Duplicate Publication and Related Problems in the Pediatrics Literature

Objective. The aim of this study was to (a) determine the rate of redundant publication in the pediatrics literature and (b) to characterize these articles. Methods. Index articles in JAMA Pediatrics, Pediatrics, and the Journal of Pediatrics from 2010 were identified using PubMed. Possible redundant material from 2008 to 2012 were searched using the authors’ names. Suspected duplicates were categorized into “duplicate publication” or “salami-slicing” (part of the index article repeated or continued). Results. Of the 1838 index articles, 39 (2.1%) were found to have some form of redundancy. Specifically, 45 articles were identified as salami-sliced, which corresponded to the 39 index articles. Fifteen salami-sliced articles did not reference the corresponding index article, 2 vaguely referenced the index article, and 28 had clear references to the respective index article. Conclusion. Salami-slicing was a common practice. Salami-slicing may be acceptable in certain cases but authors should clearly reference the index article.