Systematic Review of Aptamer Sequence Reporting in the Literature Reveals Widespread Unexplained Sequence Alterations

Aptamers have been the subject of more than 144,000 papers to date. However, there has been a growing concern that errors in reporting aptamer research limit the reliability of these reagents for research and other applications. These observations noting inconsistencies in the use of our RNA anti-lysozyme aptamer served as an impetus for our systematic review of the reporting of aptamer sequences in the literature. Our detailed examination of literature citing the RNA anti-lysozyme aptamer revealed that 93% of the 61 publications reviewed reported unexplained altered sequences with 86% of those using DNA variants. The ten most cited aptamers were examined using a standardized methodology in order to categorize the extent to which the sequences themselves were apparently improperly reproduced, both in the literature and presumably in experiments beyond their discovery. Our review of 800 aptamer publications spanned decades, multiple journals, and research groups, and revealed that 44% of the papers reported unexplained sequence alterations. We identified ten common categories of sequence alterations including deletions, substitutions, additions, among others. The robust data set we have produced elucidates a source of irreproducibility and unreliability in our field and can be used as a starting point for building evidence-based best practices in publication standards to elevate the rigor and reproducibility of aptamer research.

Meet the Journal’s Editorial Review Board Members

I am honored to take on the role as Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of the International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy (IJOM).To prepare for my role as EIC, I set two major goals to address today’s quickly evolving publication standards and the expansion and growth of the discipline of orofacial myofunctional disorders. The first was to establish an on-line submission and review process and an on-line archive for all past articles. The second critical goal was to recruit and enlist an international group of highly respected scientists and doctoral-level practitioners who represent diverse topics related to orofacial myofunctional disorders and therapy to serve on the journal’s Editorial Review Board (ERB). I am proud to introduce this new slate of ERB members.

Editorial | TIM RaDar as a Practical Screening Tool for IMRaD Articles: Consensual Publication Standards Among Indonesian Psychological Journal Editors [TIM RaDar Sebagai Alat Screening Praktis untuk Artikel IMRaD: Standar Publikasi Konsensual]

TIM RaDaR is an initiative to discover common standards for scientific publications in the field of psychology in Indonesia. Through this standard, authors (i.e., researchers, students, or lecturers) may prepare their manuscripts to meet the basic criteria for scientific publication. The writing criteria comprise of Title, Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, and References. This article also provides a checklist to aid authors and journal editors in evaluating manuscripts to be published. As an initiative, this article aims to become a starting point in synergizing better quality scientific publications in the field of psychology in Indonesia. TIM RaDaR adalah sebuah inisiatif untuk menggali standar bersama publikasi ilmiah psikologi Indonesia. Melalui standar ini, penulis (peneliti, mahasiswa, atau dosen) dapat mempersiapkan tulisan yang mereka susun untuk memenuhi kriteria dasar publikasi ilmiah. Kriteria tersebut mencakup penulisan Judul, Pendahuluan, Metode, Hasil dan Diskusi, serta Pustaka Acuan (Title, Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, and References). Tulisan ini juga memberikan sebuah checklist yang dapat digunakan sebagai alat bantu bagi penulis dan pengelola jurnal untuk mengevaluasi tulisan yang telah disusun. Sebagai suatu inisiatif, tulisan ini menjadi titik awal sinergi publikasi ilmiah psikologi Indonesia yang lebih bermutu di masa mendatang.

Detecting anomalous citation groups in journal networks

The ever-increasing competitiveness in the academic publishing market incentivizes journal editors to pursue higher impact factors. This translates into journals becoming more selective, and, ultimately, into higher publication standards. However, the fixation on higher impact factors leads some journals to artificially boost impact factors through the coordinated effort of a “citation cartel” of journals. “Citation cartel” behavior has become increasingly common in recent years, with several instances being reported. Here, we propose an algorithm—named CIDRE—to detect anomalous groups of journals that exchange citations at excessively high rates when compared against a null model that accounts for scientific communities and journal size. CIDRE detects more than half of the journals suspended from Journal Citation Reports due to anomalous citation behavior in the year of suspension or in advance. Furthermore, CIDRE detects many new anomalous groups, where the impact factors of the member journals are lifted substantially higher by the citations from other member journals. We describe a number of such examples in detail and discuss the implications of our findings with regard to the current academic climate.

Editorial

Dear Readers, Authors, Reviewers, and Editorial Board Members, Thank you very much for your continuing support. 2021 was an excellent year for our journal, and there were published 120 research and review papers, meaning 1226 pages divided into 4 issues. Due to the extraordinary efforts of all of you, the entire Volume 10, 2021, was published in advance, and in the mid of 2021, we were able to start Volume 11, 2022. We managed to maintain the publication standards and the number of published articles per issue. It is a great pleasure to announce that we will continue the publication under the platinum open-access policy (100% free for authors, 100% free for readers). In light of the above mentioned, the aim for 2022 is to increase the publication standards more and more to obtain the indexation in the leading international databases.

Preparación de un manuscrito para su presentación a una revista científica

Publishing the product of scientific work is an art and a necessity. If the results of the research are not reported through publication in a scientific journal, researchers miss the opportunity for their work to be known. Preparation of the manuscript is a challenge, particularly for researchers who begin their experience in scientific publication. Each journal has its publication standards available to authors; however, most biomedical publications follow the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. This document describes the importance of the research process, each of its parts and the different types of scientific documents, but focuses on the description of original articles, highlighting practical recommendations for their proper realization, and presents the most frequent errors observed with the intention of guiding novice researchers throughout the process. Keywords: Scientific paper, Medical publication, Research, recommendations to publish, Original articles.

Surgical Oncology in Romania: An Analysis of Research and Impact Based on Literature Search in PubMed and Web of Science

Background. With a long tradition and outstanding contributions over time, medical scientific research in Romania has experienced major changes in the last two decades, marked by an increase in scientific publications, originating especially from university centers and fostered by national regulations on publication standards required for professional promotion. This study is aimed at assessing the literature on surgical oncology in Romania, published by Romanian authors in journals indexed in international databases. Materials and Methods. A literature search was performed, focused on surgical oncology performed in Romania. Two databases, PubMed and Web of Science (WoS), were finally selected and included in the study, which included bibliometric parameters and subject analysis. Results. The PubMed search retrieved 464,295 articles being published in only 3 Romanian journals, Chirurgia, The Medical-Surgical Journal (Iasi), and Romanian Journal of Morphology and Embryology. The search of the Web of Science retrieved 494 records on the subject of surgical oncology in Romania, 449 of which were published after 1989. The 494 articles received 2,102 citations, 4.26 per year, and an overall Hirsch index of 21. Most articles were published in the same 3 Romanian journals as in PubMed. Neoplasms of the digestive system prevailed, followed by articles on general surgical oncology issues, cancer research, and therapy. Bucharest has the highest number of authors, followed by Cluj-Napoca and Iasi. Conclusion. Research originating from Romania in the field of surgical oncology is present and visible at an international level mainly through Romanian journals. Sustained effort is required from surgical oncology authors to be published in international journals on this subject, as it is the only way to increase global visibility and impact.

What is the impact of research with Morus nigra? – A scientometric study

Mulberry (Morus spp.) is an evergreen tree belonging to the Moraceae family. The genus Morus has numerous described species, including Morus nigra, an important plant in agriculture and traditional cultures. The objective of this study was to conduct a scientometric research on the species M. nigra. Bibliographic data was been obtained from the Web of Science database considering two times periods. These analyzes showed that research involving M. nigra is concentrated in the areas of nutrition, pharmacology and agronomy science. Eastern countries and Brazil are the largest producers of knowledge about M. nigra. The research has shown different interests in recent decades, showing that the scientific knowledge produced about the species is associated with the objective for which the plant was used throughout history. There is a trend in the growth of publications focused on the potential antioxidant of M. nigra products. The articles had a greater impact factor in the past, however, a significant growth trend in research with M. nigra in the last three years, also suggested by the increase in the number of publications in the period. Understanding the publication standards assist in directing future research as well as in understanding the current panorama of research associated with the species.

Research Data Access and Management in National Libraries

National libraries have developed research data responsibilities for reasons of data ownership and cost-efficiency. Due to their multi-faceted and synergistic relationship with research data actors (publishers and researchers), their leadership in publication standards makes them a unique participant as advisors on research data archiving and citation, as much as for their discovery and licensing expertise. National libraries engage with the data community to raise awareness of the relevance of data management and so promote themselves as an essential place for data repositories and the researcher community. This chapter introduces a framework of five national libraries: the British Library, the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, the German National Library of Science and Technology, and the German National Library of Medicine.