In some cases, the replication and extension of published work may require materials that are not readily available. In such instances, the authors must make every effort to provide those materials to other qualified scientists. Indeed, the failure of authors to provide such materials greatly reduces the value of their work. Once a manuscript has been published, authors should be prepared to promptly make available to qualified scientists for bona fide research purposes all materials that were used in the reported research and are not otherwise readily available. Reasonable costs associated with the production and transfer of these materials should be assumed by the recipient if the authors so request.
Authors have an obligation to correct errors promptly.
Once an article has been published, it remains forever within the scientific literature. Thus, care should be taken to determine that every aspect of a manuscript is correct. Occasionally, errors are not discovered until after a manuscript has been submitted or even after it has been published. Every effort should be made to correct such errors as quickly as possible. It is far preferable to do so before an article is published, because the subsequent publication of corrections, although serving a useful purpose when required can never completely eliminate the possibility that individuals will read the original article and assume it to be accurate, having not read the corrections.