Why should duplicate publications be avoided?
One, before turning to a research report, a reader wants assurance that it contains new and important information (9). It is this very assurance that determines a journal’s reputation. If reviewers and editors are unaware that a submitted manuscript overlaps with another, they may incorrectly conclude that it contains unique information. Publishing rehashes harms a journal’s reputation, and will decrease its ability to attract good papers. Two, if the results from a randomized controlled trial are reported in two articles, they may be entered twice in a meta-analysis (4). Likewise, reporting the results of laboratory experiments in two articles overemphasizes their significance (10). Because clinical and scientific judgments need to be based on evidence, duplicate publications may ultimately result in decisions that hurt patients (1). Three, duplicate publications distort the whole purpose of journals (4, 11). Scientific journals exist to help researchers communicate new information so
