A retreat by the Council of Science Editors with funding from the Office of Research Integrity

7-9 November 2003

Lansdowne Resort and Conference Center, Lansdowne, Virginia

Retreat cochairs, Jessica Ancker and Faith McLellan

Proceedings recorder and editor, Jessica Ancker

Scientific journals play an important role in the exposure and correction of research misconduct. Peer reviewers may detect fraud before publication; readers, after publication. Journals also perform a vital service by publishing corrections or retractions after research misconduct has been confirmed.

Those responsibilities present ethical and practical challenges to journal editors, who may find themselves with little guidance about how to act. How should an editor decide whether to suspect misconduct? Should a journal's staff investigate allegations of misconduct, or should they refer cases to the author's academic institution, employer, or funding agency? Should editors talk to each other about such allegations, or should they treat cases as confidential? How should corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern be worded? What resources are available to help journal editors with these questions?

To help editors address such issues, the Council of Science Editors sponsored the Retreat on the Journal's Role in Scientific Misconduct on 7-9 November 2003. The Office of Research Integrity (ORI), in the US Department of Health and Human Services, supported the retreat with a $20,000 grant, and its staff provided case studies and speakers for the event.

More than 70 people from around the world attended the intensive weekend event. Almost half the schedule was reserved for small- and large-group discussions so that editors could share their experiences with each other. In addition, speakers at prominent journals, funding agencies, academic institutions, and MEDLINE were invited to ensure that participants would have a chance to hear a wide array of viewpoints.

Most participants were affiliated with journals or academic institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, or Western Europe. CSE also raised money to sponsor five editors from India, China, and Serbia who might not otherwise have been able to attend. The scholarships were made possible by contributions from Thomson ISI, Rockefeller University Press, Inera, Inc., Cadmus Professional Communications, and the ORI grant.

Joseph Martin, dean of the Harvard Faculty of Medicine, was scheduled to deliver the keynote address on Friday. However, he canceled his appearance because of the unexpected death of a friend. Instead, the retreat was opened with talks by Catherine D (Cathy) DeAngelis, editor of JAMA, and Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet.

A report summarizing the scheduled speeches and, to a lesser extent, the group discussions that took place over the weekend is available at www.councilscienceeditors.org.