A recent incident involving two academic journals has raised questions about dual submission, salami slicing, and redundant publication in scholarly research.
Editor A of Journal A contacted Editor B of Journal B, informing them that a reviewer had noticed material from a paper submitted to Journal A that appeared to overlap with a paper submitted to Journal B. Editor A requested a copy of the paper submitted to Journal B. Editor B confirmed that the paper had indeed been submitted to Journal B two weeks prior to its submission to Journal A. However, it was rejected after external peer review. Editor B then provided a copy of the rejected paper to Editor A for comparison.
Upon examination, Editor A noted some degree of overlap between the two papers and expressed concerns about "salami slicing," a practice where authors unnecessarily divide their research into multiple publications to increase their publication count.
According to guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the reviewer's identification of the dual submission was crucial in this case. While sharing the manuscript with another editor might breach confidentiality with the author, in instances of suspected misconduct, it is deemed necessary as part of the peer review process.
While some degree of overlap between papers stemming from the same research study is inevitable, authors are expected to openly declare this practice and cross-reference or include a copy of the companion paper. Failure to do so constitutes redundant publication.
In situations where authors refuse to provide the companion paper upon request from the editor, COPE guidelines state that editors should ask authors to respond to the allegation and provide the other paper for comparison.
To address this issue, both journal editors should collaborate on joint letters to the authors, highlighting the importance of avoiding redundant publication and requesting a response within a specified timeframe.
This case underscores the need for transparency and integrity in scholarly publishing, with a focus on preventing fraudulent practices and maintaining the quality and credibility of academic literature.