Publishing ethics in psychiatry

Objective: The ethics of publishing in psychiatry has gained only limited attention. We examine, in a historical context, pertinent ethical problems and offer a series of recommendations for dealing with them. Method: The study was conducted by exploration of medical databases and websites, and systematic discussion with ethicists, legal experts, publishers and researchers. Results: Serious 'publishing misconduct' appears to have been rare in the psychiatric literature, but any occurrence of redundant publication, plagiarism and publication of fraudulent or inhumane research is disturbing and should be prevented. Difficulties around authorship, sensitive use of language, conflict of interest and bias in the publishing process are additional issues claiming our attention. Conclusions: A clearly articulated publishing ethos is desirable. Potential strategies to achieve this include devising guidelines on publishing ethics, teaching the subject to new writers, journals committing themselves to the ethical dimension of their operations, and penalising colleagues who violate agreed principles of good conduct.