8/12/2019 Standards Ot Ethic Publication

1/1

Delivered by Publishing Technology to: Guest User IP: 190.3.143.111 On: Sun, 04 Nov 2012 21:34:18Copyright (c) Oceanside Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

For permission to copy go to https://www.oceansidepubl.com/permission.htm

Editorial

Standards for ethical publication

It is essential that authors involved in biomedical publication beaware of basic guidelines for the ethical publication of their scientificwork. The undersigned editors have taken a consortium approach to

a concern facing several major journals that relates to duplicate pub-lication. We aim to maintain the integrity of our scientific journals.Reports that claim original information must contain original infor-mation. We believe the priority placed on this tenet is appropriatelyreflective of its importance to patient care.

Authors are ethically obligated to be sure that data are pre-sented accurately and in a fair and unbiased way. The supportingdata for any scientific investigation should be maintained in youroffice files for a minimum of 57 years after publication (this isdependent on the study and the governing agency. Some institu-tions require less, particularly for retrospective data). Scientificdata should never be altered or deleted. In this era of moderncomputer science, authors must also be careful that photos andother illustrations when enhanced or otherwise touched up donot mislead readers or distort information. Digital enhancement ofpictures that might be interpreted as intending to adjust or en-hance findings or that could otherwise potentially mislead thereader is considered a major ethical breach.

Scientific data may not be published twice without clear notifi-cation to the Editor-in-Chief, reviewing editor, editorial staff, andthe readership of the journal that these data have been publishedpreviously. Duplicate submission or redundant publication of asimilar data set is considered unethical.18 Duplicate submission,occurs when an author submits a manuscript simultaneously totwo or more journals. This is inappropriate unless the journaleditors have decided in advance that redundant publication wouldbe in the best interest of the publics health. Redundant publica-tion is publication of a paper that overlaps substantially with onealready published in print or electronic media. The overlap may bein data, content, or both, but commentary as written still seems toemphasize data.

The fundamental issue with redundant publication is that it vio-lates the trust placed by readers of a journal that content is originalunless there is a clear statement to the contrary. It is the senior/corresponding authors responsibility to vet all manuscript data andidentify redundant content in advance of submission. When submit-ting a manuscript, the author should fully disclose to the editor anyduplicate submissions or previous publications that could potentiallybe considered redundant. It is not the responsibility of the editor ormanuscript referees to check every reference or search the literaturefor undisclosed redundancy; the due diligence is the responsibility ofthe lead author. Also, preliminary reporting, can violate journalpolicies if the author leaks data or original research to the media,industry, or government, before publication. This should not neces-sarily jeopardize publication, but should be discussed up front withthe editor and a mutually acceptable approach agreed upon in ad-

vance.Publication of duplicate or redundant data or content in journals of

different disciplines or different languages is a violation of this prin-ciple. Rehash of an old data set into a new publication is similarlyredundant. If ever an author has questions on the interpretation ofredundant or duplicate publication, it is his/her responsibility tobring the question to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief prior to thereview or publication of the manuscript. Full disclosure will preventviolation of this principle.

The undersigned editors agree that, if an author is found by one ofthe editors to have violated the foregoing standards for ethical pub-lication of scientific work, that editor will share with the other editorsthe name of the author and details of the violation. Each editor willthen independently determine what sanction, if any, he or she willimpose on the author with respect to future publication in their

respective journals. When indicated, other actions may also be inde-pendently undertaken by the respective editors, including but notlimited to, notification of the dean, department chair, or chair of the

scientific integrity committee at the authors institution.This editorial expresses the latest policy of the undersignededitors and clarifies and amends the policy previously set forth inMay 2005.9 This editorial is being published simultaneously in eachof the represented journals to emphasize the importance of thisprinciple and maximize its accessibility to the community of au-thors who publish in these journals. These principles were devel-oped and supported by the undersigned but are not meant to berestrictive to these journals. We invite other editors of journals inour field to participate in this policy.

REFERENCES

1. Kassirer J, and Angell M. Redundant publication: A reminder. N EnglJ Med 333:449450,1995.

2. Doherty M. The misconduct of redundant publication. Ann Rheum Dis

55:783785, 1996.3. Huston P, and Moher D. Redundancy, disaggregation, and the integrity of

medical research.Lancet 347:10241026, 1966.

4. Huth EJ. Repetitive and divided publication. In Ethical Issues in BiomedicalPublication. Hudson Jones A, and McLellan F (Eds.). Baltimore, MD: The

Johns Hopkins University Press. 112136, 2000.

5. Schein M, and Paladugu R. Redundant surgical publication: Tip of theiceberg.Surgery 129:655661, 2001.

6. Bailey BJ. Duplicate publication in the field of otolaryngologyhead andneck surgery. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 126(3):211216, 2002.

7. Jackler R. Otology & Neurotology policy on redundant publication. Oto-laryngol Neurtol 24:131, 2003.

8. http://www.icmje.org/#over.

9. Benninger MS, Jackler RK, Johnson JT, et al. Consortium of Otolaryngolo-gyHead and Neck Surgery Journals to Collaborate in Maintenance of HighEthical Standards. Head Neck 27:351352, 2005. (DOI: 10.1002/

hed.20238[h1])Signed

Jonas T. Johnson, MDEditor, The Laryngoscope

John K. Niparko, MDEditor-in-Chief, Otology & Neurotology

Paul A. Levine, MDEditor, Archives of OtolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery

David W. Kennedy, MDEditor, American Journal of RhinologySusan F. Rudy, MSN, CRNP, CORLN

Editor-in-Chief, ORLHead and Neck NursingPete Weber MD

Editor-in-Chief, American Journal of OtolaryngologyRandal S. Weber, MD

Editor, Head & NeckMichael S. Benninger, MD

Past Editor-in-Chief, OtolaryngologyHead and Neck SurgeryRichard M. Rosenfeld, MD, MPH

Editor-in-Chief, OtolaryngologyHead and Neck SurgeryRobert J. Ruben, MD

Editor in Chief, International Journal of PediatricOtorhinolaryngology

Richard J.H. Smith, MDEditor-in-Chief, Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology

Robert Thayer Sataloff, MD, DMAEditor in Chief, The Journal of Voice

Editor in Chief, Ear, Nose & Throat JournalNeil Weir, MA, FRCS

Editor Emeritus, The Journal of Laryngology & Otology

American Journal of Rhinology 559

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0028-4793(1995)333L.449[aid=7636580]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0028-4793(1995)333L.449[aid=7636580]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0003-4967(1996)55L.783[aid=3204230]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0003-4967(1996)55L.783[aid=3204230]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0140-6736(1966)347L.1024[aid=7636579]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0039-6060(2001)129L.655[aid=7636578]http://www.icmje.org/#overhttp://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=1043-3074(2005)27L.351[aid=7636577]http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/%20hed.20238[h1]http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/%20hed.20238[h1]http://www.icmje.org/#overhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1002/%20hed.20238[h1]http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/%20hed.20238[h1]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=1043-3074(2005)27L.351[aid=7636577]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0039-6060(2001)129L.655[aid=7636578]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0140-6736(1966)347L.1024[aid=7636579]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0003-4967(1996)55L.783[aid=3204230]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0003-4967(1996)55L.783[aid=3204230]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0028-4793(1995)333L.449[aid=7636580]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0028-4793(1995)333L.449[aid=7636580]