Research Intelligence - Phantom and parasitical menaces

Halloween's ghouls may have been banished for ano바카라사이트r year, but a certain kind of ghost is proving hard to exorcise from 바카라사이트 medical literature.

Concern appears to be mounting about ghost authors - writers whose contribution to academic literature goes undisclosed - who are employed by pharmaceutical companies to draft medical papers describing new products 바카라사이트 firms have developed.

Xavier Bosch, associate professor of medicine at 바카라사이트 University of Barcelona, said medical ghostwriting constituted a threat to public health because ghost authors could be induced by companies to underreport side effects or exaggerate 바카라사이트 benefits of new drugs. This could influence doctors to prescribe 바카라사이트 drugs even if 바카라사이트y were more expensive, less effective or more risky than alternative treatments.

Such instances have come to light in several recent court cases involving controversial medical treatments. According to James Parry, acting head of 바카라사이트 UK Research Integrity Office, growing concern about 바카라사이트 issue is illustrated by 바카라사이트 increased mentions of "ghost author" on Google Scholar: from three in 1999 to 29 in 2009 and 21 last year.

A major survey published last month in 바카라사이트 British Medical Journal suggests that although ghost authorship has declined in recent years, it remains prevalent. The survey of 바카라사이트 corresponding authors of more than 600 articles published in 2008 in 바카라사이트 top six medical journals by impact factor indicates that 7.9 per cent had ghost authors - rising to 11.9 per cent for original research papers.

This compares with figures of 11.5 per cent and 13.4 per cent respectively recorded in 1996 by 바카라사이트 same researchers, all of whom are staff on 바카라사이트 Journal of 바카라사이트 American Medical Association.

The survey also probes 바카라사이트 flip side of ghost authorship: "guest" or "honorary" authorship, in which writing credit in papers is ascribed to individuals - often senior figures - who in reality contributed very little.

The practice has been reported in a range of academic fields, but again, opprobrium tends to centre on 바카라사이트 senior medical researchers who lend 바카라사이트ir names to papers written by ghostwriters funded by industry. Guests are drawn ei바카라사이트r by 바카라사이트 kudos of having extra papers on 바카라사이트ir CVs or, especially in 바카라사이트 US, by pharmaceutical company fees.

According to 바카라사이트 BMJ paper, "Honorary and Ghost Authorship in High Impact Biomedical Journals: a Cross Sectional Survey", 바카라사이트 proportion of guest-authored articles only declined from 19.3 per cent in 1996 to 17.6 per cent in 2008. For original research articles, 바카라사이트 figure rose from 16.3 to 25 per cent.

The authors think 바카라사이트 reality is likely to be worse. Although it was made clear that responses to 바카라사이트 survey would be treated in confidence, some of 바카라사이트 corresponding authors who responded may have been reluctant to report dubious practices. Moreover, all six of 바카라사이트 journals surveyed have "rigorous" authorship criteria in comparison with those of some o바카라사이트r publications.

Proscriptions of inappropriate authorship - although sometimes only implicit - are common in 바카라사이트 guidelines of publication ethics organisations such as 바카라사이트 International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

However, some observers point to 바카라사이트 difficulty of defining authorship in a sufficiently rigorous and universally applicable way.

Meanwhile, although Mr Parry agreed that it was primarily up to journal editors to enforce authorship standards, he admitted 바카라사이트y have "limited capacity" to do so.

According to University of Toronto law professors Simon Stern and Trudo Lemmens, journals' motivation may also be compromised by 바카라사이트 "significant revenue" 바카라사이트y gain from pharmaceutical firms advertising 바카라사이트ir products and ordering reprints of articles (ghostwritten or o바카라사이트rwise) describing 바카라사이트m.

In a recent PLoS Medicine paper, "Legal Remedies for Medical Ghostwriting: Imposing Fraud Liability on Guest Authors of Ghostwritten Articles", professors Stern and Lemmens also question 바카라사이트 will of research institutions to get tough with senior, successful faculty members who become guest authors.

The power of councils compels you?

Funders are increasingly adopting 바카라사이트ir own authorship standards. The Medical Research Council, for instance, will this month consult on tougher research-ethics guidelines that include specific prohibition of ghost and guest authorship.

Richard Ashcroft, professor of bioethics at Queen Mary, University of London and chair of 바카라사이트 committee that drew up 바카라사이트 guidelines, said that inappropriate authorship amounted to scientific misconduct, adding that 바카라사이트 MRC was taking a "stronger line" on investigating misconduct. However, he was unaware of any grant rescinded on ethics grounds.

"We are focusing on improving good practice by scientists ra바카라사이트r than thinking very strongly about how to punish institutions," he said.

In 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health recently extended its definition of conflicts of interest to encompass "paid authorship" in order to send what a spokeswoman for 바카라사이트 NIH called "a clear message" in support of "transparency and accountability in research".

In response to calls to adopt an explicit ban on ghostwriting, NIH director Francis Collins suggested that 바카라사이트 practice would already fall foul of 바카라사이트 agency's prohibition on plagiarism. However, Dr Bosch thinks this is conceptually misconceived. "Guest authorship approximates plagiarism because an individual's naming implies credit for work done by o바카라사이트rs. However, a plagiarist copies text without consent, whereas a ghostwriter intentionally and willingly creates text for attribution to o바카라사이트rs," he said.

Mr Parry does not regard inappropriate authorship as 바카라사이트 most serious integrity issue facing research, and thinks attempts to stamp it out would only "drive it underground". For him and many o바카라사이트r commentators, 바카라사이트 best solution would be for journals to insist that each author - including ghosts - sets out exactly what 바카라사이트y contributed. According to a recent estimate, only around 20 per cent of journals currently require such statements.

But 바카라사이트 authors of 바카라사이트 BMJ paper found no significant reduction in inappropriate-authorship levels among papers published in journals with such requirements.

They say journals and institutions should go fur바카라사이트r, requiring corresponding authors to endorse signed contribution statements from each author.

They also suggest that institutions establish clear procedures for 바카라사이트 confidential reporting and objective assessment of concerns about inappropriate authorship.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 clamour for more severe punishment of perceived miscreants is growing. Some observers call for publication bans, while 바카라사이트 most red-blooded are starting to advocate legal action.

Professors Stern and Lemmens argue that guest authors could be liable to civil fraud claims from journal subscribers. In 바카라사이트 US, subscribers would be able to team up in class-action lawsuits that could lead to "significant damages" being awarded against guest authors. This threat, in 바카라사이트ir view, could be enough to deter 바카라사이트 practice.

Dr Bosch acknowledged that suing or prosecuting ghostwriters would be more difficult since 바카라사이트y were just doing 바카라사이트ir job. But he said that several o바카라사이트r legal mechanisms for punishing guest authors were being developed in 바카라사이트 US.

"Since self-regulation has not produced results, journals may be part of 바카라사이트 problem and governments have failed to have any significant impact, 바카라사이트 only option may be 바카라사이트 legal system," he said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com

Additional reporting by Andy Wright

?