Takako Kojima

Changes in the Ethos of Medical Publications as Reflected in Progressive Alterations in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (1979-2008)

S its publication in 1979, 1 the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (URM), a document created by what is known today as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), has become a standard format for submission to . 600 international journals. 2 What set out to be the standardized format has now evolved into a “worldwide accepted guideline” that places great emphasis on the concern for ethical issues in medical writing and publishing, including confl ict of interest and authorship. Changes in the intervening editions of the URM over the past 30 years highlight signifi cant changes in mainline approaches to medical publishing, such as a movement toward greater transparency, an increased concern for ethical issues, and a stronger emphasis on each journal’s editorial preferences (Instructions for Authors) regarding manuscript submission. Changes in the Ethos of Medical Publications as Refl ected in Progressive Alterations in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (1979-2008)

Conflict-of-interest disclosure at medical journals in Japan: a nationwide survey of the practices of journal secretariats

Objectives Medical journals in Japan generally have appropriate policies regarding disclosure of conflicts of interest (COI). However, COI management depends on the staff members of each journals editorial secretariat. This studys objectives were to find out (A) whether COI disclosure and the journals role in it are clearly understood by the journal’s secretariat staff, (B) how much experience the editorial secretariat has in actually handling issues related to disclosure and (C) what kind of help or support they need. Setting and design In January 2014, questionnaires were sent to the editorial secretariats of journal-publishing societies belonging to the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences (JAMS). Participants The response rate was 100%, and the respondents represented 121 journals published by the 118 JAMS member societies (at the time of the survey). Primary and secondary outcome measures Information was collected on the history of COI policies and on how those policies were implemented. At the end of the questionnaire, there was an open-ended call for comments. Results Compulsory COI disclosure began between 2010 and 2013 for 60.3% of the journals (73/121). Handling of COI issues was not uniform: 17.4% (21/121) of respondents do not pursue cases of dubious disclosure, and 47.9% (58/121) do not require COI disclosures from editorial board members. Very few of the editorial secretariats had clearly-stated consequences for violations of COI-disclosure policy (33/121, 27.3%), and only 28.9% offered COI education (35/121). Respondents’ comments indicated that uniform, easily-searchable guidance regarding COI policies and implementation would be welcome. Conclusions Although commitment is widespread, policy implementation is inconsistent and COI experience is lacking. Clear, easy-to-use guidelines are desired by many societies. The JAMS is to be commended for supporting this country-wide investigation; other countries and regions are encouraged to perform similar investigations to respond to needs regarding COI management.

How Japanese Medical Journals Manage Conflicts of Interest

Confl ict of interest (COI) is an issue in all of scientifi c publishing, and handling cases of potential COI appropriately is one of journal editors’ constant concerns. 1 Understanding the importance of COI, the Japanese Association of Medical Societies (JAMS) directly addressed it at a symposium held in February 2014. We created a questionnaire to gather data on COI disclosure and management to present at that event.

Combined workshops on medical writing and publication ethics for Japanese postgraduate students and faculty members

Although the importance both of skills in medical writing in English and of an understanding of ethics in medical publishing is increasingly recognised, these subjects are not comprehensively taught to Japanese medical doctors and students. Limited resources, teaching staff, and time prevent most Japanese medical schools from implementing standard educational programmes on these topics. To address this, we developed two brief but intensive programmes of lectures and group-based workshops, each incorporating both medical writing skills and publication ethics; one was for Japanese postgraduate medical students, the other for faculty development. The main topics in the programme for postgraduate students were the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, and oral and poster presentation skills. The programme emphasised the importance of medical writing skills and of issues, such as authorship and conflict of interest. The faculty development programme covered handling communications with editors and reviewers after manuscript submission, as well as ethical misconduct issues. We believe these programmes provide a unique and effective means of enhancing awareness of publication ethics and improving medical writing skills among professionals in Japanese healthcare institutions.

Promoting Education Regarding Conflict of Interest Management

Even among highly educated health professionals, there is inconsistency in the knowledge and perception concerning both conflict of interest (COI) itself and COI disclosure. The key issue is the credibility of the manuscript, which relies heavily on transparency of COI for the reader. The tendency to disregard the importance of COI disclosure among journal editors has been recently highlighted. For all types of COI, the primary question is how it is managed. To ensure the enforcement of the declared journal COI policies, it is crucial that not only authors, but also those who are involved in the assessment of manuscripts, be educated and informed of the updated guidelines concerning COI disclosure.