RESOLUTION OF AUTHORSHIP DISPUTE AND MISCONDUCT IN MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
In a case involving an authorship dispute and potential misconduct, Journal X faced a situation where the corresponding author (author A) removed the name of the last author (author B) from two accepted manuscripts during the galley proof stage. Subsequently, author A requested to replace author B with a suitable acknowledgment, citing a personal dispute that had arisen between the two authors after manuscript submission.
Upon inquiry, the editors of Journal X learned that author A had not sought agreement from author B for the proposed change. The editors decided to reinstate author B according to the original author listing, upholding the journal's policy against unapproved authorship alterations. The publisher was promptly notified of this decision.
However, the situation took a more complex turn when the publisher received communication from author B, indicating the possibility that his name might have been removed from three manuscripts, where he was the senior author, and author A was a researcher in his laboratory. Further investigation revealed that the third manuscript, rejected by Journal X, had been submitted to Journal Y (using the same publisher), with author B already removed.
The publisher alerted the editors of Journal Y to the issue, leading to the rejection of the manuscript. Considering the broader context and difficulties at the host institution, the editors of Journal X decided to reject all future submissions from both authors A and B.
COPE advised that while the authors' behavior was improper, the decision by the editor was made without sufficient evidence. COPE recommended contacting the funders of the research, initiating further investigation, and informing the institutions involved. Despite the institutional challenges, it was crucial to report the case to a higher authority.
This case underscores the importance of upholding ethical standards in authorship and manuscript submission, and the need for careful and thorough investigation in the face of potential misconduct.
