How to Publish an Ethical Paper BJUI Author Workshop, Tuesday 23 rd June 2009 Roger Kirby

Key words in Ethical publishing Ethics Probity Intellectual honesty Conflict of interest

Ethics

Probity

Intellectual honesty

Conflict of interest

Ethical Scientific Publishing Honest reporting of results. Avoiding claims of plagiarism Conflicts of interest Ghost writers The peer review process Impact factor Editorial Conflicts

Honest reporting of results.

Avoiding claims of plagiarism

Conflicts of interest

Ghost writers

The peer review process

Impact factor

Editorial Conflicts

Honest reporting of results Never massage results to make a negative finding positive Be honest and straightforward in your interpretation Be prepared to stand by and defend your conclusions

Never massage results to make a negative finding positive

Be honest and straightforward in your interpretation

Be prepared to stand by and defend your conclusions

Avoiding plagiarism Do not reproduce chunks of other peoples work Be cautious about cutting and pasting your own work Beware dual publication Plagiarism usually picked up by reviewers but software detection programmes now available

Do not reproduce chunks of other peoples work

Be cautious about cutting and pasting your own work

Beware dual publication

Plagiarism usually picked up by reviewers but software detection programmes now available

Conflicts of interest Usually financial, sometimes political If there is even a hint of a conflict, say so Dug company or instrument manufacturer support of a study as an investigator or consultant Don’t let inter-departmental rivalries cloud your judgement

Usually financial, sometimes political

If there is even a hint of a conflict, say so

Dug company or instrument manufacturer support of a study as an investigator or consultant

Don’t let inter-departmental rivalries cloud your judgement

Ghost writers Professional writers paid to produce copy Often used to write up multi-institutional studies or prepare pharmaceutical reviews Should be acknowledged as an author or at the end of the paper Can produce excellent material, but make sure as an author you can stand by every word

Professional writers paid to produce copy

Often used to write up multi-institutional studies or prepare pharmaceutical reviews

Should be acknowledged as an author or at the end of the paper

Can produce excellent material, but make sure as an author you can stand by every word

The Peer Review Process A welter of papers coming in from all over the world Four reviewers selected for each Brief timely review and decision required Reviewer fatigue a problem Increasing sub-specialisation increasing Reviewer conflicts need to be considered

A welter of papers coming in from all over the world

Four reviewers selected for each

Brief timely review and decision required

Reviewer fatigue a problem

Increasing sub-specialisation increasing

Reviewer conflicts need to be considered

Impact factor Impact factor calculated annually Increasingly important to journals and authors Gaming can occur by “self-citation” Legitimate techniques include increasing rejection rate (> 80%) and publishing more full length reviews Other parameters define a journal such as readability and web traffic

Impact factor calculated annually

Increasingly important to journals and authors

Gaming can occur by “self-citation”

Legitimate techniques include increasing rejection rate (> 80%) and publishing more full length reviews

Other parameters define a journal such as readability and web traffic

2008 Subject Category Rankings Urology & Nephrology Journal IF Journal IF 1 J AM SOC NEPHROL 7.505 14 NAT CLIN PRACT UROL 2.874 2 EUR UROL 6.512 15 SEMIN NEPHROL 2.867 3 KIDNEY INT 6.418 16 NEUROUROL URODYNAM 2.733 4 NAT CLIN PRACT NEPHR 5.594 17 BJU INT 2.704 5 J SEX MED 5.393 18 WORLD J UROL 2.699 6 AM J KIDNEY DIS 4.822 19 SEMIN DIALYSIS 2.671 7 CLIN J AM SOC NEPHRO 4.361 20 UROL ONCOL-SEMIN ORI 2.662 8 CURR OPIN NEPHROL HY 4.00 21 AGING MALE 2.622 9 J UROLOGY 3.952 22 CURR OPIN UROL 2.619 10 AM J PHYSIOL-RENAL 3.89 23 INT UROGYNECOL J 2.375 11 NEPHROL DIAL TRANSPL 3.568 24 PEDIATR NEPHROL 2.321 12 AM J NEPHROL 3.164 25 INT J IMPOT RES 2.276 13 PROSTATE 3.069 26 UROLOGY 2.242

Editorial Conflicts Too much work, not enough time to do it Potential pressure from pharmaceutical companies to publish Orders for reprints and advertisements in the journal Supplements Maintaining fairness, balance and objectivity

Too much work, not enough time to do it

Potential pressure from pharmaceutical companies to publish

Orders for reprints and advertisements in the journal

Supplements

Maintaining fairness, balance and objectivity

Conclusions You are what you write Check PubMed or MedLine to review your publication status Write clearly, concisely and honestly Do not be tempted to massage results Check anything that has your name on it carefully State any possible conflicts of interest

You are what you write

Check PubMed or MedLine to review your publication status

Write clearly, concisely and honestly

Do not be tempted to massage results

Check anything that has your name on it carefully

State any possible conflicts of interest