bims-skolko Biomed News
on Scholarly communication
Issue of 2024‒09‒29
25 papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society
  1. Publishing priorities in global health: A framework and empirical analysis.
  2. Views of a non-probability sample of corresponding authors with retracted publications in biomedical fields about the impact of different types of retractions on researchers' careers.
  3. A cross-sectional study assessing visual abstracts of randomized trials revealed inadequate reporting and high prevalence of spin.
  4. Enabling preprint discovery, evaluation, and analysis with Europe PMC.
  5. Data integrity concerns flagged in 130 women's health papers - all by one co-author.
  6. Letter to the Editor: Recognizing Coercion Authorship as a Serious Form of Research Misconduct.
  7. Ethics statements in Rheumatology journals: present practices and future directions.
  8. "Publish or Perish" Paradigm and Medical Research: Replication Crisis in the Context of Artificial Intelligence Trend.
  9. Authors' Response: Ethical use of artificial intelligence in academic writing.
  10. Enhancing orthopaedic surgery research: developing manuscripts using systematic checklists.
  11. The challenge of reviewers scarcity in academic journals: payment as a viable solution.
  12. 'Substandard and unworthy': why it's time to banish bad-mannered reviews.
  13. Essential principles for peer reviewing.
  14. The timeless value of quality peer review.
  15. Tackling Predatory Journals in Oncology: Training Is Key!
  16. From Fragmentation to Open Access: Building an Open Data Portal for Health Data Dissemination.
  17. Pedagogic Strategies and Contents in Medical Writing/Publishing Education: A Comprehensive Systematic Survey.
  18. Use of artificial intelligence in academic writing.
  19. Practical Tips for Enhancing Academic Skills with Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools.
  20. Increasing Importance and Costs Associated With Publishing for Dermatology Residency Applicants.
  21. Publishing challenges for perfusionists whose first language is not English.
  22. Supporting English as an Additional Language Authors to Promote Diversity Inclusion and Equity in Nursing Scholarship.
  23. Open Access of Medical Journals: Friend or Foe?
  24. Journeying Through Journals: The Publishing Process and How to Maximise Research Impact.
  25. New directions for the Journal of Health Psychology.
  1. Glob Public Health. 2024 Jan;19(1): 2404662
    Publishing priorities in global health: A framework and empirical analysis.
    Stephanie L Smith, Andrew Cho, Sarah J Rosenberg, Jeremy Shiffman, Yusra Ribhi Shawar.
      Though vital to health policymaking processes, little is known about the distribution of attention to issues global health journals focus on or their alignment with commitments to health equity. We developed a new framework and methods to help address these analytical gaps. We used content analysis to systematically identify and novel methods to measure attention to themes, subthemes and geographies represented in more than 2,000 research articles published in two of the longest-running multidisciplinary global health journals, Bulletin of the World Health Organization and Health Policy and Planning, between 2004 and 2018. We found four major themes-health systems and conditions received the most attention, followed by population groups and policy dynamics. Finer grained analysis shows that the broad-based journals feature many common themes and some, including subthemes like communicable diseases, financing and children, are heavily favoured over others, such as workforce and noncommunicable diseases. It reveals publishing gaps for some highly marginalised groups and shows attention to health equity fluctuates. The new framework and methods can be used to (1) check the distribution of publishing attention for consistency with global health and specific journal aims and (2) support inquiry into priority setting dynamics in the broader research publishing arena.
    Keywords:  Global health; SDG 3: Good health and well-being; health priorities; publishing priorities
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2024.2404662
  2. An Acad Bras Cienc. 2024 ;pii: S0001-37652024000301801. [Epub ahead of print]96(suppl 1): e20240038
    Views of a non-probability sample of corresponding authors with retracted publications in biomedical fields about the impact of different types of retractions on researchers' careers.
    Mariana D Ribeiro, Sonia M R Vasconcelos.
      Echoing Arturo Casadevall and Ferric Fang in their Reforming Science: Methodological and Cultural Reforms, "great human enterprises must undergo periodic cycles of self-examination and renewal to maintain their vigor". Especially in the last decade, the research culture has undergone such cycles, partially driven by countercultural transformations that have been reshaping assumptions towards reward-deserving achievements. Addressing retractions is among the challenges in this culture. This work builds upon research carried out at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), which explored the views of 224 reviewers serving on panels for the US National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, among others. We show results of a survey that add to our previous data. It was sent to a population of 1,089 corresponding authors affiliated with institutions from the 20 most productive countries in biomedical fields. We explored how corresponding authors of at least one retracted publication issued between 2013 and 2015 in biomedical journals envisioned the impact of different types of retractions on the careers of the first and corresponding authors. As such impact (if any) is not always immediate, we selected this time frame to ensure that potential respondents would have tangible post-retraction experience.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765202420240038
  3. J Clin Epidemiol. 2024 Sep 24. pii: S0895-4356(24)00300-7. [Epub ahead of print] 111544
    A cross-sectional study assessing visual abstracts of randomized trials revealed inadequate reporting and high prevalence of spin.
    Melissa Duran, Isabelle Boutron, Sally Hopewell, Hillary Bonnet, Stephanie Sidorkiewicz.
      OBJECTIVE: Visual abstracts (VAs) lack study-specific reporting guidelines and are increasingly used as stand-alone sources in medical research dissemination although not designed for this purpose. Therefore, our objectives were to describe 1) completeness of reporting in VAs and corresponding written abstracts (WAs) of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), and 2) the extent and type of spin (i.e., any reporting pattern that could distort result interpretation and mislead readers) in VAs and WAs of RCTs with a statistically nonsignificant primary outcome.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a cross-sectional study evaluating VAs and WAs of RCTs published between 01/01/2021 and 03/31/2023. We searched MEDLINE via PubMed for reports of RCTs published in the 15 highest impact factor journals from six medical fields (among which 34 journals producing VAs of RCTs were identified). One reviewer identified primary reports of RCTs published with a VA and randomly selected a maximum of 10 reports from each journal to avoid overrepresentation. Completeness of reporting assessment was based on the CONSORT extension for Abstracts. Spin was explored using a standardized spin classification for RCTs with statistically nonsignificant primary outcome results. Both assessments were conducted in duplicate, with discussion until consensus in case of discrepancy.
    RESULTS: A random sample of 253 reports from 34 journals was identified. The information provided in VAs was frequently incomplete: primary outcome identification, primary outcome results, and harms were respectively described or displayed in only 47% (n=116/247), 30% (n=75/247), and 35% (n=88/253). Reporting was slightly better for some items in WAs, although still unsatisfactory. Among trials with nonsignificant primary outcome results (n=101), 57% (n=58) of VAs and 55% (n=56) of WAs exhibited at least one type of spin. Post-hoc analyses showed VAs produced by journal editors of high impact general medical journals were more complete and more accurate than those produced by specialty journals or authors.
    CONCLUSIONS: The information conveyed in VAs was frequently incomplete and inaccurate, highlighting the urgent need to refer to appropriate specific reporting guidelines to avoid misinterpretation by readers.
    Keywords:  Medical research dissemination; RCTs; Reporting quality; Spin; Visual abstracts
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2024.111544
  4. PLoS One. 2024 ;19(9): e0303005
    Enabling preprint discovery, evaluation, and analysis with Europe PMC.
    Mariia Levchenko, Michael Parkin, Johanna McEntyre, Melissa Harrison.
      Preprints provide an indispensable tool for rapid and open communication of early research findings. Preprints can also be revised and improved based on scientific commentary uncoupled from journal-organised peer review. The uptake of preprints in the life sciences has increased significantly in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when immediate access to research findings became crucial to address the global health emergency. With ongoing expansion of new preprint servers, improving discoverability of preprints is a necessary step to facilitate wider sharing of the science reported in preprints. To address the challenges of preprint visibility and reuse, Europe PMC, an open database of life science literature, began indexing preprint abstracts and metadata from several platforms in July 2018. Since then, Europe PMC has continued to increase coverage through addition of new servers, and expanded its preprint initiative to include the full text of preprints related to COVID-19 in July 2020 and then the full text of preprints supported by the Europe PMC funder consortium in April 2022. The preprint collection can be searched via the website and programmatically, with abstracts and the open access full text of COVID-19 and Europe PMC funder preprint subsets available for bulk download in a standard machine-readable JATS XML format. This enables automated information extraction for large-scale analyses of the preprint corpus, accelerating scientific research of the preprint literature itself. This publication describes steps taken to build trust, improve discoverability, and support reuse of life science preprints in Europe PMC. Here we discuss the benefits of indexing preprints alongside peer-reviewed publications, and challenges associated with this process.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303005
  5. Nature. 2024 Sep 25.
    Data integrity concerns flagged in 130 women's health papers - all by one co-author.
    Mariana Lenharo.
      
    Keywords:  Medical research; Publishing; Scientific community
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02907-3
  6. J Korean Med Sci. 2024 Sep 23. 39(36): e285
    Letter to the Editor: Recognizing Coercion Authorship as a Serious Form of Research Misconduct.
    Bor Luen Tang.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e285
  7. Rheumatol Int. 2024 Sep 26.
    Ethics statements in Rheumatology journals: present practices and future directions.
    Fatima Alnaimat, Salameh Al-Halaseh, Lujain AlZoubi, Bann Rami Khalil Khraisat, Osama Mohammad Hussein Abu Nassar.
      Ethics statements are an essential aspect of research reporting. They aim to ensure the integrity and credibility of scientific research by maintaining high standards of professionalism and placing a strong emphasis on human well-being. Adhering to ethical norms is crucial for promoting data sharing, reproducibility, and overall research integrity. Ethics statements generally include adherence to legislation, disclosure of conflicts of interest, transparency in funding, standards of authorship, ethical treatment of research participants, and the management of sensitive data. The ICMJE, WAME, and COPE organizations offer recommendations to ensure the maintenance of these standards. The significant increase in publication volume in rheumatology research, along with the rise of social media and artificial intelligence, presents new and complex difficulties that require establishing clearer and universally accepted ethical guidelines. Rheumatology journals should prioritize the development of cohesive ethical principles as well as the encouragement of uniform ethics training for researchers, editors, and publishers.
    Keywords:  Conflict of interest; Ethics; Reproducibility; Retraction of publication; Rheumatology
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-024-05723-0
  8. Ann Biomed Eng. 2024 Sep 27.
    "Publish or Perish" Paradigm and Medical Research: Replication Crisis in the Context of Artificial Intelligence Trend.
    Obada Al-Leimon, Malik Eid Juweid.
      The "publish or perish" culture in academia has intensified trends in medical research, particularly around artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. This letter highlights how the pressure to publish positive findings during research trends, such as artificial intelligence in medicine, exacerbates the replication crisis. Issues like data leakage and lack of cross-institutional validation in AI models, particularly in clinical radiology, raise concerns about their reliability. The letter urges authors, reviewers, and editors to enforce rigorous standards to ensure reproducibility and safeguard the integrity of medical research.
    Keywords:  Artificial intelligence; Medical research; Publish or perish; Radiology; Replication crisis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-024-03625-7
  9. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2024 Oct 01. 72(10): 1533-1534
    Authors' Response: Ethical use of artificial intelligence in academic writing.
    Himel Mondal, Shaikat Mondal.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.4103/IJO.IJO_356_24
  10. Int Orthop. 2024 Sep 21.
    Enhancing orthopaedic surgery research: developing manuscripts using systematic checklists.
    Cameron Harris, Cyril Mauffrey, Carrington Junior.
      BACKGROUND AND CHALLENGES: Writing and publishing research is important in the fields of orthopaedic surgery, and medicine in general. In recent years, the number of orthopaedic publications has significantly increased, highlighting the value of possessing the ability to write and publish a paper. However, publishing research is not an easy task, especially if English is not a native language. Non-native English speakers have been reported to experience barriers to writing and publishing research in English, the dominant language of scientific publication. This affects not only individual researchers, but also the scientific community in general. To improve reporting in scientific manuscripts, many peer-reviewed guidelines have been published for a variety of study designs and study types. These guidelines are made available through the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Network and have associated checklists that guide authors in the synthesis of their research manuscript.PURPOSE: Whether you are a non-native English speaker or a novice research writer, these checklists can ameliorate the process of building your manuscript. The purpose of this paper is to empower orthopaedic researchers, and researchers in general, through an easy-to-follow framework for writing a research manuscript using available checklists and general research knowledge.
    Keywords:  Data reporting; Medical writing; Methodology; Orthopaedics; Research; Statistics
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-024-06326-x
  11. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2024 Sep 20. pii: S1679-45082024000100101. [Epub ahead of print]22 eED1194
    The challenge of reviewers scarcity in academic journals: payment as a viable solution.
    José Belém de Oliveira Neto.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2024ED1194
  12. Nature. 2024 Sep 23.
    'Substandard and unworthy': why it's time to banish bad-mannered reviews.
    Jane Feinmann.
      
    Keywords:  Authorship; Careers; Peer review; Physics; Publishing
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02943-z
  13. Br J Nurs. 2024 Sep 19. 33(17): 848-850
    Essential principles for peer reviewing.
    Ian Peate, Sophie Gardner.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2024.0325
  14. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2024 Sep 27.
    The timeless value of quality peer review.
    Adam T Woolley.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-024-05564-7
  15. JCO Glob Oncol. 2024 Sep;10 e2400290
    Tackling Predatory Journals in Oncology: Training Is Key!
    Salma Najem, Hind Mrabti, Hassan Errihani.
      Predatory journal is a global threat endangering the integrity of oncology research, where guidelines and recommendations are evidence-based. In this correspondence, we question regarding the problem while also providing some pertinent solutions.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1200/GO-24-00290
  16. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2024 Sep 24. 318 192-193
    From Fragmentation to Open Access: Building an Open Data Portal for Health Data Dissemination.
    Rukshan Ranatunge, Palitha Karunapema, Pandula Siribaddana, Lasantha Ranwala, Poorna Fernando.
      Open data is defined as data that can be used and redistributed by anyone with minimal or no restrictions. A design science research methodology was applied to the development of an open data portal for theMinistry of Health Sri Lanka (MoH) to share national datasets. Following requirement gathering and literature review, the open data portal was developed using open-source software and implemented at the MoH Sri Lanka. Fifty datasets obtained from the MoH were categorised and published in the open data portal. However, several barriers cast doubt on the long-term feasibility of the open data portal project.
    Keywords:  data sharing; open access; open data; scientific data sharing
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI240923
  17. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2024 Sep 02. 14(9): 2491-2508
    Pedagogic Strategies and Contents in Medical Writing/Publishing Education: A Comprehensive Systematic Survey.
    Behrooz Astaneh, Ream Abdullah, Vala Astaneh, Sana Gupta, Romina Brignardello-Petersen, Mitchell A H Levine, Gordon Guaytt.
      Workshops or training sessions on medical writing and publishing exist worldwide. We aimed to evaluate published articles about such workshops and examine both the content and teaching strategies employed. We searched ISI Web of Science, Ovid EMBASE, ERIC, Ovid Medline, and the grey literature. We considered no language, geographical location, or time period limitations. We included randomized controlled trials, before-after studies, surveys, cohort studies, and program evaluation and development studies. We descriptively reported the results. Out of 222 articles that underwent a full-text review, 30 were deemed eligible. The educational sessions were sporadic, with researchers often developing their own content and methods. Fifteen articles reported teaching the standard structure of medical articles, ten articles reported on teaching optimal English language use for writing articles, nine articles discussed publication ethics issues, and three articles discussed publication strategies to enhance the chance of publication. Most reports lacked in-depth descriptions of the content and strategies used, and the approach to those topics was relatively superficial. Existing workshops have covered topics such as the standard structure of articles, publication ethics, techniques for improving publication rates, and how to use the English language. However, many other topics are left uncovered. The reports and practice of academic-teaching courses should be improved.
    Keywords:  education; medical writing; publishing; systematic review; workshop
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe14090165
  18. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2024 Oct 01. 72(10): 1533
    Use of artificial intelligence in academic writing.
    Sunny Chi Lik Au.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.4103/IJO.IJO_3372_23
  19. Acad Psychiatry. 2024 Sep 27.
    Practical Tips for Enhancing Academic Skills with Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools.
    Patrick J Buckley.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-024-02055-w
  20. Cureus. 2024 Aug;16(8): e67520
    Increasing Importance and Costs Associated With Publishing for Dermatology Residency Applicants.
    Hafsa Z Zuberi, Nathan Steele, Jonathan Aldrete, Cloyce Stetson.
      The financial costs associated with publishing in academic journals have steadily risen in recent years, reflected by higher publishing fees and the emergence of open access (OA) publishing models. Research remains an essential part of academia and has special significance for residency applicants. Due to recent changes in some objective measures used to rank residency applicants, such as abandoning numerical United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores and transitioning pre-clinical grades to Pass/Fail, other objective measures have gained significance: in particular, the quality and quantity of research activities including manuscripts, abstracts, and presentations have become more important in residency applications. This has led to a significant increase in the reported number of research experiences and publications to more competitive specialties, including dermatology. Our study analyzes the current financial landscape of publishing in the field of dermatology and the financial burden placed on applicants as well as programs to meet the expected number of research experiences in order to successfully match into a dermatology residency. Through a comprehensive examination of 85 dermatology-based academic journals, we assess the costs and differences of publishing in OA and hybrid OA journals while also exploring potential avenues for mitigating the financial burden of publishing. Our findings indicate that while cost-effective options exist, the financial burden of article processing charges remains substantial.
    Keywords:  dermatology; medical education; research; residency applications; scholarly activity
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.67520
  21. J Extra Corpor Technol. 2024 Sep;56(3): 82-83
    Publishing challenges for perfusionists whose first language is not English.
    Raymond K Wong.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1051/ject/2024024
  22. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2024 Sep 19. pii: S0884-2175(24)00282-X. [Epub ahead of print]
    Supporting English as an Additional Language Authors to Promote Diversity Inclusion and Equity in Nursing Scholarship.
    Forgive Avorgbedor, Jamille Nagtalon-Ramos, Abby Britt, Natasha Nurse-Clarke, Deepika Goyal.
      Fellows in the 2024 joint JOGNN and NWH editorial fellowship address the challenges faced by authors for whom English is an additional language and offer practical recommendations for those authors and reviewers.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2024.08.003
  23. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2024 Sep 24. pii: S1572-1000(24)00378-8. [Epub ahead of print] 104341
    Open Access of Medical Journals: Friend or Foe?
    Sunny Chi Lik Au.
      
    Keywords:  access to information; open access publishing; photochemotherapy; photodiagnosis; photodynamic therapy; publishing
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdpdt.2024.104341
  24. Altern Lab Anim. 2024 Sep 26. 2611929241286624
    Journeying Through Journals: The Publishing Process and How to Maximise Research Impact.
    Judith C Madden, Helena Kandarova, Winfried Neuhaus, Nikki Osborne, Alicia Paini, Rita Seabra, Susan Trigwell.
      Publication is essential to share new ideas, knowledge, or recent findings with those who have an interest in a particular area. Selecting the most appropriate format and timing for dissemination is critical to ensuring the long-term impact of research. However, many researchers, particularly those in the early stages of their career, are unaware of how the publication process works and the different options available for promoting research to maximum effect. Understanding how to maximise impact is particularly important for research using animal models or alternative methods, to make the best use of any animal data generated and reduce animal testing in future. Herein, different publishing models are explained, including anonymised peer review, open review and data sharing initiatives. An overview is given of key resources available to assist authors, reviewers and editors in the process of writing, presenting, reviewing and publishing research. New challenges and opportunities in publishing are discussed, including the potential influence of Artificial Intelligence. A list of 'ten top tips' in publishing for early career researchers is presented, providing advice and recommendations for ensuring a successful and impactful publication record.
    Keywords:  3Rs; AI; Artificial Intelligence; Three Rs; impact; peer review; publishing
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/02611929241286624
  25. J Health Psychol. 2024 Sep 23. 13591053241285169
    New directions for the Journal of Health Psychology.
    Rachel A Annunziato, Abigail Locke, Gareth J Treharne.
      This editorial reflects on the current and future directions of the Journal of Health Psychology. As the Co-Editors in Chief, we briefly outline our positionality and the importance of our Editorial Board and other peer reviewers in ensuring the rigour of accepted articles. We comment on the middle-ground that has to be struck when considering the scope of open science given that data sharing has to be tempered by ethical and methodological considerations. We re-visit the aims and scope of the journal and reflect on some of the key aspects of diversity that set the journal apart from others. We showcase a selection of Editors' picks that are published in this issue and available as a special collection. The Journal of Health Psychology has a bright future because of the contributions we receive from around the world as well as the outstanding support of peer reviewers.
    Keywords:  health psychology; open science; peer review; qualitative research; quantitative research
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053241285169
This page is being maintained by Thomas Krichel. It was last updated on 2024‒09‒29 at 8:15.