_ The public has the right to know if there were conflicting interests and that if there was any doubt, it is better to disclose. _ Just because the material is in the public domain does not exonerate an author from declaring such interests.
_ Where there has been no hypothesis, but yet the treatment has worked, what should then transpire? _ The authors were not suggesting that this was research, and it is not possible to assess how hazardous the treatment was from the information given. _ The treatment should have been carried out with patient consent, and the editors must be satisfied that this has indeed been obtained. _ This prerequisite should be met before submission and should be made clear to all authors intending to submit manuscripts. _ Ethics committee approval was not required in this case, but patient consent was necessary.
_ The authors should make it clear if it was a duplicate article, and thus far had failed to do so. _ Can a meta-analysis be published before the data have been reviewed. _ Why should only part of these data be published, particularly when they have already been published in a systematic review?
跟进:
编辑们仍在等待他的答复ad of the institution. The institution conducted the inquiry: “I can only conclude that the authors have dealt according to the standards of scientific integrity, although it should have been stated that there has been some overlap with a previously published study, and that the communication between your office and the authors have been inadequate. ”
A paper was submitted, describing a doctor who had given an injection of a drug (actually a herbal/homeopathic remedy) to a patient who had already experienced recurrent swelling when given previous injections of the drug. The patient suffered a severe anaphylactic reaction, but survived. The reviewer suggests that it was negligent to give such an injection. It seems at least plausible that this was negligence, and the question for the journal is whether any action should be taken. COPE has made it clear that editors have a duty to act on information about research misconduct. Do editors also have an obligation to act when papers describe clinical misconduct?
建议:
_ This raises the issue of just where the editor’s responsibilities end—at what level should misconduct be investigated. Do editors have a broader obligation? _ The editor should draw it to the attention of the local regulatory body, as there is a responsibility to the public, and this could only be played out if the matter was presented to a such a body.
跟进:
The authors of the paper talked to the doctor who had given the injection and to the patient who had received it. The patient was disappointed at her family doctor’s performance, but decided not to take any further action.
An attempt should be made to find who else had worked on the paper. A sole author rarely does all of the work, but yet has complete intellectual ownership of the data, although it is not impossible to be a single author.
Notice of the previous publication, and an apology, have been published in the journal, although the authors were much aggrieved, being under the impression that duplication wasn’t an issue for editorials.