Shiraz hosts congress on publication ethics

Tehran, Dec 7, IRNA - The 2nd International Congress on Publication Ethics was held in Shiraz during December 4-5. The event was organized by the Shiraz Medical University, National Committee for Ethics in Medical Research, Iranian Medical Journals Commission and Iranian Society of Medical Editors. Ethical publication has always been a main concern for editors of scientific journals worldwide. Since many journals in the region are currently facing ethical problems related to publication misconducts, the necessity of holding a congress to educate editors and staff of medical journals is felt more than before. The International Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) is currently the most important organization in presenting ethical approaches and guidelines in scientific publications. COPE provides advice to editors and publishers on all aspects of publication ethics, explaining how to handle cases of research and publication misconduct. The conference topics were as follows: Authorship criteria, plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, conflict of interest, redundant publication, double submission, challenges and approaches in implementing ethics in scientific publication, ethics education and ethical standards for editors. The First International Congress on Publication Ethics was held successfully by the Iranian Society of Medical Editors, COPE and Shiraz Medical University in November 2011./end