Integridad y conductas inapropiadas en investigación biomédica / Integrity and misconduct in biomedical research

Resumen: Los Comités Editoriales de revistas de corriente principal se ven enfrentados ocasionalmente a con ductas éticas inapropiadas en los manuscritos recibidos. El Comité de Ética en las publicaciones (COPE) ofrece recomendaciones para los editores respecto a cómo actuar frente a la sospecha de falta de ética en los manuscritos, ya sea recibidos o publicados. Cuando se pesquisa una mala práctica durante el proceso de revisión por pares, el manuscrito es rechazado, no obstante, si la conducta ina propiada es detectada después de la publicación de manuscrito, se procede a retractar la publicación. Revista Chilena de Pediatría no ha sido exenta a este tipo de conflictos. En este artículo analizamos los distintos aspectos relacionados con la falta de integridad de las publicaciones, como son las autorías, el plagio y el conflicto de intereses. Podemos concluir que las malas prácticas ocurren principalmente por desconocimiento de los autores, más que por intención de fraude. Se espera que el presente ma nuscrito logre instruir y sensibilizar a nuestros investigadores, respecto a las buenas prácticas en la investigación y publicación, y, contribuir, en lo posible, a prevenir que estas acciones ocurran en los manuscritos enviados a nuestra Revista.

Abstract: Editorial Boards of mainstream journals occasionally face ethical misconducts in received manus cripts. The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) provides recommendations for editors on how to deal with suspected ethical misconduct in either received or published manuscripts. The manus cript is rejected when malpractice is observed during the peer review process, however, if the mis conduct is detected after the publication, the publication will be retracted. The Revista Chilena de Pediatría (Chilean Journal of Pediatrics) has not been exempt from these type of conflicts. In this article, we analyze different aspects regarding the lack of integrity in publications, such as authorship, plagiarism, and conflict of interest. We can conclude that malpractices take place mainly due to the lack of knowledge of the authors rather than intent to defraud. It is expected that this article will suc ceed in instructing and sensitizing our researchers on good practices in research and publication, and contribute, as far as possible, to prevent this actions in the manuscripts sent to our Journal.

Buenas prácticas y principios éticos: más necesarios que nunca / Good practices and ethical principles: as necessary as ever

Nos encontramos atravesando un momento en el cual se están dando a conocer faltas a la ética en la función pública que habían venido ocurriendo a todo nivel. Es importante conocer los códigos de ética y buenas prácticas de cada una de las funciones que se desempeñan. En el ámbito de las publicaciones científicas, es muy recomendable que todos los investigadores que deseen realizar publicaciones conozcan las buenas prácticas científicas y los principios éticos básicos de las publicaciones en ciencias. La gran mayoría de revistas médicas se guían por las recomendaciones del Comité Internacional de Editores de Revistas Médicas (ICMJE) y en lo referente a las faltas éticas, por los lineamientos del Comité deÉtica en Publicaciones (COPE). Faltas frecuentes que se pueden encontrar en las revistas locales son problemas de autoría, publicación redundante y plagio y falta de declaración de conflicto de interés. En el presente artículo brindamos enlaces a recursos de autoaprendizaje en estos temas y enfatizamos la importancia de su amplia diseminación.

We are going through a moment in which acts of disregard to the ethics in the public function are being disclosed at all levels. It is important to know the codes of ethics and good practices of each of the functions performed. In the field of scientific publications, it is highly recommended that all researchers who wish to publish their studies get to know the good scientific practices and the basic ethical principles of publications in science. The vast majority of medical journals are guided by the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and with respect to ethical shortcomings, by the guidelines of the COPE (Committee on Ethics in Publications). Frequent examples of scientific misconduct that can be found in local magazines are problems of authorship, redundant publication and plagiarism and lack of declaration of conflict of interest. In the present article we provide links to self-learning resources on these topics and we emphasize the importance of their wide dissemination.

Similarity Analysis of Korean Medical Literature and Its Association with Efforts to Improve Research and Publication Ethics

In the present study, the frequency of research misconduct in Korean medical papers was analyzed using the similarity check software iThenticate®. All Korean papers written in English that were published in 2009 and 2014 in KoreaMed Synapse were identified. In total, 23,848 papers were extracted. 4,050 original articles of them were randomly selected for similarity analysis. The average Similarity Index of the 4,050 papers decreased over time, particularly in 2013: in 2009 and 2014, it was 10.15% and 5.62%, respectively. And 357 (8.8%) had a Similarity Index of ≥ 20%. Authors considered a Similarity Index of ≥ 20% as suspected research misconduct. It was found that iThenticate® cannot functionally process citations without double quotation marks. Papers with a Similarity Index of ≥ 20% were thus individually checked for detecting such text-matching errors to accurately identify papers with suspected research misconduct. After correcting text-matching errors, 142 (3.5% of the 4,050 papers) were suspected of research misconduct. The annual frequency of these papers decreased over time, particularly in 2013: in 2009 and 2014, it was 5.2% and 1.7%, respectively. The decrease was associated with the introduction of CrossCheck by KoreaMed and the frequent use of similarity check software. The majority (81%) had Similarity Indices between 20% and 40%. The fact suggested that low Similarity index does not necessarily mean low possibility of research misconduct. It should be noted that, although iThenticate® provides a fundamental basis for detecting research misconduct, the final judgment should be made by experts.

Publication misconduct among medical professionals in India.

This study was planned as an exploratory study to determine the extent of occurrence of misconduct in publication (gift-authorship, ghost-authorship, falsification of data, fabrication of data, plagiarism, and duplication) amongst biomedical researchers. It was a questionnaire-based study, conducted at 9 institutions; 6 medical colleges (4 government-run and 2 private), 1 non-teaching government hospital, and 2 corporate hospitals, located in northern, central and southern India. The study was conducted between August 2012 and March 2013.

Spot the seven errors. Playing the game in the submission of scientific papers (Part 2) / Jogo dos sete erros no processo de submissão de artigos científicos (Parte 2) / Juego de los siete errores en el proceso de sumisión de artículos científicos (Parte 2)

Continuing "Spot the seven errors" game in the submission of scientific papers process begun in the previous issue, this editorial will discuss a second error: the 'salami science' phenomenon. For the trajectory of professionals working in the academic world is essential to undertake studies and subsequent publication of his findings. In this context, the 'salami science' is to publish results of a single study in several scientific articles, resulting in jobs with low relevance and little originality. It is observed that there is already a tendency to avoid the practice of this phenomenon. These actions will ensure the credibility of the journals, increasing the dissemination of appropriate conduct in the submission of scientific articles.

Em continuidade ao Jogo dos Sete Erros no processo de submissão de artigos científicos, iniciado na edição anterior, este editorial discorrerá sobre um segundo erro: o fenômeno 'salami science'. Para a trajetória do profissional que atua no mundo acadêmico é primordial a realização de estudos e consequente publicação de seus achados. Nesse contexto, o 'salami science' consiste em publicar resultados de um único estudo em diversos artigos científicos, dando origem a trabalhos de baixa relevância e pouca originalidade. Observa-se que já existe uma tendência para evitar a prática desse fenômeno. Essas ações irão assegurar a credibilidade dos periódicos, aumentando a disseminação de condutas adequadas no processo de submissão de artigos científicos.

Dando continuidad al Juego de los Siete Errores en el proceso de sumisión de artículos científicos, iniciado en la edición anterior, este editorial tratará sobre un segundo error: el fenómeno 'salami science'. Para la trayectoria del profesional que actúa en el mundo académico es primordial la realización de estudios y consecuente publicación de sus hallazgos. En este contexto, el 'salami science' consiste en publicar resultados de un único estudio en diversos artículos científicos, dando origen a trabajos de poca relevancia y originalidad. Se observa que ya existe una tendencia para evitar la práctica de este fenómeno. Estas acciones irán a asegurar a credibilidad de los periódicos, aumentando la diseminación de conductas adecuadas en el proceso de sumisión de artículos científicos.

Duplicate Publication Rate Decline in Korean Medical Journals

The purpose of this study was to examine trends in duplicate publication in Korean medical articles indexed in the KoreaMed database from 2004 to 2009, before and after a campaign against scientific misconduct launched by the Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors in 2006. The study covered period from 2007 to 2012; and 5% of the articles indexed in KoreaMed were retrieved by random sampling. Three authors reviewed full texts of the retrieved articles. The pattern of duplicate publication, such as copy, salami slicing (fragmentation), and aggregation (imalas), was also determined. Before the launching ethics campaign, the national duplication rate in medical journals was relatively high: 5.9% in 2004, 6.0% in 2005, and 7.2% in 2006. However, duplication rate steadily declined to 4.5% in 2007, 2.8% in 2008, and 1.2 % in 2009. Of all duplicated articles, 53.4% were classified as copies, 27.8% as salami slicing, and 18.8% as aggregation (imalas). The decline in duplicate publication rate took place as a result of nationwide campaigns and monitoring by KoreaMed and KoreaMed Synapse, starting from 2006.

O que compromete o ineditismo de um artigo?: [Editorial] / What compromises the ineditism of an article?: [Editorial]

A equipe editorial da Scientia Medica decidiu que continuará considerando para publicação artigos originais resultantes de teses, dissertações e trabalhos de conclusão de curso de nível superior (seja no seu todo ou em parte), assim como trabalhos apresentados em eventos e ainda não publicados sob a forma de artigo. Se ocorrer redundância por outras situações que não estas, o artigo será considerado como não inédito e impróprio para publicação neste periódico. A informação sobre a origem do trabalho deverá ser fornecida pelos autores e será repassada aos revisores quando iniciar o processo de revisão por pares. Se o artigo for aceito para publicação, a informação será disponibilizada aos leitores...

The editorial team of Scientia Medica decided that this journal will continue to consider, for publication, original articles based on theses and dissertations, as well as works presented at events and not yet published in the article form. If redundancy occur in other situations, the item will be considered as not inedit and therefore inappropriate for publication in this journal. Information on the origin of the work must be provided by the authors and will be passed to the reviewers when starting the process of peer review. If the article is accepted for publication, the information will be made available to readers...

Duplicate Publications in Korean Medical Journals Indexed in KoreaMed

Duplicate publication is considered unethical. It has several negative impacts. To estimate the frequency and characteristics of duplicate publications in Korean medical journals, we reviewed some portion of Korean journal articles. Among 9,030 articles that are original articles indexed in KoreaMed from January to December 2004, 455 articles (5%) were chosen by random sampling. PubMed, Google scholar, KMbase, and KoreaMed were searched by two librarians. Three authors reviewed titles, abstracts, and full text of index articles and suspected articles independently. Point of disagreement were reconciled by discussion. Criteria for a duplicate publication defined by editors of cardiothoracic journals and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors were used. A total of 455 articles were evaluated, of which 27 (5.93%) index articles were identified with 29 duplicate articles. Among 27 index articles, 1 was quadruple publication and 26 were double publications. Of 29 duplicated articles, 19 were classified as copy, 4 as fragmentation, and 6 as disaggregation. The proportion of duplicate publications in Korean medical journals appears to be higher than expected. Education on publication ethics to researchers is needed.

Ética de las publicaciones en revistas médicas / Ethics in articles published in medical journals

Authors of clinical articles have similar motivations and rules than authors in other scientific fields. In addition, medical research must obey specific ethical rules that apply to studies involving human subjects, including biological samples, tissues, cellular or sub cellular samples obtained from them. When submitting their reports for publication, authors must declare that they have followed such ethical rules and also should declare any possible conflict of interest that may have arisen. External peer reviewers and the editors should also conform to limitations by eventual conflicts of interest. Authors should respect specific ethical norms that apply to the process of submitting, publishing and reproducing their manuscripts. In recent years, the editors of Revista Médica de Chile have become aware of five instances of misconduct committed by authors of articles submitted or already published. Four correspond to redundant publications and one exhibits overt plagiarism in the text and syntax. Appropriate actions have been taken following recommendations published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the World Association of Medical Editors and other groups. The present article stresses that authors and their sponsoring institutions must be aware of the importance of following ethical rules when reporting scientific work.