Retracción de artículos biomédicos y sus implicaciones éticas / Retraction of Biomedical Articles and its Ethical Implications / Retratação de artigos médicos e suas implicações éticas

Resumen La retracción es un mecanismo que permite la corrección de la literatura científica. Este artículo pretende demostrar que las retracciones han aumentado de manera progresiva, y sobresalen las del ámbito médico. Metodológicamente es un artículo de revisión bibliográfica, cuyos datos estadísticos se obtuvieron de estudios sobre artículos retractados, publicados entre el 2012 y el 2017, en inglés, desde las bases de datos de PubMed y Google Scholar. Entre los resultados sobresalientes se encuentran como causas más frecuentes de retracción: plagio, mala conducta, errores, fabricación y duplicación. La mayor incidencia reportada fue en Estados Unidos (EE. UU.), India, China, Japón y Alemania. El mayor índice de retracción fue para las revistas de factor de impacto bajo. El tiempo transcurrido para la retracción es largo, aunque ha disminuido. Esto permite que se citen estos artículos y se origine así una mala ciencia. Se concluye que se requiere de uniformidad en las notas y las reglas de retracción, así como señalizar de forma adecuada los artículos retractados, además de disminuir el tiempo para que esta se efectúe. En relación con la bioética, se revela un grave problema en la integridad de la literatura científica, así como un posible impacto de las retracciones en la salud de las personas.

Abstract Retraction is a mechanism to correct scientific literature. This article aims to demonstrate that retractions have gradually increased, especially in the medical field. Methodologically, it is a literature review article whose statistical data were obtained from studies on retraction articles published in English between 2012 to 2017 in the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Some of the most frequent causes of retraction found were plagiarism, misconduct, errors, fabrication and duplication. The highest incidence rate was reported in the United States, India, China, Japan and Germany. The highest retraction rate was for low-impact journals. The time for retraction is long but has decreased, which allows these articles to be cited and bad science to arise. It is concluded that uniformity is needed in notes and rules of retraction, retracted articles should be marked appropriately, and time for retraction must be reduced. In relation to bioethics, there is a serious problem in the integrity of scientific literature and a possible impact of retractions on the health of people.

Resumo A retratação é um mecanismo que permite a correção da literatura científica. Este artigo pretende demonstrar que as retratações vêm aumentando e que as do âmbito médico têm se ressaltado. Trata-se de um artigo de revisão bibliográfica, cujos dados estatísticos foram obtidos de estudos sobre artigos retratados, publicados entre 2012 e 2017, em inglês, das bases de dados de PubMed e Google Scholar. Entre os resultados destacados, encontram-se como causas mais frequentes de retratação: plágio, má conduta, erros, fabricação e duplicação. A maior incidência relatada foi nos Estados Unidos, na Índia, na China, no Japão e na Alemanha. O maior índice de retratação foi para as revistas de fator de impacto baixo. O tempo transcorrido para a retratação é longo, embora tenha diminuído. Isso permite que esses artigos sejam citados e seja originada uma má ciência. Conclui-se que se requer de padronização nas notas de retratação ou erratas, bem como indicar, de forma adequada, os artigos retratados, além de diminuir o tempo para que isso ocorra. Quanto à bioética, revela-se um grave problema na integridade da literatura científica e um possível impacto das retratações na saúde das pessoas.

El encanto de editar una revista médica y los recuerdos nostálgicos al alejarme / The fascination of editing a medical journal and the nostalgic memories when departing

As of March 2016, Humberto Reyes, MD, FACP, steps down as Editor-in-Chief of Revista Médica de Chile. He joined its editorial team in 1971, as a part-time Assistant Editor. A few years later he became Associate Editor and since 1996, Editor-in-Chief. During his tenure the journal improved the peer review system and implemented a web platform to handle the editorial process, while following the recommendations established by acknowledged organizations such as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Journal Editors (WAME) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Since 2010 he represented Revista Médica de Chile as an ICMJE Member. After an open contest, the Sociedad Médica de Santiago, founder and owner of Revista Médica de Chile since 1872, elected Fernando Florenzano MD as the new Editor-in-Chief. Dr. Reyes leaves this long lasting job with the satisfaction of having conducted an institution considered among mainstream medical journals in spite of being mostly published in Spanish. Revista Médica de Chile receives a high proportion of the research articles that have been generated in the country, subsequently handled by an enthusiastic and solid editorial team whose responsibilities go far beyond selecting the material to be published since they are medical educators striving to help authors to improve their papers before having them published. Conducting this journal has been a fascinating task for this Editor as well as an unforgettable experience.

Análisis de las publicaciones biomédicas chilenas indizadas en PubMed, en los años 2008 y 2009 / An analysis of Chilean biomedical publications in PubMed in the years 2008-2009

Background: During the years 2008 and 2009, 1,191 biomedical articles authored by Chilean investigators working in Chile were indexed in PubMed. Aims: To evaluate the potential visibility of those articles, according to scientometric indexes of the journals where they were published. Methods: Those journals where the articles had been published were identified and each journal’s Impact Factor (JIF), 5-year JIF, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), SCImago Quartiles (Q) for 2010 and the Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) for 2008-2009 were identified. Results: Three hundred and twelve articles (26,2%) were dedicated to experimental studies in animals, tissues or cells and they were classified as “Biomedicine”, while 879 (73,8%) were classified as “Clinical Medicine”; in both areas the main type of articles were original reports (90% and 73.6%, respectively). Revista Médica de Chile and Revista Chilena de Infectología concentrated the greater number of publications. Articles classified in Biomedicine were published more frequently in English and in journals with higher scientometric indexes than those classified in Clinical Medicine. Conclusions: Biomedical articles dealing with clinical topics, particularly case reports, were published mostly in national journals or in foreign journals with low scientometric indexes. It can be partly attributable to the authors’ interest in reaching local readers. The evaluation of research productivity should combine several scientometric indexes, selected according to the field of research, the institution's and investigators’ interests, with a qualitative and multifactorial assessment.

Realidad de la revista chilena de radiología 2010-2014 / Chilean journal of radiology facts 2010-2014

The purpose of this article is an editorial review of the Chilean Journal of Radiology in the period 2010 to 2014, for which the publication rates, rejections, source versus origin of articles and types of work and research were analyzed. During this period 162 papers were published, of which 138 corresponded to original articles (30 percent), revision (25 percent) or clinical cases (30 percent), while the rejection rate was 25 percent. It’s necessary to consider that the rejection or acceptance does not always correspond to the value of the information in the manuscript, as there are many and various factors that determine the decision to accept or reject a work. It was also observed that most of the topics refer to gastrointestinal pathology, showing that there is a deficit of studies about radiological techniques and interventional radiology. As to the sources, it was found that 23 percent come from abroad and 77 percent are national articles. Within the latter, 92 percent are from Santiago and only 8 percent are from regions. There were 1,875 citations given during the period, which corresponded mainly to North American magazines. The citations received in the period were 138, published in 60 journals, mainly from Chile (43 percent) and Cuba (24 percent). The impact factor calculated by Scientific Electronic Library On Line (SciELO) in 2014 was 0,083, with four citations received during the last year from 48 articles published between 2012 and 2013. It was also found that during the period under review the most widely read magazine article, which is index-linked in SciELO since 2002, has over 220,000 viewings. At present, the Chilean Journal of Radiology is the sixth most downloaded scientific publication, exceeding 4 million requests for articles, through the SciELO electronic library, which thus makes it the best presentation card for the Chilean Radiology Society. Ciencias de la Salud (LILACS)...

El presente artículo tiene como finalidad la revisión editorial de la Revista Chilena de Radiología en el período 2010 al 2014. Durante el período se publicaron 162 artículos, de los cuales 138 fueron artículos originales, artículos de revisión o presentación de casos clínicos. Los artículos originales correspondieron a 30 por ciento de las publicaciones, los no originales un 70 por ciento. De estos últimos, 30 por ciento fueron casos clínicos y 25 por ciento, artículos de revisión. Se rechazó el 25 por ciento de los artículos recibidos. El área de la Radiología con mayor representación fue la patología gastrointenstinal existiendo un déficit relativo de trabajos en áreas relativas a técnicas radiológicas y radiología intervencional. Los artículos nacionales representaron 77 por ciento y los internacionales el 23 por ciento. Dentro de los artículos nacionales, el 92 por ciento de los artículos fueron enviados de centros en Santiago y el 8 por ciento de regiones. Las citas concedidas en el período fueron 1875 y correspondieron principalmente a revistas norteamericanas. Las citas recibidas en el período fueron 138, publicadas en 60 revistas, provenientes mayoritariamente de Chile (43 por ciento) y Cuba (24 por ciento). La revista se encuentra indizada en Scielo desde el año 2002, en la Revista Virtual del Colegio Interamericano de Radiología CIR y en Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud (LILACS)...

Las Buenas Prácticas de Publicación, su evolución y el impacto esperado en salud pública / Good Publication Practice, its evolution and expected impact in Public Health

Los estándares internacionales para la publicación de información médica y biomédica se vuelven más exigentes. El concepto de Buenas Prácticas de Publicación se está ampliando más allá de los aspectos éticos y de estilo, para incluir aspectos relacionados con la transparencia y la confiabilidad de los resultados. Muchos nuevos requerimientos en el campo médico están recogidos en recomendaciones o guías compiladas por el grupo Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research, mientras que las guías sobre aspectos experimentales de publicaciones biomédicas están recogidas por el grupo denominado Minimum Information for Biological and Biomedical Investigation. Para suministrar la información requerida, los laboratorios de investigación básica y los grupos de ensayos clínicos que trabajan bajo los principios de prácticas de calidad, están en notable ventaja con respecto a aquellos que aún no han adoptado esta disciplina de trabajo. Una investigación puede ser realizada con recursos limitados. Pero, cualquiera que sean los recursos utilizados, la experimentación debe cumplir con criterios de calidad. Al requerir esta información, las nuevas exigencias para la aceptación de artículos están contribuyendo a la elevación de la calidad de la investigación médica y biomédica. En la medida en que los autores y los editores de las revistas médicas nacionales se mantengan informados sobre estas tendencias, podrán concretar acciones que repercutan positivamente en el rigor, la visibilidad y el impacto de los artículos publicados

International requirements for publishing medical and biomedical information are becoming more stringent. The original scope of Good Publication Practice is evolving, including not only ethics and style aspects but also transparency and reliability of scientific information at present. New requirements for medical publications are being structured in recommendations and guidelines compiled by the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research group, whereas guidelines for publishing experimental research in biomedical sciences are compiled by the Minimum Information for Biological and Biomedical Investigation organization. For the provision of required information, the basic research laboratories and the clinical research groups working under the principles of Good Practice are significantly better prepared than those which have not yet adopted this work discipline. A research work may be performed with shortage of resources; however, regardless of the amount of resources, the experiment should comply with quality criteria. These new requirements are expected to increase the quality of medical and biomedical research. Authors and editors of national medical journals should be aware of this evolution in publishing standards, so that they could take actions that have a positive effect on the rigor, visibility and impact of the published articles