Reply: The Presence of “Ghost” Citations in an Applicant Pool of an Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Program

Abstract

Sir: Thank you for the opportunity to reply to the letter by Dr. Adetayo. Our article attempted to characterize the prevalence of fraudulent citations (“ghost” citations) included by applicants in an effort to make their applications more competitive. Dr. Adetayo's letter highlighted the importance of integrity in our specialty and recognized the difficulty not only in identifying ghost citations but also in characterizing those applicants who may use them. To our knowledge, no system exists that has the ability to check the veracity of publications listed on candidate applications. However, those of us practicing in an academic medical center certainly have the resources available to create such a system: the institution's medical library and the professional medical librarians that staff them. More importantly, it is incumbent on those that mentor these medical students to supervise them as they create their curriculum vitae and scrutinize the published works they include to ensure they are representing themselves appropriately and ethically. At the crux of the issue lies an important question: Why do we, as plastic surgery training programs, ask applicants for their publication information? Exactly what do we seek that makes one student stand out from another? Do we seek quality research or quantity of “stuff” amassed? Perhaps we should be more selective when we ask applicants for citation information, placing highest value on full-length articles in peer-reviewed literature journals, followed by items such as published research abstracts or other high-level publications such as signed policies or white papers. Typically, the most difficult citations to verify are those not well indexed in national databases, such as online-only publications, publications published internally at an applicant's home institution, and some theses for master's degrees and dissertations for doctorate degrees. We thank Dr. Adetayo for his insightful letter. It is only our vigilance that will preserve the integrity of our application process and ensure that we continue to recruit individuals of the highest character into our specialty. Jeffrey D. Larson, M.D. Barbara Benisch Sisolak, M.A.-L.I.S. Timothy W. King, M.D., Ph.D. Division of Plastic Surgery University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Madison, Wis.