Plagiarism in scientific publication*
Sigmar de Mello Rode
Braz Oral Res. 2011 Mar-Apr;25(2):101
The University of São Paulo (USP) and the University of Campinas (UNICAMP)
have appeared in the newspapers because of suspicion of fraud in
scientific research and publication. Among the main concerns of any scientific
journal is the possibility of authors tampering with or simply inventing data in
their published articles, of reproducing data or texts by other authors without
citing the reference, or even of repeating the published version of research or
texts already published in another journal.
Plagiarism is the appropriation of ideas of another author, without giving
due credit, and auto-plagiarism occurs when an author republishes the same material
or data – however disguised – of a scientific production. Plagiarism is a
ghost that haunts editors of journals (scientific or otherwise) because, with the
exponential increase in the production of texts, it is not easy to immediately
ascertain the occurrence of plagiarism. Fortunately, the same digital media that
facilitates plagiarism through copy/paste procedures allows comparing texts just
as easily, thus providing evidence of the misconduct.
A journal’s Instructions to Authors section should clearly cover misconduct
practices in order to guide authors in the publication process. Good reviewers,
conscientious and knowledgeable of the subject being reviewed, may be able
to minimize the problem, but not eliminate it completely. The pressure put on
authors to increase their production and consequent publication rates renders
plagiarism increasingly more frequent, mainly – albeit not exclusively – among
more inexperienced authors.
In 2010, the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity, put forth as part of
the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, held in that city from July 21
to 24, 2010, became a global reference for conducting research responsibly. It is
not, however, a regulatory document, neither does it represent the official policies
of the countries and organizations that funded or participated in the Conference.
The original statement (available at http://www.singaporestatement.org/
statement) states that the value and benefits of research are vitally dependent on
research integrity, and while there can be, and are, national and disciplinary differences
in the way research is organized and conducted, there are also common
principles and professional responsibilities that are fundamental to ensuring research
integrity wherever it is undertaken.
Also noteworthy is the work of the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE
(http://www.publicationethics.org/), a forum for editors and publishers of peer-reviewed
journals to discuss all aspects of publication ethics. It also advises editors
on how to handle cases of research and publication misconduct. A series of detailed
flowcharts of how to manage issues of potential ethical breaches has been
produced and is available freely online.
Renowned universities and research institutions have faced the problem and,
together with professional boards and government agencies, are urged to create
workgroups, committees or associations to control and judge any situations arising.
Good sense and the principles guiding proper conduct in research and related
publication should always be borne in mind by researchers willing to obviate
misconduct. The same applies to the production of unworthy research with the
sole purpose of increasing the apparent scientific productivity of its authors.
Sigmar de Mello Rode
Braz Oral Res. 2011 Mar-Apr;25(2):101
The University of São Paulo (USP) and the University of Campinas (UNICAMP)
have appeared in the newspapers because of suspicion of fraud in
scientific research and publication. Among the main concerns of any scientific
journal is the possibility of authors tampering with or simply inventing data in
their published articles, of reproducing data or texts by other authors without
citing the reference, or even of repeating the published version of research or
texts already published in another journal.
Plagiarism is the appropriation of ideas of another author, without giving
due credit, and auto-plagiarism occurs when an author republishes the same material
or data – however disguised – of a scientific production. Plagiarism is a
ghost that haunts editors of journals (scientific or otherwise) because, with the
exponential increase in the production of texts, it is not easy to immediately
ascertain the occurrence of plagiarism. Fortunately, the same digital media that
facilitates plagiarism through copy/paste procedures allows comparing texts just
as easily, thus providing evidence of the misconduct.
A journal’s Instructions to Authors section should clearly cover misconduct
practices in order to guide authors in the publication process. Good reviewers,
conscientious and knowledgeable of the subject being reviewed, may be able
to minimize the problem, but not eliminate it completely. The pressure put on
authors to increase their production and consequent publication rates renders
plagiarism increasingly more frequent, mainly – albeit not exclusively – among
more inexperienced authors.
In 2010, the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity, put forth as part of
the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, held in that city from July 21
to 24, 2010, became a global reference for conducting research responsibly. It is
not, however, a regulatory document, neither does it represent the official policies
of the countries and organizations that funded or participated in the Conference.
The original statement (available at http://www.singaporestatement.org/
statement) states that the value and benefits of research are vitally dependent on
research integrity, and while there can be, and are, national and disciplinary differences
in the way research is organized and conducted, there are also common
principles and professional responsibilities that are fundamental to ensuring research
integrity wherever it is undertaken.
Also noteworthy is the work of the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE
(http://www.publicationethics.org/), a forum for editors and publishers of peer-reviewed
journals to discuss all aspects of publication ethics. It also advises editors
on how to handle cases of research and publication misconduct. A series of detailed
flowcharts of how to manage issues of potential ethical breaches has been
produced and is available freely online.
Renowned universities and research institutions have faced the problem and,
together with professional boards and government agencies, are urged to create
workgroups, committees or associations to control and judge any situations arising.
Good sense and the principles guiding proper conduct in research and related
publication should always be borne in mind by researchers willing to obviate
misconduct. The same applies to the production of unworthy research with the
sole purpose of increasing the apparent scientific productivity of its authors.
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