Ethics Dilemmas in Psychiatric Publishing Identified by Walter et al.30,31
Type of Ethics Dilemma | Examples |
---|---|
Redundant publication | Identical (or near-identical) papers relating to antidepressant trials were published by the same research group in two different journals. |
Two papers by the same authors about neurotransmitter levels in schizophrenia appeared in different publications around the same time, with contradictory results. | |
Publication of fraudulent research | A researcher who reported that tranquilizers were more harmful to children with mental retardation than stimulants was later found never to have conducted any studies. |
Plagiarism | A graduate student plagiarized an entire paper on the differential diagnosis of dementia. |
A section of an article on insulin binding in anorexia nervosa was copied by a referee of the paper. | |
An academic psychiatrist resigned after it was discovered that he had plagiarized large sections of articles that he had reviewed. | |
An article reporting on a treatment for tics and ADHD was copied from an earlier article on another treatment for the same disorders. | |
A paper on equine-facilitated psychotherapy for children was copied from a Master's thesis. | |
Authorship | An author published an article on genetics of schizophrenia in “Nature” without naming some co-investigators as authors. |
Insensitive use of language | Terms such as “schizophrenogenic mother,” “refrigerator parent,” and “adolescent turmoil” may unintentionally cast blame or normalize abnormal behavior. |
Conflict of interest | A study suggesting a link between autism and the MMR vaccine was published by a researcher who did not disclose that the study was funded by lawyers representing parents of children who had allegedly been harmed by vaccine. |
Bias | Academic rivalry and different conceptual approaches between authors, reviewers, and editors may lead to bias. |