They strive to ward off authors who rehash findings in order to rack up lengthy lists of publishing credits |
In today's competitive job market, some scientists may be tempted to add heft to their c.v.'s by stretching their research a little, engaging in practices referred to by journal editors as redundant publication. Redundancy--attempts to get two or more articles out of the research for one--has always existed in some form or other, editors say. But, spurred by speculation that the pressure to publish is causing the problem to escalate, they are becoming more adept at spotting redundancy, and they are calling investigators on the carpet when they uncover it.
Yet what constitutes a transgression is not always clear, so one editor's redundancy may be another's acceptable article. This suggests to some authors that redundancy is in the eye of the beholder, which makes it tempting to submit suspect papers for ...
