Dear CCP4 colleagues, I would like to bring to your attention a very unusual and concerning case of apparent plagiarism and to seek advice from the community on how best to proceed.
Recently, we discovered that an article we originally published in 2020 in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00855) appears to have been republished in the Journal of Research in Health Sciences under a different title and with a completely different list of authors (DOI: 10.31472/JRHS.2024.2.3 <https://jrhsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/Vol16I2-3.pdf>) in 2024 (https://jrhsjournal.com/volume-16-issue-2-2024/) What is particularly striking is that the overlap is not limited to concepts, text fragments, or results. The manuscript appears to reproduce, essentially verbatim the main text, paragraph by paragraph; the figures, reproduced identically; the figure legends; the experimental descriptions; the acknowledgements section and; even the name of the original corresponding author remains present in the text. In other words, apart from the title and author list, the article appears to be an exact copy of the original publication. We have already contacted the Editor of the Journal of Research in Health Sciences and provided documentation of the overlap. However, we have not yet received a response. In an attempt to understand what may have happened, I searched for the listed authors. Most appear to have ResearchGate profiles and publication records. Interestingly, the allegedly plagiarized paper does not appear among their listed publications, and none of the authors seem to have a research background related to the scientific field of the original work. This raises the possibility that the listed authors may themselves be unaware of the publication. The journal itself appears to be indexed in Medline and has been present in PubMed for several years, making the situation even more surprising. I would therefore be grateful for any advice from colleagues who may have encountered similar situations. In particular: - What additional steps would you recommend beyond contacting the journal editor? Should the matter be reported to PubMed/Medline or other indexing services at this stage? - Are there organizations or formal procedures that have proven effective in obtaining investigations and retractions in comparable cases? Any guidance or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and advice. Best regards, Marian Marian Oliva Unit for Biological, Immunological, and Chemical Drug Development Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTÍFICAS +34 918669485 [email protected] C/ Ramiro de Maeztu, 9. 28040-Madrid **NOTA DE CONFIDENCIALIDAD** Este correo electrónico, y en su caso los ficheros adjuntos, pueden contener información protegida para el uso exclusivo de su destinatario. Se prohíbe la distribución, reproducción o cualquier otro tipo de transmisión por parte de otra persona que no sea el destinatario. Si usted recibe por error este correo, se ruega comunicarlo al remitente y borrar el mensaje recibido. **CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE** This email communication and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information for the sole use of the designated recipient named above. Distribution, reproduction or any other use of this transmission by any party other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please contact the sender and delete all copies. ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 This message was issued to members of www.jiscmail.ac.uk/CCP4BB, a mailing list hosted by www.jiscmail.ac.uk, terms & conditions are available at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/
