It's not OK

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Ethics and ethical behavior encompass much more than a pattern of prescribed actions. Values that determine our ethics are cultivated in our formative years, embedded in our character, and manifested in those actions that we believe in and act on. In spite of this, making the right ethical decision can be complicated in many situations as a result of the differences between varying cultures, mores, and religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Some ethical decisions are easier for one person versus another; lying or not telling the whole truth seems to be a part of accepted social behavior at certain levels. One can witness that in the business and government sectors. That, however, does not make the behavior OK, although some may consider it expedient.

Failing to abide by the rules and expectations for publication is not OK. It violates the trust and the code of nursing to participate in efforts to advance the profession through knowledge. Distributing false or misleading information regarding the authenticity of manuscripts isn't acceptable and demands that serious action be taken.

For those of us who are part of a profession such as nursing, ethics and ethical decisions may be confounded at times, but within the publishing sector, rules and expectations are very specific and defined. Elsevier's legal guides for publishing¹ identify four serious ethical situations of which editors and authors should be cognizant. These include:

Nurse Leader now faces an incident from the last category. In the August 2006 issue, we unknowingly published an article that had been printed in another Elsevier periodical. We subsequently discovered that a third article also had been published in an earlier journal of another publisher. All three articles had the same lead author but different coauthors. Although the articles had different introductions, they were essentially the same, with full paragraphs being duplicated in all of the articles. After several inquiries to the lead author, who did not give a satisfactory explanation, Elsevier decided to retract the two articles published in Nurse Leader² and the Journal of Professional Nursing.³

This difficult decision was supported by the exemplary editorial advisory boards of each magazine after significant discussion. Letters were sent to the coauthors informing them of this difficult issue and advising them to remove the citations from their résumés. We now advise others not to cite these articles.

Serendipiditously, nursing ethics guru Leah Curtin has written an article for this issue that dovetails excellently with this editorial and the dilemmas inherent in the ethical world that are not as clear cut as this one.

It is unfortunate that this chain of events may affect the coauthors and readers of the articles who have cited them in presentations or reports. Occasionally nurse professionals can be in a situation where they are invited to be a coauthor of an article—an enticing opportunity, particular for the novice who is ready to contribute to society and advance his career. However, coauthors are obligated by and indeed their signatures on the publishing agreement attest to the fact that the materials submitted for publication meet the rules and regulations of that periodical. Only if a manuscript is rejected by a journal are the authors free to submit it to another publisher. Coauthors must be as diligent as the lead author in any publishing endeavor.

Publishing the same article in different journals and then having the article retracted is similar to a sentinel event in a hospital facility. It requires us to examine the factors contributing to the event and to take steps to prevent recurrence. Be assured that Elsevier and its editors are determined to avoid any future problems, and we encourage all authors submitting materials to abide by the code of publishing ethics. It is the right thing to do for our profession and society.

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References 

1. Elsevier  . Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication . Available at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/intro.cws_home/ethical_guidelines Accessed May 14, 2007.
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2. Arnold L , Manzano W , Jones SL , Bisbee GE , Holecek NE , Kerfoot K . Toward a greater understanding of health system nursing organizations and the role of the CNO . Nurse Leader . 2006;4(4):30–33 49.
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3. Arnold L , Campbell A , Dubree M , Fuchs MA , Davis N , Hertzler B , et al.   Priorities and challenges of health system chief nursing executives: insights for nursing educators . J Professional Nurs . 2006;22(4):213–220
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