Duplicate publication

Duplicate Publication

Duplicate publication, also known as redundant publication, refers to the practice of publishing the same research findings or data in more than one journal or publication without proper acknowledgment or justification. This practice is considered unethical in the academic and scientific communities because it can distort the scientific record, waste resources, and mislead readers.

Overview

Duplicate publication can occur in various forms, including:

• Exact duplication: Republishing the same article without any changes.
• Partial duplication: Republishing parts of an article, such as the data or results, in another publication.
• Salami slicing: Dividing a single study into multiple smaller papers, each reporting on a part of the study, to increase the number of publications.

Reasons for Duplicate Publication

Authors may engage in duplicate publication for several reasons, including:

• Pressure to publish: The "publish or perish" culture in academia can drive researchers to increase their publication count.
• Lack of awareness: Some authors may not be aware of the ethical guidelines regarding duplicate publication.
• Desire for wider dissemination: Authors may believe that publishing in multiple journals will reach a broader audience.

Consequences of Duplicate Publication

Duplicate publication can have several negative consequences:

• Distortion of the scientific record: It can lead to an overestimation of the significance of findings if the same data is counted multiple times.
• Resource wastage: It wastes the time and resources of editors, reviewers, and readers.
• Ethical violations: It violates the ethical standards of most academic journals and can lead to retraction of articles.

Detection and Prevention

Journals and publishers use various methods to detect and prevent duplicate publication, including:

• Plagiarism detection software: Tools like Turnitin and iThenticate can identify similarities between manuscripts.
• Editorial policies: Clear guidelines and policies regarding duplicate publication help prevent it.
• Cross-checking references: Editors and reviewers can cross-check references and previous publications by the authors.

Ethical Guidelines

Most academic journals and professional organizations have established ethical guidelines to address duplicate publication. For example, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) provides resources and guidelines for editors and authors to handle cases of duplicate publication.

Also see

• Plagiarism
• Salami slicing (academic publishing)
• Retraction (academic publishing)
• Publication ethics