A crisis of trust? Setting guidelines for image processing in scientific journals

In this talk I will address a contemporary debate in scientific publishing. Journal editors are increasingly concerned about how scientists use digital image-processing software to prepare images for publication. The growing availability of software like Photoshop means that images can easily be adjusted to emphasize key aspects of experimental results, or to create a more aesthetically pleasing image. To some, these practices threaten the credibility of images in research papers. In response, several journals are developing guidelines for authors to follow when preparing images, and are hiring forensic experts to screen for inappropriate practice. I will offer some examples of image manipulation and journal responses, and use these to explore the crisis of trust being triggered by digital technologies.