Double Submission, Double Publication

Abstract

Double can be defined as publication of a paper that overlaps substantially with one already published in print or electronic media.1) The practice of duplicate publications is considered unethical because it exaggerates findings, wastes times of editors, peer reviewers, and readers, and also breaks integrity of science.2) Double can be started with double (or multiple) submission. Double submission can be defined as the submission of a paper to a journal after that is under concurrent review by another Authors should only submit original work that has neither appeared elsewhere for publication, nor which was under review for another refereed publication. Guidelines for authors of many journals contain prohibition of double submission. For example, in instructions for author of Care, we can find such a policy as follows. Diabetes Care publishes only material that has not been published previously (either in print or electronically) and is not under consideration for elsewhere. Recently we found a case of double submission. In course of review, a reviewer of Korean Journal of Family Medicine (KJFM) found that manuscript was already published in a foreign Science Citation Index (SCI) journal. Double submission is also considered unethical because it may result in double publication. Double submission can take place for many reasons: author may not know that double submission is unethical, may be a junior researcher, or may not want to delay publication. Whatever reason, double submission is a form of publishing misconduct. For previous case, we will contact corresponding author, will state that submitted work has already been published elsewhere, and will ask for explanation about that. If author gives a sufficient and reasonable explanation, we reject submission without penalties. However, if author does not respond, explanation is unsatisfactory, or author admits guilt, we will reject submission with penalties, for example, sending a letter of warning, imposing a ban on submissions to KJFM for one or two years, or informing author's superior about misconduct. Double submission remains one of least well understood forms of publishing misconduct, and has significant negative impact on research community. Establishing clear guidelines and training junior researchers sufficiently can help reduce problem of double submission.