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Trends in Academic "Ghost Publications" in Plastic Surgery Residency Applications: A 3-Year Study
Nelson A Rodriguez-Unda1, Nicholas D Webster1, Charles N Verheyden1
1Division of Plastic Surgery, Texas A&M, Baylor Scott and White Hospital, Tex.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open
|February 26, 2020
Summary
Ghost publications are prevalent in plastic surgery residency applications, with over a third of applicants exhibiting this issue. First authorship and published work appear to be protective factors against this academic dishonesty.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Surgical Specialties
- Academic Integrity
Background:
- Plastic surgery residency programs attract top medical students.
- High competition for integrated PGY-1 positions may incentivize application falsification.
- Verifying application components, such as publications, can be challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of "ghost" authorship and authorship misrepresentation in plastic surgery residency applications.
- To analyze trends in fraudulent publications over a four-year period.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of Integrated Plastic Surgery applications from 2010-2013.
- Manual and independent review of 2,124 publication records by two reviewers.
- Definition of "ghost" authorship and misrepresentation, with corroboration by a medical librarian.
Main Results:
- A total of 392 applicants were analyzed.
- "Ghost" authorship was identified in 11.02% of reviewed articles (234/2,124).
- The overall rate of "ghost" authorship among applicants was 34.4% (135 applicants), with 1.28% (5 applicants) showing authorship misrepresentation.
Conclusions:
- "Ghost" publications are a significant issue in plastic surgery residency applications.
- The trend of "ghost" publications remained consistent across the studied years.
- First authorship and publication in peer-reviewed venues may act as protective factors against fraudulent submissions.
