Research Misconduct Policies of High Impact Biomedical Journals∗

∗Barbara K. Redman designed the study, collected and analyzed data, and wrote and edited the article. Jon F. Merz designed the study and wrote and edited the study.

∗∗

∗∗Disclosure: There are no financial or personal conflicts of interest associated with this article.

Abstract

Several national and international organizations have recommended policies regarding journal responsibilities about research misconduct in submitted or published manuscripts. A search of Web sites of the fifty highest impact journals in a cluster of biomedical fields and a limited survey of their editors shows that few journals have formally adopted standards for dealing with questions of research misconduct. Publicly available policies may have a deterrent effect and can prevent arbitrariness in handling cases.

Keywords:

• research
• misconduct
• journal
• policies
• allegations
• manuscripts

Notes

∗Barbara K. Redman designed the study, collected and analyzed data, and wrote and edited the article. Jon F. Merz designed the study and wrote and edited the study.

∗∗Disclosure: There are no financial or personal conflicts of interest associated with this article.

∗Journals with the highest impact factors in the 2003 Journal Citation Report Science Edition were selected from the following medical categories: Allergy; Anatomy & Morphology; Anesthesiology; Behavioral Sciences; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Biology; Biophysics; Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems; Cell Biology; Clinical Neurology; Critical Care Medicine; Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine; Dermatology; Developmental Biology; Emergency Medicine; Endocrinology & Metabolism; Gastroenterology & Hepatology; Genetics & Heredity; Geriatrics & Gerontology; Health Care Sciences & Services; Hematology; Immunology; Infectious Diseases; Integrative & Complementary Medicine; Medical Ethics; Medical Informatics; Medical Laboratory Technology; Medicine, General & Internal; Medicine, Research & Experimental; Microbiology; Multidisciplinary Sciences; Neuroimaging; Neurosciences; Nursing; Nutrition & Dietetics; Obstetrics & Gynecology; Oncology; Ophthalmology; Orthopedics; Otorhinolaryngology; Pediatrics; Peripheral Vascular Disease; Pharmacology & Pharmacy; Physiology; Psychiatry; Psychology; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging; Rehabilitation; Reproductive Biology; Respiratory System; Rheumatology; Sport Sciences; Substance Abuse; Surgery; Toxicology; Transplantation; Tropical Medicine; Urology & Nephrology; Virology; Zoology.

∗Journals with the highest impact factors in the 2003 Journal Citation Report Science Edition were selected from the following medical categories: Allergy; Anatomy & Morphology; Anesthesiology; Behavioral Sciences; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Biology; Biophysics; Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems; Cell Biology; Clinical Neurology; Critical Care Medicine; Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine; Dermatology; Developmental Biology; Emergency Medicine; Endocrinology & Metabolism; Gastroenterology & Hepatology; Genetics & Heredity; Geriatrics & Gerontology; Health Care Sciences & Services; Hematology; Immunology; Infectious Diseases; Integrative & Complementary Medicine; Medical Ethics; Medical Informatics; Medical Laboratory Technology; Medicine, General & Internal; Medicine, Research & Experimental; Microbiology; Multidisciplinary Sciences; Neuroimaging; Neurosciences; Nursing; Nutrition & Dietetics; Obstetrics & Gynecology; Oncology; Ophthalmology; Orthopedics; Otorhinolaryngology; Pediatrics; Peripheral Vascular Disease; Pharmacology & Pharmacy; Physiology; Psychiatry; Psychology; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging; Rehabilitation; Reproductive Biology; Respiratory System; Rheumatology; Sport Sciences; Substance Abuse; Surgery; Toxicology; Transplantation; Tropical Medicine; Urology & Nephrology; Virology; Zoology.

42 CFR, Section 93.103(2006)