In recent years, the term ‘ORCiD’ has become increasingly common throughout the research publication disciplines. Here, we’ll discuss the purpose, utility, current state, and potential future problems of ORCiD numbers in medical research. What is ORCiD? ORCiD, standing for Open Researcher & Contributor ID, is an international cross-disciplinary registry that assigns authors a unique identifying number that … Continue reading The ORCiD: A Universal Persistent Identifier for Authors
The Art of Research: How Journal Covers Influence Readers and Research
When you think of a research journal, what do you picture? Is it a vivid, detailed art spread, or a simplistic and minimalist design? Journal cover art is a surprisingly polarized medium—most journals feature either highly graphic, detailed, and aesthetically pleasing art or subdued, uniform designs, but there aren’t many journals that fall somewhere in-between. … Continue reading The Art of Research: How Journal Covers Influence Readers and Research
Predatory Editing: A New Face of Predatory Publishing
In the ever-evolving conversation about predatory publishers, journals, and conferences, here’s a term you may not have heard yet: predatory editing. Predatory editing is a rarely discussed but rapidly spreading exploitative academic publishing practice. In parallel with the 2019 Nature consensus definition for predatory publishing, editorial agencies are generally considered predatory if they “prioritize self-interest at the expense … Continue reading Predatory Editing: A New Face of Predatory Publishing
How Predatory Journal Citations Affect Legitimate Medical Publications and the Phenomenon of Citation Contamination
As predatory publishing has become increasingly common throughout the medical publication landscape, knowledge about these practices have increased in turn. Though a majority of researchers are now aware of the threat that predatory publishers pose, this education typically focuses on how researchers can avoid publishing their own research in predatory journals. There’s another threat from … Continue reading How Predatory Journal Citations Affect Legitimate Medical Publications and the Phenomenon of Citation Contamination
Six Red Flags for Identifying Falsified Data in Randomized Controlled Trial Publications
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are often upheld as the gold standard of medical research. As such, the academic community has been buzzing about news articles from Nature and Science reporting on a research study by John Carlisle. In his study, Carlisle claims that, of 526 evaluated manuscripts reporting RCTs, 73 (14%) had falsified data. Carlisle’s … Continue reading Six Red Flags for Identifying Falsified Data in Randomized Controlled Trial Publications
Understanding Gray Literature: The Value of Nontraditional Publications
As a standard practice, many literature reviews exclude ‘gray literature,’ a category that describes research and literature published outside of the traditional academic publishing industry. However, completely overlooking gray literature results in a wide array of valuable and excellent research being excluded from the overall body of scientific knowledge. A thorough understanding of what gray … Continue reading Understanding Gray Literature: The Value of Nontraditional Publications
Open Science and Data Sharing: What Research and Publication Professionals Need to Know
The open science movement is poised to become a momentous industry shift in medical publication. The National Institutes of Health, one of the largest U.S. medical research funding bodies, recently implemented a policy requiring all applications to include a formal data management plan, with resultant data being publicly available. This policy, described as “seismic” by Nature, … Continue reading Open Science and Data Sharing: What Research and Publication Professionals Need to Know
Giving up the Ghost: Unmasking Unethical Ghostwriting in Medical Publications
You’ve probably heard the term ‘ghostwriting’ before, maybe while discussing how most politicians have entire teams of speech writers or how many celebrities don’t actually write their own autobiographies. You may not have heard, however, that ghostwriting is also quietly rampant throughout academia, with a wide array of implications and potential dangers. How Does Academic … Continue reading Giving up the Ghost: Unmasking Unethical Ghostwriting in Medical Publications
Innovations in Peer Review: Increasing Capacity While Improving Quality
Peer review is a critical aspect of modern academic research, but it’s no secret that journals are struggling to provide high-quality and timely peer review for submitted manuscripts. It’s clear that changes are needed to increase the capacity and efficiency of peer review without reducing the quality of the review. However, several alternative peer review … Continue reading Innovations in Peer Review: Increasing Capacity While Improving Quality
The Role of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Peer Review
This year, as the research community’s trust in the peer review system’s efficacy and efficiency has wavered, we’ve seen a sharp rise in the proposal and implementation of alterations to the standard peer review process. As such, it’s not surprising that the community-selected theme for the 2023 Peer Review Week is “Peer Review and The … Continue reading The Role of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Peer Review