Plagiarism: Transparency Required

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J. Couzin-Frankel and J. Grom (“Plagiarism sleuths,” News Focus, 22 May, p. [1004][1]) suggest that “[r]epetitious reviews and incremental reports are part of an accepted tradition.” Accepted when and by whom? The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) has for many years included a detailed section on overlapping publications in its “Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals” ([ 1 ][2]). The need for transparency, both to editors and readers, is a paramount concern. Nowhere in the ICMJE document is there an exemption for any particular type of manuscript, including reviews and translations. Essentially all journals include in their instructions to authors a statement such as that provided by Heart Failure Reviews : “Submission of a manuscript implies that the work described has not been published before and that it is not under consideration for publication anywhere else.” Many require a signed declaration. Nevertheless, the authors of many reviews, editorials, and textbook chapters fail to disclose the inclusion of substantial sections of text lifted largely verbatim from previously published or simultaneously submitted material. One of the authors apparently unhappy about inclusion in the Deja vu database is quoted as saying “[t]here's going to be redundancy [in review articles], but I don't think that's scientific misconduct.” Without appropriate permission from all the relevant editors, as well as the inclusion of an overt notice in the later publication to inform readers, it is deception and therefore is indeed misconduct; copyright may also be a problem if it has been assigned to the original publisher. Moreover, if the second submission occurs with a declaration—signed, implied, or otherwise—that none of the material has been or will be published elsewhere, it amounts to outright fraud. Authors who have sought editorial permission and been transparent when reusing material have nothing to fear from inclusion in Deja vu. They may ultimately point to the entry as independent confirmation of their integrity. 1. [↵][3] International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, “Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals: Writing and editing for biomedical publication” ([www.icmje.org][4]). [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.324_1004 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [4]: http://www.icmje.org