Conformity with Publication Ethics Guidelines among Nigerian Medical Journals

Abstract

Conformity with publication ethics guidelines by medical journals is vital, especially with increasing pressure to publish and potential for unethical practices that could undermine scientific research integrity and public trust. This study assessed Nigerian medical journals’ status concerning conformity with publication ethics guidelines. Cross-sectional survey of Nigerian medical journals using a checklist to obtain information from the journals’ websites on journal characteristics and presence of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) 16 principles of ‘Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. Forty journals were studied: 57.5% general medical and 42.5% specialty journals. Mean conformity score, 21.8 ± 5.6 (66.1%). All journals conformed to name uniqueness; 2.5% had data sharing policy. More general medical journals, (43.5%) specified readership than specialty journals, (11.8%). Conformity to COPE principles by Nigerian Medical journals was adequate. However, some deficient areas including data sharing and post-publication discussion policies could negatively impact research integrity. Improved adherence is recommended.

Keywords

Publication ethics conformity medical journals Nigeria COPE guidelines Principles of Transparency

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