International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) Announces that BMJ Open has Published the Results from the Global Publication Survey

Tarrytown, NY - On April 25, 2014 the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP), announced that BMJ Open has published the results from the Global Publication Survey. The main aim of the survey was to generate evidence on current practices in the medical publication profession, in addition to clarifying and monitoring trends that may require further research, insight or education.

This benchmarking survey reported responses from 469 individuals across 23 countries who were involved with publishing industry-sponsored research in peer-reviewed journals. Al Weigel, President and Chief Operating Officer of ISMPP commented, “This is a major step forward for ISMPP and the profession as it is one of the most comprehensive international surveys showing current practice around medical publication guidelines among pharmaceutical, medical device and medical communication companies.”

From 2005 - 2012 various industry surveys reflected the need for improved education and enhanced transparency relating to guidelines, authorship, and transparency of contributions. “The publication and distribution of the Global Publication Survey shows very high reported levels of knowledge and use of major publication guidelines among publication professionals. These guidelines are being enforced by many companies so, although they are mostly voluntary, they are clearly influential”, said lead author Dr. Elizabeth Wager. Co-author Professor Karen Woolley added, “Our survey findings also complement emerging evidence showing that manuscripts prepared with medical writing and editing support are associated with better adherence to best-practice reporting guidelines, faster publication speed, and a lower risk of being retracted for misconduct than those prepared without such support, indicating the important contributions made by publication professionals.”

The article in BMJ Open is available at:

Contact
Al Weigel, President/COO
ISMPP
Office: (520) 820-8594
Fax: (520) 777-8330
aweigel@ismpp.org

About ISMPP

ISMPP is an independent, non-profit, professional association with members from the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology industries; publication planning and medical communication companies; academia; and medical journal staff, including editors and publishers. Its goals are to support the educational needs of publication professionals and to develop best practices that ensure the rigorous maintenance of all ethical standards for reporting results of medical research. Additional information about ISMPP is available online at http://www.ismpp.org.