Manuscripts Section Research Articles

The REporting of Studies Conducted Using Observational Routinely-Collected Health Data (RECORD) Statement: Methods for Arriving at Consensus and Developing Reporting Guidelines.

ObjectiveRoutinely collected health data, collected for administrative and clinical purposes, without specific a priori research questions, are increasingly used for observational, comparative effectiveness, health services research, and clinical trials. The rapid evolution and availability of routinely collected data for research has brought to light specific issues not addressed by existing reporting guidelines. The aim of the present project was to determine the priorities of stakeholders in order to guide the development of the REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data (RECORD) statement.MethodsTwo modified electronic Delphi surveys were sent to stakeholders. The first determined themes deemed important to include in the RECORD statement, and was analyzed using qualitative methods. The second determined quantitative prioritization of the themes based on categorization of manuscript headings. The surveys were followed by a meeting of RECORD working committee, and re-engagement with stakeholders via an online commentary period.ResultsThe qualitative survey (76 responses of 123 surveys sent) generated 10 overarching themes and 13 themes derived from existing STROBE categories. Highest-rated overall items for inclusion were: Disease/exposure identification algorithms; Characteristics of the population included in databases; and Characteristics of the data. In the quantitative survey (71 responses of 135 sent), the importance assigned to each of the compiled themes varied depending on the manuscript section to which they were assigned. Following the working committee meeting, online ranking by stakeholders provided feedback and resulted in revision of the final checklist.ConclusionsThe RECORD statement incorporated the suggestions provided by a large, diverse group of stakeholders to create a reporting checklist specific to observational research using routinely collected health data. Our findings point to unique aspects of studies conducted with routinely collected health data and the perceived need for better reporting of methodological issues.

Controlling Goods or Promoting the Public Good: Choices for Special Collections in the Marketplace

For the past few decades, many special collections repositories in the United States have charged licensing or use fees to those patrons who use or publish special collections materials for commercial purposes. In fact, about fifteen years ago the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries charged an ad hoc committee, the Licensing and Reproductions of Special Collections Committee, to “create a reasoned and articulate defense of libraries’ right to charge licensing fees for commercial uses of their materials.”2 The Committee noted that, historically, libraries allowed scholars to publish freely from the content they . . .

Wulfstans kodex og Schumachers liste. Om den ældste fortegnelse over håndskrifter i Det Kongelige Bibliotek

Wulfstans kodex og Schumachers liste. Om den ældste fortegnelse over håndskrifter i Det Kongelige Bibliotek

Guest Editor’s Note

As guest editor, I am delighted to introduce this special issue of RBM—a project that came to me after organizing the 54th Annual Preconference of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section, “O Rare! Performance in Special Collections.” Words cannot express my debt and gratitude to the entire rare book and manuscript community in helping find superb presenters for the conference who distilled their ideas into writing. I hope that these written traces on paper continue to bring new thought to bear on the ideas presented and illuminate important issues for future thinkers. Where De Rerum Natura reads “propterea quid . . .

The Much Overlooked “Materials and Methods”

The ability of a scientist to interpret, understand, and reproduce another’s work is dependent on the accuracy and detail provided in the “Materials and Methods” section of a scientific publication. This information is intended to provide insight into the resources used and details of how an experiment was performed. In recent years, these sections have undergone increased scrutiny with the rapid growth of scientific databases and their manual curation efforts. Last year, the Nucleic Acids Research (NAR) online Molecular Biology Database Collection included more than 1500 databases [1]. Biocurators manually review and scrutinize the published literature for inclusion into these biological databases. Teams of curation scientists dissect the methods sections of manuscripts, comparing their content to the text and figure legends. This level of scrutiny is required in order to assure the accuracy of data entered into each database, as well as to ensure complete understanding of the data that is manually annotated.

Evgenij Ivanovich Kychanov (1932–2013): The Life of a Tangut Studies Pioneer

On 24 May 2013 the world lost an outstanding researcher and natural-born talent, Evgenij Ivanovich Kychanov. Evgenij Ivanovich was born on 22 June 1932 in the small town of Sarapul on the River Kama in Udmurtia. His father, Ivan Kuzmich Kychanov, was an engineer land manager, who at the time was working as head of the Kama Basin Agrarian Brigade (Zemotriad); his mother, Galina Pavlovna (nee Zylyova), was a kindergarten teacher. Evgenij Ivanovich’s parents came from families of lower middle-class craftsmen and sturdy peasants, who had experienced firsthand all the hardships of revolution, wars and the dispossession of the kulaks. In 1950, after finishing the No 16 all-boys secondary school in his native town, Evgenij Kychanov set off for Leningrad with the intention of enrolling in either the History or Philology Faculty of Leningrad State University. However, due to a serendipitous coincidence he entered the Oriental Faculty instead. Before submitting his documents, Evgenij Ivanovich met a third-year student, Boris Mikhailovich Novikov (now an Associate Professor at St Petersburg State University), in the main building and the two struck up a conversation. After some brief consideration, the newcomer decided to devote himself to the study of Chinese history. Evgenij Ivanovich’s student years were tough, like those of the whole post-war generation, but full of a spirit of romance and true friendship. His group included others who would become prominent scholars – Vladislav Semyonovich Kuznetsov, Vitalij Yepifanovich Larichev, Ernst Vladimirovich Shavkunov and Yurij Vladimirovich Zuev – and Evgenij Ivanovich’s bonds of warm comradeship with them would last a lifetime. Kychanov enjoyed learning and it came easily to him. He was one of the most brilliant students not only in his Faculty, but in the whole University. For his diploma thesis, “The Peasant Movement in Guangdong and Hunan Provinces during the First Civil Revolutionary War” (supervisor L. A. Berezny), he was awarded the University’s first prize. In the spring of 1955, the Oriental Faculty recommended Evgenij Ivanovich for a post-graduate position in the Oriental Manuscripts Section of the Institute of Oriental Studies (USSR Academy of Sciences) specialising in Tangut Studies. After passing the competitive entrance

How to write a paper for successful publication in an international peer-reviewed journal.

In this paper, we present a step-by-step guide on how to write a paper for successful publication in a peer-reviewed journal. We propose a ten-step approach to the entire process of paper writing from preparation, manuscript writing, and submission to the stages of peer-review and revision. The steps include defining paper objectives, authorship, journal selection, writing routines, requirements of manuscript sections, editing and proof-reading as well as how to communicate successfully in submission and review.

Il mestiere dei libri nel tardo Rinascimento. Edizione e commento del Consilium di Hugo Blotius a Rodolfo II del 1579

The article attempts to reconstruct the content and the context of a Consilium (advice) addressed from the Imperial librarian in Vienna, Hugo Blotius, to the Em­peror of the Holy Roman Empire Rudolf II in 1579. In the text the author points out at a number of morbi and possible treatments for the Imperial library. In so doing, he discusses some of the crucial issues related to the management of late Renais­sance libraries, such as the increase of the collections, and the professionalization of the librarians. Through the comparison with other advices written by librarians and scholars in the same period, the article tries to contextualise some of Blotius’ ideas, in order to propose some more general conclusions about the organisation of libraries in a time of change for the culture of books, such as the 16th century. In the Appendix, the edition of the manuscript, preserved in Vienna in the Section of Manuscripts and Old prints of the Austrian National library, is proposed, thanks to the contribution of Dr. Christian Gastgber.

Medication Adherence and Health Care Utilization in Pediatric Chronic Illness: A Systematic Review

Advanced understanding of modifiable predictors of health care use in pediatric chronic illness is critical to reducing health care costs. We examined the relationship between medication non-adherence and health care use in children and adolescents who have a chronic medical condition. A systematic review of articles by using PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL was conducted. Additional studies were identified by searching reference sections of relevant manuscripts. Studies that tested the relationship between medication non-adherence and health care use (ie, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, outpatient visits) or cost in children and adolescents (mean age ≤18 years) who have a chronic medical condition were included. Extraction of articles was completed by using predefined data fields. Ten studies met our inclusion criteria. Nine of the 10 studies reviewed (90%) demonstrated a relationship between medication non-adherence and increased health care use. The directionality of this relationship varied depending on the outcome variable of interest. Medication non-adherence is related to increased health care use in children and adolescents who have a chronic medical condition and should be addressed in clinical care. Future studies should include randomized controlled trials examining the impact of adherence promotion efforts on health care use and costs.

To Breathe or Not to Breathe: Negative Data on Ozone and Vascular Function in an Established Research Model

To Breathe or Not to Breathe: Negative Data on Ozone and Vascular Function in an Established Research Model

Pressures to Publish: Catalysts for the Loss of Scientific Writing Integrity?

ABSTRACTPublishing research is the final step in the scientific process and is used as the primary means for disseminating research findings to the scientific community. Publishing can embody many personal motivations (e.g., gratification, seeing a finished product in print, desire to further science) for authors as well as professional benefits (e.g., promotion, tenure, future funding opportunities). As the scientific workforce and competition for jobs and funding increase, publishing productivity has become a driving factor for many authors, which may lead to writing practices that violate integrity. In this essay, we discuss writing actions that may be considered a violation of integrity in the context of traditional manuscript sections (introduction and discussion, methods, and results). We define “integrity” as consistency of actions that reflect honesty and truthfulness. Writing the introduction and discussion can be compared to an artistic creation because the rendition of the data may vary depending on the intentions and experience of the author. Some authors may be tempted to relate their research to a hot topic (e.g., climate change, model selection) in an attempt to increase publication success or maximize visibility in search engines, despite not having sufficient data to support their conclusions. Caution must be taken to not overextend the “story” beyond the bounds of the data. Modification of the methods and results sections contains the most extreme cases of scientific integrity violations (e.g., changing an alpha level, only presenting positive results, running numerous tests until desired outcome). Manipulation of methods or results is more difficult to detect by peer review. We believe that however destructive integrity violations may be, despite benefits to the author (e.g., accolades, publication, potential citations, promotion, etc.), the individual scientist should hold him‐ or herself accountable and to a high standard to avoid sacrificing integrity.

An integrated approach to research and manuscript development

A stepwise process for planning, writing, and submitting a research manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal is described. The research project and writing-related activities should be conducted concurrently along a clear timeline developed with input from all members of the writing team. Issues of conformance to standards of scholarly publishing (e.g., ordering of the author list, contributor acknowledgments, disclosure statements) should be resolved and agreed on by all authors before manuscript development begins. After deciding on an appropriate hypothesis or research question, members of the writing team should meet to craft a detailed manuscript outline and identify a target journal. In addition to writing or coordinating the writing of the various manuscript sections, one designated team member (typically the lead, or primary, author) should be responsible for ensuring consistency of data presentation and overall article cohesion. Before submitting the manuscript to a journal, the writing team should solicit internal and external review and feedback from colleagues with expertise in statistical analysis and the research topic. Once an article is accepted by a journal, the corresponding author has primary responsibility for communicating with editors and coordinating the team's response to peer reviewer concerns and requests for revisions. The process of writing and securing journal acceptance of manuscripts should proceed along a well-defined pathway integrating all research and writing tasks. Close adherence to the target journal's instructions for authors and prompt response to reviewer comments help avoid delays in the publication of accepted articles.

On the Recently Discovered Vatican Manuscript of Spinoza’s Ethics

On the Recently Discovered Vatican Manuscript of Spinoza’s Ethics Pina Totaro (bio) The extant writings of Spinoza are almost exclusively printed works. Some of these were published anonymously, with fictitious publishers and places of publication, while others bear only the author’s initials. As is well known, the only surviving manuscripts of Spinoza’s philosophical writings are a few letters and two copies of the Korte Verhandeling van God, de Mensch en deszelvs Welstand, one from the seventeenth century, the other from the eighteenth century. These latter are Dutch translations—not autographs and not discovered until the nineteenth century—of a text the author left unfinished and which was not included in either the Opera posthuma of 1677 or its simultaneously published Dutch translation, the versio belgica, De nagelate schriften. The Ethica is today Spinoza’s most famous treatise, and it originally appeared in the posthumous collection along with the Tractatus politicus, Tractatus de intellectus emendatione, Epistolae, and Compendium grammatices linguae Hebraeae (the Compendium was published only in the Latin edition). We are now, however, fortunate to have a Latin manuscript of the Ethics, a non-autograph transcription that I have recently edited with Leen Spruit, who found the manuscript in the manuscript section of the Apostolic Vatican Library.1 [End Page 465] The manuscript is part of a large group of texts from the Library of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Vatican City), which were later transferred, after 1922, to the Vatican Library. The manuscript consists of one hundred and thirty-three pages recto/verso in small format (167 × 107 mm), bound together with some printed pages from the same period. On the last page, c. 133v, an official of the Roman Inquisition wrote the date September 23, 1677, with the annotation: Die 23. Septembris 1677. Illustrissimus et Reverendissimus D. Nicolaus Stenonus Episcopus Titiopolitanus, et Vicarius Apostolicus in Ducate Luneburgensi exhibuit presentem librum, et dixit esse librum [expos]itum in eius memoriali S. Congregationi S. Officij porrecto. The manuscript is in Latin and was never correctly identified as Spinoza’s Ethica. In fact, it has no title and no indication of its author’s name. It is registered in the catalogue of Vatican Latin manuscripts with the generic title Tractatus theologiae. For this reason, in what is one of the most extensive libraries of theological texts in the world, no one had ever bothered to check the real content of this treatise. The title most likely derives from the first words of the work, which begins with the heading De Deo, the famous incipit of the Ethica. Another interesting thing is that the very same institution that was in charge of censorship is responsible for having conserved the manuscript for centuries, thereby insuring the survival of the only manuscript copy of Spinoza’s most important philosophical work. Some years ago, I found the text of the complaint against Spinoza that was submitted to the court of the Holy Office on September 4, 1677 by the Danish scientist and theologian Niels Stensen.2 In the document, Stensen claims to have personally known Spinoza many years earlier in the Netherlands. “When I was a student at Leiden University in Holland,” he writes, “I had the opportunity to become a friend of Spinoza.” Stensen cites episodes from fifteen or sixteen years earlier, dating back to 1662–63. He says that Spinoza studied as a rabbi when he was young and then abandoned his studies (che rinunziato lo studio del rabbinismo nel quale egli s’era esercitato qualche tempo). Stensen remembers the friendship between Spinoza and Franciscus van den Enden, who was suspected of atheism (per mezzo della prattica con un certo van Enden sospetto d’ateismo), and he insists on the influence of Descartes’s philosophy on Spinoza (e della lezzione della filosofia des Cartes). In that way, Stensen explains, Spinoza began to build a philosophy in which material substance constitutes the only explanatory principle of the world (s’era messo a far una filosofia da sé nella quale spiegava tutto per la sola materia). Through his complaint lodged with the Inquisition, Stensen intended to achieve several objectives. First, at that time—the summer of 1677—Stensen...

Scientific Misconduct: What Have We Done Lately?

713 duplication in other sections of manuscripts. When duplication is more significant, in some cases reaching up to 50%, the authors are notified. The manuscript may be rejected without review or, in some cases, the authors are given the opportunity to revise their manuscript and resubmit the work. Either case provides a learning experience for authors and increases our ability to monitor scientific integrity more consistently. Although our process will, no doubt, become more refined as we become more familiar with this tool, authors submitting manuscripts to the AJR should know that CrossCheck and other integrity-check systems are here to stay. Finally, beginning with the American Roentgen Ray Society annual meeting in 2013, we will expand our education efforts by providing sessions on publication ethics and methods to optimize manuscript quality when submitting studies to the AJR. It is important that all involved in the circle of scientific publication work and learn together about the principles so critical to accurate science [7]. Our goal at the AJR is to continually improve the quality and scientific integrity while maintaining an educational and user-friendly environment. Thomas H. Berquist Editor in Chief ajrsubmit@arrs.org DOI:10.2214/AJR.12.9552

Animals Have a Sex, and so Should Titles and Methods Sections of Articles in Endocrinology

Beginning with papers submitted as of July 1, 2012, the methods sections of manuscripts submitted to Endocrinology must indicate the sex of animals used, or in the case of primary cells or cultures, the sex of animal from which they were derived. Although not required, authors are also encouraged to identify the sex of cell lines used in cell cultures. If the experiment is of a mixed-sex design, the numbers of males and females should be indicated in the methods. If only one sex of animal was used in an experiment, the title should indicate the sex of animal used. Recently, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science recently hosted a workshop entitled “Sex-Specific Reporting of Scientific Research” sponsored by the Office of Research on Women’s Health of the National Institutes of Health (1). The opinion of many of the discussants was that, considering the differences between males and females for so many biological factors, the sex of animals used in experiments should be identified in journal articles. Similarly, most participants agreed that when only one sex was studied, then that should be clearly indicated in the methods section of the paper. This issue of Endocrinology includes three invited minireviews that persuasively make the case that the sex of animals is a critical variable in all of biology (2–4). These three minireviews note the importance of knowing the sex of the animals used in studies ranging from immune cells to human brain function. Although the study of only one sex is acceptable in some cases, such as reproduction, the study of only one sex with an expectation of generalizing to both sexes is not. With many variables, the response of males and females may differ as much as in studies in which different strains or species of animal are used. Therefore, we believe it is of utmost importance to prominently identify the sex of animals used in biological research. Although experiments will continue to be performed on only one sex, it is important to call attention of our authors and readers to this issue. In addition to the Institute of Medicine monograph on sex-specific reporting of scientific research and the minireviews in this issue of Endocrinology, many other publications recently have made the case that sex cannot be ignored in biological research (5, 6). Beery and Zucker (5) conducted an extensive analysis of sex of animals used in publications in a variety of disciplines. In some disciplines, when sex of animal is specified in the methods sections of scientific reports, the subjects tend to be males, perhaps because researchers do not want to deal with the so-called complication of the estrous or menstrual cycle of females. It is interesting that 20 yr ago, Karen Berkley (7) pointed out that in many research papers, in that case, in Neuroscience, the sex of animals used was not specified. We expect that our new policy will evolve as awareness of the need to consider both sexes in endocrine research increases, and we expect that just as was the case in human research, the federal agencies will get involved in the conversation. In time, inclusion of both sexes in animal research may be required, as it is now with human subject studies (http://orwh.od.nih.gov/inclusion.html). Eventually, sex-specific information may be required in studies with a mixed-sex design. However, for now, our goal is to raise awareness of the fact that, just as species, strain, age, and other variables must be considered in reporting of biological research, so should sex of animals. Although some recent papers have provided blueprints of how to consider both sexes in biological research (8, 9), the goal of the new policy of this journal is simply to ensure that the sex of animals is reported and mentioned in the title if only one sex was used. The goal is not to change the

Thin Slice Sampling of Video Footage for Mother/Child Interaction: Application to Single Cases

The purpose was to test the reliability of short samples of parent/child interaction for use in single-subject research. Four variable pairs of mother/child behaviour were coded for seven mother/child play sessions. Each session lasted 20 min and 18 min of the session was behaviourally coded using frame-by-frame analysis. The co-occurrence of the mother/child behaviours within a given time window was computed and an odds ratio was calculated for the co-occurrence of the targeted behaviours. The play session was divided into shorter segments (3, 6 and 9 min) and odds ratios of the variable pairs from the shorter segments were compared to the odds ratios from the entire session. Segments of 3 and 6 min did not yield the same pattern of results as the entire session. In single-subject research, evidence of the reliability of the time segment for behavioural coding should be reported in the methods section of original research manuscripts.

<b>Bettina Wagner and Marcia Reed, eds</b>. <i>Early Printed Books as Material Objects</i>. Berlin: De Gruyter Saur, 2010. xii, 367p. ISBN 9783110253245. $150.00.

This book consists of the proceedings from a preconference organized by the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), held in Munich 19–21 August 2009 as a satellite meeting to IFLA’s annual congress in Milan, Italy. In the Introduction, Wagner sets the stage for the work included in this collection of presented papers. Although multiple copies of early printed editions may survive to the present day, Wagner emphasizes the importance of early printed books as individual objects, each with unique characteristics that distinguish it from all other copies printed in the . . .

ARCHYVINĖ MEDŽIAGA APIE XX A. PIRMOSIOS PUSĖS VILNIAUS DRAUGIJAS BEI JŲ VEIKĖJUS LIETUVOS MOKSLŲ AKADEMIJOS VRUBLEVSKIŲ BIBLIOTEKOJE

In this paper, a brief overview of the archival materials concerning the Society of the Science and Art Museum (1907–1914), Society of the Library of Eustachy and Emily Wróblewski (1912–1922), Society of Eustachy and Emily Wróblewski Science Fund (1922–1939) and Society of Wróblewski Library Friends (1936–1939) is presented. These materials are kept in the Wróblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. The first one of the mentioned above societies gathered a valuable collection of rare printed matter and archival documents (the remaining part is kept now in the Wróblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Science); the other three societies have taken part in founding the library and in the proliferation of its funds.After an overview of archival sources, a conclusion is made that the archival material concerning various societies that acted in Vilnius in the first half of the 20th century are of the same character. The majority of them are statutes of the societies, lists of members, the minutes of meetings, activities and financial reports, cash books, statements of inspections and various official papers. These documents enable to restore in essence the circumstances of founding these societies and the main features of their activities. Very valuable is the material in the Manuscript section concerning famous personalities of these societies: Lucjan Uziębło, member of the Vilnius Society of Science and Art Museum, and Tadeusz Wróblewski, the founder of Eustachy and Emily Wróblewski Library. The material comprises their personal documents, scientific certificates, letters, notes, manuscripts, death certificates, obituaries. All this archival material is important not only for the history knowledge of the mentioned societies; it is significant also for the knowledge of the cultural and scientific life in Vilnius of the first half of the 20th century; therefore, it is necessary to preserve it as an important documentary heritage.

Prevalence of Plagiarism in Recent Submissions to the Croatian Medical Journal

To assess the prevalence of plagiarism in manuscripts submitted for publication in the Croatian Medical Journal (CMJ). All manuscripts submitted in 2009-2010 were analyzed using plagiarism detection software: eTBLAST, CrossCheck, and WCopyfind. Plagiarism was suspected in manuscripts with more than 10% of the text derived from other sources. These manuscripts were checked against the Déjà vu database and manually verified by investigators. Of 754 submitted manuscripts, 105 (14%) were identified by the software as suspicious of plagiarism. Manual verification confirmed that 85 (11%) manuscripts were plagiarized: 63 (8%) were true plagiarism and 22 (3%) were self-plagiarism. Plagiarized manuscripts were mostly submitted from China (21%), Croatia (14%), and Turkey (19%). There was no significant difference in the text similarity rate between plagiarized and self-plagiarized manuscripts (25% [95% CI 22-27%] vs. 28% [95% CI 20-33%]; U=645.50; P=0.634). Differences in text similarity rate were found between various sections of self-plagiarized manuscripts (H=12.65, P=0.013). The plagiarism rate in the Materials and Methods (61% (95% CI 41-68%) was higher than in the Results (23% [95% CI 17-36%], U=33.50; P=0.009) or Discussion (25.5 [95% CI 15-35%]; U=57.50; P<0.001) sections. Three authors were identified in the Déjà vu database. Plagiarism detection software combined with manual verification may be used to detect plagiarized manuscripts and prevent their publication. The prevalence of plagiarized manuscripts submitted to the CMJ, a journal dedicated to promoting research integrity, was 11% in the 2-year period 2009-2010.

Early Printed Books as Material Objects: Proceedings of the Conference Organized by the IFLA Rare Books and Manuscripts Section, Munich 19-21 August 2009

Early Printed Books as Material Objects: Proceedings of the Conference Organized by the IFLA Rare Books and Manuscripts Section, Munich 19-21 August 2009