1. Prof. Dr. Saw Aik Chief editor Malaysian Orthopaedic Journal University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Ethical Issues and Publication Misconducts Disclosure : No conflict of interest in preparing this presentation

2. Outline 1. Why is it necessary 2. Editorial standards 3. Protecting right of research subjects 4. Protecting Intellectual Property 5. Scientific misconduct and Errors 6. Summary

3. 1. Why is it necessary Progress in science and medicine relies on publication Readers trust information published in journals Maintain trust and uphold reputation of journal, we should maintain high standards : o Guidelines / Best practice / Instructions o Authors, peer reviewers, editors and publishers

4. Good publication practices do not develop by chance, and will become established only if they are actively promoted. Chris Graf et al. International Journal of Clinical Practice 2007

5. 2. Editorial Standards A. Authorship B. Peer review system C. Conflict of Interest D. Appeal E. Editorial Independence

6. A. Authorship : ICJME guidelines : 1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND 2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND 3. Final approval of the version to be published 4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals Dec 2013

7. Only those who meet the descriptions should be considered as authors Guest (honorary) author Those who met the descriptions should be listed as authors Ghost author

8. Common problems : o Adding authors Before / After o Deleting authors Publication o Authorship disputes Acknowledgement : o Should get the consent from those listed o Indirectly reflect endorsement of the project

10. B. Peer review system o Blinded and non-blinded systems  Advantageous, disadvantageous  Post-publication peer-review o Reviewer should not :  Publicly discuss the content of the manuscripts  Make use of content to enhance own work o Reviewers should :  Declare confict of interest  Delete the reviewed manuscript from personal storage

11. C. Conflict of Interest o Financial, or personal considerations that may potentially influence judgement o Author :  Research grant / sponsorship  Technical assistance  Not to commission subjective articles to them o Peer reviewers :  Know the authors  From the same institution

13. D. Appeal o Mechanism of appeal may be shown o Usually directed to chief editor or manuscript editor o Discourage repeated and unfounded appeals

15. E. Editorial Independence o Journal owners should not interfere with editorial decisions o Chief Editor should have independent authority to select their editorial boards. o Editors should have the right to review and refuse advertisements and advertising placement.

16. o Journals that publish special issues (supplements) funded by third parties should establish policies on the process :  Professional groups  Conference proceedings

17. Outline 1. Why is it necessary 2. Editorial standards 3. Protecting right of research subjects 4. Protecting Intellectual Policy 5. Scientific misconduct and Errors 6. Summary

18. 3. Protecting right of research subjects Clinical studies (involving humans, tissues, medical records) should have approval of institutional / national ethical review bodies for research Declare that study conducted according to principles of : Declaration of Helsinki for clinical trials Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. Amended October 2008. Ethical review bodies for animal studies

19. Privacy and confidentiality : o Photos, radiological images, specific clinical features o Modify identifying materials without distortion of underlying meaning o Written informed consent Respecting culture and heritage o Tissues to be claimed for burial

20. 4. Protecting Intellectual Property Permission o Previous publications  References. Doi code o Online materials  Internet link  Date assessing the material o Figures / Tables  Written permission

21. Copyright policy o Copyright transfer / assignment o Open access : Creative commons licensing https://creativecommons.org/licenses/

24. 5. Errors and Scientific misconduct a. Error o Honest error (typo) o Negligence (software, statistics)

26. 5. Scientific misconduct and Errors a. Error o Honest error (typo) o Negligence (statistics) b. Duplication o Publish same study in different journals o Why not? o May skew scientific literature o Abstract, poster, oral presentation, proceedings o Different language (with permission)

28. c. Redundant o Splitting into parts (Salami slicing) How to avoid : Registration of clinical trial Duplication software

29. d. Plagiarism : Duplication of text and figures o WAME defines plagiarism as :  The use of others’ published and unpublished ideas or words (or other intellectual property) without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from an existing source. o Consider :  Honest mistakes by junior authors  Intentional : serious misconduct

30. o Duplication check software :  Turnitin : Student thesis  Ithenticate : Web based / online material  Crosscheck : Scientific publications o Review papers :  Discussion on published literature  Authors should use their own words, but duplication of text can be expected

31. e. Falsification : o Changing, adding or omitting data points o Removing “inconvenient” results o Modifying figures / images f. Fabrication : o Making up research findings o Serious form of misconduct

32. Appropriate action o Erratum  Wrongly spelled author name o Expression of concern  Inconclusive evidence  Impossible to investigate (institution) o Retraction : clear evidence of misconduct  Retraction of article o Banning of author?  Not endorsed by COPE  Punishment should reside with authors institute

35. 6. Summary Journal editors should maintain high standards in various aspect of publication, using clear instructions and guidelines. We must be aware of possible errors and various forms of misconducts Appropriate actions should be taken to serve as negative feedback for others

36. Thank you for your attention