Grassley compares ghostwriting, plagiarism

Nov. 18th, 2009 by Pia Christensen
Filed under: Conflicts of interest, Government, Pharmaceuticals, Studies

Sen/ Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) continues his investigation of “medical ghostwriting” with a letter to 10 medical schools asking “what they are doing about professors who put their names on ghostwritten articles in medical journals — and why that practice was any different from plagiarism by students.”

Sen. Charles Grassley

At issue is the practice in which a writer — sometimes paid by a pharmaceutical or other involved company — works on an article intended for publication without being named while a less-involved researcher receives credit.

Journals, medical associations and even pharmaceutical companies have called for an end to the practice but medical schools have been slower to respond.

Grassley has asked the medical schools to explain their policies on ghostwriting and plagiarism, to list complaints and describe investigations into both practices.