Ten days after receiving an article for consideration, a group of editors received an email from the publisher informing them that the particular author in question had recently submitted nine articles to their journals, eight of which had been submitted in the previous seven weeks. Based on the similarity of the titles, the publisher had concerns about possible duplicate submission and had written to the author to request clarification. The author replied, insisting that, with the exception of one article that had been submitted twice to the same journal by mistake, all manuscripts were unique and should be treated as such. The editorial board had already decided to reject the manuscript before being alerted to the publisher’s suspicions. But the case raises questions about the mutual responsibilities of publishers and editors in communicating confidential information in such situations. It is still not clear whether duplicate (or inappropriate multiple) submission actually took place.
- Multiple submissions to journals are likely to become more common as journals increasingly share common submission systems. Duplicate submission is a serious ethical issue. - The publisher was right to inform the editors of the duplicate submission. - Once identified the editors are responsible for contacting the author and taking the issue forward. - Editors should share information on authors. Submission is confidential, but not if an author breaches the journal’s guidelines. - Publishers and editors all need to raise their game in this area. - Ask the author to supply all the other papers and to make a statement that there has been no duplicate publication. - If no satisfactory answer is forthcoming, the editor should contact the institution.