 You've established that your undergraduate research is valuable, and you're beginning the publishing process. As an author, you have a responsibility to your colleagues, your research participants, and your discipline to act in an ethical manner. Let's review some things you'll need to keep in mind. If you are a research assistant or a project assistant for a professor, stop. Your professor is the owner of this research project. You must get permission from your professor in order to proceed. If you have been working on a project for a professor that may lead to a patent, stop. Publishing your results may prevent your professor from receiving a patent. It is best to wait until that process is complete. If you have already submitted your project to a journal and are waiting to hear back from them, stop. Many journals will not accept papers that have been published or submitted elsewhere. Only submit your project to one journal at a time and follow the submission guidelines or contract. If your research contains sensitive data, like personally identifiable information or culturally restricted data, pause. You can publish your research, but you must protect the confidentiality of your research participants and be sensitive to cultural issues. You might need to anonymize or restrict access to your data. Ask your professor what steps you should take. If your research is still in progress, pause. Presenting preliminary research can be a good way to get early feedback about your project, but sometimes publishing preliminary results may interfere with the future publication of your research. Ask your professor to help you decide. If you're working with a group of other students and want to publish your joint research, pause. Under copyright law, as a joint author, you have full and equal copyright. That means you can publish on your own, but it is good practice to work with your group when publishing. Once you've addressed your responsibilities to others, you're ready to pursue the publishing process. You don't have to do it all on your own. Use your resources in your department, your lab, or the library to help you publish your work.