The Spine Journal, the official publication of the North American Spine Society, has announced changes to its own editorial processes. The modifications are designed to protect the integrity of scientific publishing.
According to Editor-in-Chief Dr. Eugene J. Carragee, each year, millions of large and small medical decisions are influenced by the findings of clinical research published in journals such as The Spine Journal. It is therefore absolutely critical to a patient’s well-being that the information published in medical journals be accurate and transparent.
In keeping with this philosophy, The Spine Journal outlined changes in an editorial titled ‘Future directions for The Spine Journal: managing and reporting conflict of interest issues.’ The paper’s authors are: Dr. Carragee of the Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Eric Hurwitz of the University of Hawaii, Dr. Bradley K. Weiner of The Methodist Hospital, Houston, and Dr. Christopher M. Bono of Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston.
The Spine Journal will make modifications to its editorial and publication processes. Manuscripts will be reviewed and vetted by four tiers of evaluators: peer review; review and comment by deputy editors by subject area; review and comment by the ‘Evidence and Methods’ deputy editor; and a final review by the editor in chief. At all tiers, close attention will be paid to methodological rigour, the proper reporting of sources of error and potential bias, and appropriate interpretation of results in light of the study’s strengths and limitations.
Where appropriate in systematic reviews or evidence-based guidelines reports, appropriate adjustment for financial interest and industry sponsorship should be included in the analysis of strength of evidence. Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines will be required for reporting results of randomised or controlled trials.
Complication rates in clinical studies will include an estimate of precision for safety analysis and should follow the CONSORT guidelines for reporting harms. Strict rules for the entire editorial team have been implemented on the types of relationships they can have, from speakers’ bureau participation to royalties to fellowships. The disclosures will be published for public review, including dollar amounts in ranges.
Funding sources (and the actual dollar amounts) and topic-specific conflict of interest (COI) of authors will be reported in the ‘Methods’ section in clinical research studies.
The intention of this new direction is not to limit readers’ access to new information or to preclude investigators who have financial interests from publishing their work, but to provide transparency and a more balanced context. It is expected that the reader of a clinical study now will be able to make an informed judgment about the article’s results and conclusions from the descriptions at hand, including the study’s design, conduct, data, analysis, strengths and limitations, including the sponsors’ and authors’ potential financial biases. Ultimately, it is stated, these measures will enhance the quality and fairness of reviews and improve the quality of manuscripts published in The Spine Journal.
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