Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Skip to main content
Log in

Detecting editorial bias in medical publishing

  • Published:
Scientometrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

As publications are the principal method of distributing research, journal editors serve as the gatekeepers of emerging knowledge. Here, we provide a “case–control study” to examine the role of editorial bias in the New England Journal of Medicine, a major medical journal, by investigating author demographics of case reports that are either under editorial or meritorious selection. Our results indicate that editorial bias promoting the publication of authors from select high performance countries is declining, although there is increasing editorial preference for university-based authors. These findings are relevant to efforts aiming to increase transparency in scientific publishing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

References

  • De Oliveira, G. S, Jr, Chang, R., Kendall, M. C., Fitzgerald, P. C., & McCarthy, R. J. (2012). Publication bias in the anesthesiology literature. Anesthesia and Analgesia, 114(5), 1042–1048. doi:10.1213/ANE.0b013e3182468fc6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopewell, S., Loudon, K., Clarke, M. J., Oxman, A. D., & Dickersin, K. (2009). Publication bias in clinical trials due to statistical significance or direction of trial results. Cochrane Database Systematic Review, 1, MR000006. doi:10.1002/14651858.MR000006.pub3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B. F., Wuchty, S., & Uzzi, B. (2008). Multi-university research teams: Shifting impact, geography, and stratification in science. Science, 322(5905), 1259–1262. doi:10.1126/science.1158357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, K. P., Boyd, E. A., Holroyd-Leduc, J. M., Bacchetti, P., & Bero, L. A. (2006). Predictors of publication: Characteristics of submitted manuscripts associated with acceptance at major biomedical journals. Medical Journal of Australia, 184(12), 621–626.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahian, O. (2015). Corresponding authors: Is there fame bias in editorial choice? Nature, 519(7544), 414. doi:10.1038/519414d.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathieu, S., Boutron, I., Moher, D., Altman, D. G., & Ravaud, P. (2009). Comparison of registered and published primary outcomes in randomized controlled trials. JAMA, 302(9), 977–984. doi:10.1001/jama.2009.1242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moustafa, K. (2015). Is there bias in editorial choice? Yes. Scientometrics,. doi:10.1007/s11192-015-1617-3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, C. M., Rennie, D., Cook, D., Dickersin, K., Flanagin, A., Hogan, J. W., et al. (2002). Publication bias in editorial decision making. JAMA, 287(21), 2825–2828.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Lent, M., Overbeke, J., & Out, H. J. (2014). Role of editorial and peer review processes in publication bias: Analysis of drug trials submitted to eight medical journals. PLoS One, 9(8), e104846. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0104846.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Hsiehchen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hsiehchen, D., Espinoza, M. Detecting editorial bias in medical publishing. Scientometrics 106, 453–456 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1753-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1753-9

Keywords

Navigation