Research Integrity
Ethics Approval and Informed Consent: What Authors Must Report
If your study involved people, their data, or animals, editors will look for two things: ethics approval and informed consent. Here is what needs appr...
Directive Publications · Author & Reviewer ResourcesOpen Access · Peer-Reviewed
Trusted Research · Since 2026
Directive Academy
Guides on peer review, research integrity & scholarly publishing — for authors, reviewers and editors
Research Integrity
Duplicate and Redundant Publication (and Salami Slicing)
Publishing the same work twice, or slicing one study into several thin papers, distorts the literature and cou...
Directive Editorial Team · 7 min
Open Science
How to Promote Your Published Paper
Publication is the start of a paper's life, not the end. A little deliberate promotion helps the right readers...
Directive Editorial Team · 6 min
Scientific Writing
Writing Clear Scientific English (A Guide for Non-Native Authors)
Reviewers judge your science through your sentences. If the language gets in the way, good work can read as we...
Directive Editorial Team · 7 min
“Legitimate journals are transparent about their fees, peer review and editorial board — verify all three before you submit.”
— Directive Publications Editorial Standards
More from the Academy
Browse all guides →
Scientific Writing
Preparing Figures and Tables for Publication
Reviewers look at your figures before they read your words. Here is when to use a figure versus a table, the resolution and formats journals need, and...
Peer Review
A First-Time Peer Reviewer's Guide (With a Review-Report Template)
Been invited to review your first manuscript? Here is how to decide whether to accept, how to read the paper, and a report template you can reuse — wi...
Open Science
Creative Commons and Copyright for Authors: What CC BY Really Lets People Do
Publishing under CC BY does not mean giving up your copyright. Here is what the main Creative Commons licences allow, what they require, and how to at...
Open Science
Open Access Explained: Gold, Green, Diamond and What an APC Actually Pays For
Open access means free to read — but "open access" is not one thing. Here are the routes (gold, green, diamond), what an article processing charge rea...
Scientific Writing
How to Write and Publish a Case Report (Using the CARE Checklist)
A well-written case report can change how clinicians recognise a rare condition. Here is how to decide whether your case is worth reporting, how to st...
Peer Review
How Long Does It Take to Publish a Paper? The Manuscript Journey
From submission to publication, a paper passes through several stages — each taking time. Here is the typical journey, what affects the timeline, and...
Research Integrity
Who Counts as an Author? CRediT and Authorship Explained
Authorship carries credit and accountability — so who qualifies? Learn the ICMJE criteria, why ghost and gift authorship are wrong, and how CRediT rec...
Research Integrity
Conflicts of Interest in Research: What to Declare and Why
A conflict of interest is not wrongdoing — but failing to declare one is. Learn what counts as a conflict, what to disclose, and how to write a clear...
Publishing your research?
Directive Publications is an open-access publisher — every article peer-reviewed, Crossref-registered, and free to read under CC BY 4.0.