Editorial Concern—Possible Reporting of the Same Patients With COVID-19 in Different Reports
Howard Bauchner, MD1; Robert M. Golub, MD1; Jody Zylke, MD1
JAMA. Published online March 16, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.3980
Since January 1, 2020, JAMA and the JAMA Network journals have received hundreds of manuscripts and direct queries related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including research reports, case series and case reports, and opinion pieces. The editors have become aware that some of the patients described in some of these manuscripts, sometimes with overlapping authorship, have been reported in more than 1 submission. This inclusion of the same patients in more than 1 report has not been clearly indicated in the submitted manuscripts. This is of concern and may represent a lapse in ethical standards of scientific reporting.