1. Home
  2. Volume 03 Issue 12 December 2024
  3. December 2024

December 2024

Researchers and Journals – What are Their Responsibilities?

1Homaile Mascarin do Vale, 2Cassia Fernanda Estofolete, 3Ana Elisabete Farinha Ferreira e Dias Pereira, 4Edla Polsinelli Bedin Mascarin do Vale
1Postdoctoral Researcher – Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal, Street Dr. Raul Silva, 347, Redentora, Zip Code: 15015-020, City: São José do Rio Preto/São Paulo – Brazil
2Professor of Infectious Disease Departament, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), SP, Brasil
3Post Doctor - Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbra - Palácio dos Melos - 3004-534, Coimbra, Portugal
4Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), SP, Brasil
DOI : https://doi.org/10.58806/ijirme.2024.v3i12n01

Abstract

The article examines the ethical and professional obligations of researchers and scientific journals in the context of exponentially growing scientific literature, particularly in the medical field. With an 86% increase in publications from 2010 to 2021, spurred in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, the study highlights concerns regarding transparency, data integrity, and the peer review process. The pressure to publish, often exacerbated by the “publish or perish” culture, can lead to ethical compromises such as data manipulation, publication bias, and conflicts of interest. The critical role of journals in ensuring the quality, safety, and accuracy of published research is emphasized. Greater accountability between journals and researchers to maintain scientific integrity, avoid retractions, and manage conflicts of interest is advocated. In addition, the research addresses the limitations of rigidly applying clinical guidelines without considering individual patient needs, highlighting the importance of personalized medicine and the judicious use of evidence-based practices.

Keywords:

Ethics, responsibility, conflict of interest, bias

References:

1) National Library of Medicine. PubMed total records by publication year – Updated on September 3, 2024. Available at: https://datadiscovery.nlm.nih.gov/Literature/PubMed-total-records-by-publication-year/eds5-ig9r/about_data. Accessed September 23, 2024.

2) Gianola, S., Jesus, T. S., Bargeri, S., & Castellini, G. (2020). Characteristics of academic publications, preprints, and registered clinical trials on the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS ONE, 15(10), e0240123. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone. 0240123

3) Munafò, M., Nosek, B., Bishop, D. et al. (2017). A manifesto for reproducible science. Nature Human Behaviour, 1, 0021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-016-0021

4) Benjamens, S., Dhunnoo, P., & Meskó, B. (2020). The state of artificial intelligence-based FDA-approved medical devices and algorithms: an online database. npj Digital Medicine, 3, 118. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-020-00324-0

5) Moher, D., Bouter, L., Kleinert, S., Glasziou, P., Sham, M. H., Barbour, V., Coriat, A. M., Foeger, N., & Dirnagl, U. (2020). The Hong Kong Principles for assessing researchers: Fostering research integrity. PLoS Biology, 18(7), e3000737. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000737

6) Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2005). Why most published research findings are false. PLoS Medicine, 2(8), e124. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124

7) Tsai, M. S., Lee, J. L., Chang, Y. J., & Hwang, S. M. (2004). Isolation of human multipotent mesenchymal stem cells from second-trimester amniotic fluid using a novel two-stage culture protocol. Human Reproduction, 19(6), 1450-1456. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deh279

8) Warsy, A. & Warsy, I. (2019). Publish ethically or perish. Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine, 2(3), 186-195. https://doi.org/10.4103/JNSM.JNSM_17_19

9) Choudhry, N., Stelfox, H. T., & Detsky, A. S. (2002). Relationships between authors of clinical practice guidelines and the pharmaceutical industry. JAMA, 287(5), 612-617. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.287.5.612

10) Murad, M. H. (2017). Clinical practice guidelines: A primer on development and dissemination. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(3), 423-433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.09.017

11) Coulter, A., Entwistle, V. A., Eccles, A., Ryan, S., Shepperd, S., & Perera, R. (2015). Personalised care planning for adults with chronic or long-term health conditions. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 3, CD010523. a. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010523.pub2

12) Jungebluth, P., Macchiarini, P., Go, T., Asnaghi, M. A., Rees, L. E., Cogan, T. A., Dodson, A., Martorell, J., Bellini, S., & Birchall, M. A. (2011). RETRACTED: Tracheobronchial transplantation with a bioartificial nanocomposite: A proof-of-concept study. The Lancet, 378(9808), 1997-2004. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61715-7.

13) Goldberger, J. J., & Buxton, A. E. (2013). Personalized medicine vs guideline-based medicine. JAMA, 309(24), 2559-2560. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama. 2013.6629

14) Hughes, L. D., McMurdo, M. E., & Guthrie, B. (2013). Guidelines for people not for diseases: the challenges of applying UK clinical guidelines to people with multimorbidity. Age and Ageing, 42(1), 62-69. =https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afs100

15) Djulbegovic, B., & Guyatt, G. H. (2017). Progress in evidence-based medicine: A quarter century on. The Lancet, 390(10092), 415-423. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31592-6

16) Freire, G. H. A. (2016). A responsabilidade social do periódico científico. Revista Conhecimento em Ação.

17) National Library of Medicine (NLM). Disclaimer. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/about-site/disclaimer. Accessed August 27, 2024.

18) Garcia, J. C. R., & Targino, M. G. (2008). Responsabilidade ética e social na produção de periódicos científicos. Perspectivas em Ciência da Informação, 13, 33-54. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-99362008000300003

19) Wakefield, A. J., Murch, S. H., Anthony, A., Linnell, J., Casson, D. M., Malik, M., Berelowitz, M., Dhillon, A. P., Thomson, M. A., Harvey, P., Valentine, A., Davies, S. E., & Walker-Smith, J. A. (1998). RETRACTED: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. The Lancet, 351(9103), 637-641. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(97)11096-0

20) World Medical Association (WMA). (1964). Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects.

21) Mehra, M. R., Desai, S. S., Ruschitzka, F., & Patel, A. N. (2020). RETRACTED: Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: A multinational registry analysis. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31180-6

22) Mehra, M. R., Desai, S. S., Kuy, S., Henry, T. D., & Patel, A. N. (2020). RETRACTED: Cardiovascular disease, drug therapy, and mortality in COVID-19. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(25), e102. https://doi.org/10.1056/ NEJMoa2007621

23) Yamamoto, O. H. (2002). As responsabilidades do editor de um periódico científico. Estudos de Psicologia (Natal), 7, 3-4. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-294X2002000100002

24) Constitucionalismo multinível: diálogos e(m) direitos humanos. (2021). Revista Ibérica do Direito, 1(1), 53–68. Available at: https://www.revistaibericadodireito.pt/index.php/capa/article/view/26. Accessed on August 27, 2024.

25) Caramelli, B. (2012). Conclusão: como exibir a cereja do bolo. Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira, 58, 633-633. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-42302012000500025