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EDITORIAL |
From the Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland.
Correspondence: Address correspondence to: Charles M. Balch, MD, 1900 Duke St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314; Fax: 703-299-1044; E-mail: balchc{at}asco.org
Publication of original scientific articles in Annals of Surgical Oncology is based upon an "honor system" where authors have the obligation to submit manuscripts for publication with truly originalcontent. That is, the substantive content and conclusions have not been published in other medical journals. Furthermore, any related or overlapping content published in other journals must be appropriately cross-referenced. To do otherwise constitutes a form of scientific fraud. It is acknowledged that surgical investigators create new or updated information through an evolutionary process and that they often collaborate with others (including those in other specialties) who also want to publish results from joint efforts in other specialty or basic science journals. However, it is the authors’ responsibility to ensure that the contents of multiple publications about the same or similar subjects are complementary and not duplicative.
In recent years, it has become evident that the criteria for defining "original" material in publications has become breached by some investigators who allow publication of essentially the same data and conclusions in multiple journals. These investigators represent the content as "original" and even fail to cross-reference other journals in which they have published the same material.
It is unfortunate indeed that we even have to write this editorial, but the practice of duplicate submission of manuscripts to multiple journals is becoming more common. The readers are referred to an article by Schein and Paladugu1 published this month in Surgery, which documents how pervasive this practice of "dual publications" has become. The editors of virtually all surgery journals have discussed this issue at length for over 2 years and agreed to a joint statement that defines a uniformly agreed upon set of criteria that can be used to define duplicate publication. This statement appears in this issue of the Annals2 and is simultaneously published in more than 20 surgical journals internationally. The editors of the Annals of Surgical Oncology agree with this definition and reaffirm that authors who submit their manuscripts are accountable to adhere to this definition and that there are consequences if they breech this policy.
What is the process and criteria for handling alleged duplicate publication or other scientific fraud issues? First, a Review Committee, which will consist of the Annals leadership (Editor, Senior Editor, Managing Editor, and Associate Editors) plus the President of The Society of Surgical Oncology, will review all the material facts and make a recommendation to the Editor who will implement the policy. Second, the penalty for fraudulent publication will be proportional and appropriate to the level of policy violation. Let’s all hope that such a Review Committee never has to take any punitive action!
Received for publication April 11, 2001. Accepted for publication April 12, 2001.
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