Vancouver Group Research Articles

Authorship: an ethical dilemma of science

The scientific and technological progress that has taken place since the 1960s has brought an ever-growing volume of scientific research, and inflation in co-authorship. Over this period, it has been observed that an increasing number of publications have listed authors or co-authors whose participation in the published research was minimal or even nonexistent. The objective of this work was to analyze reports in the literature regarding misconduct in authorship: its types, chief causes, consequences and ethical guidelines; and to outline proposals for greater ethical commitment in scientific publication. Narrative review undertaken at Faculdade de Medicina de Itajubá, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Analysis of publications about authorship using the Medline, Lilacs and SciELO databases. Frequent types of misconduct were gift authorship and divided and redundant publications. The chief causes of these practices seem to be the pressure exerted by academia and the desire for social and professional development. Such factors have brought an increase in unethical behavior. This bias in science continues despite the criteria defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the Vancouver group. Various actions are proposed for educational institutions, research development agencies, regulatory agencies and professional associations. The aim is to establish an evaluation policy that gives primacy to the quality of publications and sets ethical principles for scientific research.

Instructions for authors

Instructions for authors

Instructions for authors

Instructions for authors

Instructions for authors

Instructions for authors

The Scribe of Stroke Trials

The responsibility for reports about drug trials in medical journals should lie with the clinicians in the steering committee, not with the industrial sponsor. Examples of undue influence of sponsors on the conduct and analysis are the choice of surrogate outcome events, changes in the protocol during the trial, discontinuation of the study, post hoc analyses and suppression of publication. Since this essay was written, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (‘Vancouver Group’) has issued the condition that authors of submitted manuscripts should guarantee their independence in data analysis and reporting. Nevertheless, this ‘security check’ occurs at a late stage and may not apply to journals that are less well known. Institutional Review Boards should routinely take the matter of independence into account. Also, European guidelines should be rewritten to reflect these fundamental issues rather than a multitude of details. In fact not sponsors or physicians but patients and the general public are the true owners of trial data.

Assimilation, Cultural Pluralism, and Social Exclusion among Ethnocultural Groups in Vancouver

In this paper we use custom tabulations from the 1991 Census for Greater Vancouver to compare the settlement experience of "traditional" immigrants with ethnic origins in Europe vs. those from other parts of the world. In particular we analyze the extent to which assimilation or cultural pluralism best describe the experience of the two populations. Assimilation is measured according to the degree to which an ethnic group moves toward the characteristics of the native-born population, while cultural pluralism is assessed from profiles of residential concentration, employment segmentation, nonofficial language use in the home, and ethnic inmarriage. We also assess the extent to which assimilation or cultural pluralism is associated with social exclusion in terms of economic and educational achievement. In general we find that assimilation best describes the experience of both groupings, though it is much slower for non-European immigrants and ethnicities, where cultural pluralism survives appreciably beyond the first generation. Cultural pluralism is associated with economic marginality for both groups in their first decade in Canada, though more profoundly for non-European immigrants in terms of personal income. In contrast there is some evidence that for the European-origin native-born, some ethnic separation remains and is associated with economic privilege. In general with length of residence, the relationship between variables becomes more ordered, and education emerges as a structuring effect in shaping economic outcomes.

Instructions for authors

Instructions for authors

Instructions for authors

Instructions for authors

Editor's Note

The below “Letter to the Editor” from Professor Rolf Håkanson pertains to the article by Montgomery et al. (2001a) and to the related correspondence in last year's October issue of Pharmacology & Toxicology (see references below). I do not feel that the new “Letter to the Editor” adds anything essential to the discussion. It has been presented to Montgomery and co-workers, who abstain from further comments. I completely agree with the joint editorial policy declaration published in several major journals by the Vancouver group (a.o. Lancet 2001 and previous reference Ugeskr. Laeger 2001) and I can assure our readers that PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY continuously adheres to these principles. We hereby close for further publication on this topic.

Accurate reference citation and assignment of key words

his paper deals with accurate reference citation, in the article and in the list of references, and with assignment of key words. Reference citation is obligatory and integral part of published articles. It provides communication among the authors and binds scientific papers as well as whole scientific knowledge in a certain field. It is the author's ethical and legal obligation to cite all sources of information used in his study. References, bibliography or literature usually come in the end of the paper, but it does not mean they are of no importance. Each citation from the list of references must be cited in the text, and each citation from the text must be listed in references. This paper presents different ways of citing that are in agreement with the scientific research methodology and adapted to generally accepted rules. Definitions and explanations of certain items concerning reference citation are also given. Using Harvard citation means identification of references in the text including the author's surname and year of publication, whereas references are listed alphabetically by surname of authors without numbering. In the combined method authors are alphabetically listed in references and numbers are used in the text. In numerical citation Arabic numerals are used in the text in parenthesis, by order of appearance, whereas the reference list also follows the rule in regard to their appearance in the text. Chronological method lists references according to the year of publication. However, references can be noted in footnotes. In regard to current methodology of scientific research every mode of reference citation is accurate. It is of importance that references should include complete and accurate data so that they could be identified and found. If a journal has accepted the Uniform Requirements established by the Vancouver Group of Medical Editors (numerical type), authors must strictly follow their rules for citation. However, authors should cite only significant ideas and results, only those important for the article. A long reference list does not necessarily point to a well-informed author. One should cite papers and authors with attitudes and results opposite to those obtained by the author as well. Papers of significance should be cited regardless of the ranking of the journal where they were published. Reference list may also include author's own papers (self-citations) if they are important for the topic, but this possibility should not be used too often. References should include the most current foreign, but also domestic literature. The author is obliged to study them regarding his topic of investigation and to select those that are important for his article.

A Tool for Reviewers

A Tool for Reviewers

Industry-sponsored clinical trials and medical publishing

Industry-sponsored clinical trials and medical publishing

Growing pains of the Internet age.

Growing pains of the Internet age.

Microwave surface impedance ofYBa2Cu3O6.99: Comparison of theory and experiment

Surface resistance experiments by the Vancouver group on very high quality single crystals of ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6.99}$ are compared with a model proposed by Trunin et al. and the author. The resistance measurements are from $1.14$ to $75.3$ GHz, and good numerical agreement is found over that frequency interval for all temperatures. From these measurements the real part of the microwave conductivity ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{'}}(T)$ was extracted, and from it a Drude-like conductivity spectrum was obtained below $25$ K, all in agreement with the model. From the conductivity spectrum the scattering rate of the thermally excited quasiparticles was found to increase with temperature $(T),$ in agreement with a Gr\"uneisen T dependent intrinsic resistivity at low temperatures.

From Registered Nurse to Registered Nanny: Discursive Geographies of Filipina Domestic Workers in Vancouver, B.C.

This paper is an exploration of what poststructuralist theories of the subject and discourse analysis can bring to theories of labor market segmentation, namely an understanding of how individuals come to understand and are limited in their occupational options. I examine three discursive constructions of “Filipina” and argue that they work to structure Filipinas’ labor market experiences in Vancouver. Filipinas who come to Canada through the Live-in Caregiver Program often come with university educations and professional experiences (e.g., as registered nurses) but then become members of the most occupationally segregated of ethnic groups in Vancouver. As domestic workers in Vancouver, they are defined as “supplicant, preimmigrants,” as inferior “housekeepers,” and, within the Filipino community, as “husband stealers.” I demonstrate that geography has much to bring to discourse analysis; there are geographies written into discourses of “Filipina” that work to position Filipinas in Vancouver as inferior. While the examined discourses overlap and reinforce the marginalization of Filipinas, I also explore how discursive analysis can function as ideology critique, by examining the internal inconsistencies and silences within particular discourses and the points of resistance that emerge when different discourses come into contact and tension.

Disclosure of researcher contributions: a study of original research articles in The Lancet.

Authorship disputes and abuses have increased in recent years. In response to a proposal that researcher contributions be specified for readers, The Lancet began disclosing such contributions at the end of original articles. To analyze the descriptions researchers use for their contributions and to determine how the order of names on the byline corresponds to these contributions, whether persons listed on the byline fulfill a lenient version of the criteria for authorship specified by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (the Vancouver Group), and whether the contributions of persons listed as contributors overlap with the contributions of those who are acknowledged. Descriptive study. A taxonomy of researchers' contributions was developed and applied to researchers' self-reported contributions to original research articles published in The Lancet from July to December 1997. Contributors lists occupied little page space (mean, 2.5 cm of column length). Placement on the byline did not indicate the specific category of task performed, although the first-contributor position corresponded to a significantly greater number of contributions (mean numbers of contributions: first-contributor position, 3.23; second-contributor position, 2.51; third-contributor position, 2.20; and fourth-contributor position, 2.51) (P < 0.01). Forty-four percent of contributors on the byline did not fulfill a lenient version of the Vancouver Group's criteria for authorship. Sixty percent of the most common categories of activities described on contributors lists overlapped with those on acknowledgements lists. Publication of lists that specify contributions to research articles is feasible and seems to impart important information. The criteria for authorship outlined by the Vancouver Group do not seem to be congruent with the self-identified contributions of researchers.

Dysmorphic Syndromes and Learning Disabilities

Four cases of Kabuki make-up syndrome (KMS) from various ethnic groups in Vancouver, British Columbia, are reported from the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, Vancouver.

The signature of responsibility

A research paper does not exist through wizardry alone. Some stern critics in rare cases might disagree, but the article comes out of a head (or heads), not a hat. One thinks of this writer as an author. But the scientific author is more than just a recorder of events. The scientist as author is, according to the definition of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (the Vancouver Group), 1 International Committee of Medical Journal EditorsUniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 126: 36-47 Crossref PubMed Scopus (212) Google Scholar someone who not only takes public responsibility for the work but who can also attest to “substantial contributions to (a) conception and design, or analysis and interpretation of data; and to (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and on (c) final approval of the version to be published”.

Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals

A small group of editors of general medical journals met informally in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1978 to establish guidelines for the format of manuscripts submitted to their journals. The group became known as the Vancouver Group. Its requirements for manuscripts, including formats for bibliographic references developed by the National Library of Medicine, were first published in 1979. The Vancouver Group expanded and evolved into the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which meets annually; gradually it has broadened its concerns.The committee has produced five editions of the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.” Over the years, issues have arisen that go beyond manuscript preparation. Some of these issues now are covered in the Uniform Requirements; others are addressed in separate statements. Each statement has been published in a scientific journal.

Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals

A small group of editors of general medical journals met informally in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1978 to establish guidelines for the format of manuscripts submitted to their journals. The group became known as the Vancouver Group. Its requirements for manuscripts, including formats for bibliographic references developed by the US National Library of Medicine (NLM), were first published in 1979. The Vancouver Group expanded and evolved into the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which meets annually; gradually it has broadened its concerns. The Committee has produced 5 editions of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. Over the years, issues have arisen that go beyond manuscript preparation. Some of these issues are now covered in the Uniform Requirements; others are addressed in separate statements. Each statement has been published in a scientific journal. The fifth edition (1997) is an effort to reorganize and reword the fourth edition to increase clarity and address concerns about rights, privacy, descriptions of methods, and other matters. The total content of the Uniform Requirements may be reproduced for educational, not-for-profit purposes without regard for copyright; ICMJE encourages distribution of the material. Journals that agree to use the Uniform Requirements (over 500 do so) are asked to cite the 1997 document in their instructions to authors.