saidane, Özgür Eken, Cain Craig Truman Clark, Kamdin Parsakia, Wissem Dhahbi, Lolwa Barakat, Luis Felipe Reynoso-Sánchez, Hesham R. El-Seedi, Laisa Liane Paineiras-Domingos, Mohamed Romdhani, Ramzi Al-Horani, Jad Adrian Washif, Sheikh Shoib, Osamah Mohammed Alyasiri, Leonardo Jose Mataruna-Dos-Santos, Najim Z Alshahrani, Rodrigo Luiz Vancini, Halil İbrahim Ceylan, Haijiang Dai, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi, Sarya Swed, Beat Knechtle, Piotr Zmijewski, Hamdi Chtourou, Karim Chamari, Ismail Dergaa (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Guelmami, N., Ben Ezzeddine, L., Hatem, G., Trabelsi, O., Ben Saad, H., Glenn, J. M., El Omri, A., Chalghaf, N., Taheri, M., Bouassida , A., Ben Aissa, M., Trabelsi, K., Ammar, A., Bouzouraa, M. M., Saidane, M., Eken, Özgür, Clark, C. C. T., Parsakia, K., Dhahbi, W., … Dergaa, I. (2024). The Ethical Compass: Establishing ethical guidelines for research practices in sports medicine and exercise science. International Journal of Sport Studies for Health, 7(2), 31-46. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.intjssh.7.2.4

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