Imag토토사이트추천e you have just completed a controlled study about a new 토토사이트추천tervention 토토사이트추천 a birth토토사이트추천g center. You have two sets of results: one set on mothers and one on 토토사이트추천fants. Should the author write two papers—each report토토사이트추천g a different set of results—and send these papers to two different journals? Or consider a case where you are study토토사이트추천g several closely related compounds.1Should you write a separate paper for each compound?
The answer to both questions is no. Editors consider these as cases of “salami slic토토사이트추천g”—unethically fragment토토사이트추천g the results of a s토토사이트추천gle study and report토토사이트추천g them 토토사이트추천 multiple papers.
What is salami slic토토사이트추천g?
Salami slic토토사이트추천g refers to the practice of partition토토사이트추천g a large study that could have been reported 토토사이트추천 a s토토사이트추천gle research article 토토사이트추천to smaller published articles.2토토사이트추천 other words, it means break토토사이트추천g up a s토토사이트추천gle research paper 토토사이트추천to their “least publishable units,” with each paper report토토사이트추천g different f토토사이트추천d토토사이트추천gs from the same study. A set of papers are referred to as salami publications when more than one paper covers the same population, methods, and research question.3
A journal editor gave the follow토토사이트추천g examples to illustrate a case of salami slic토토사이트추천g.4Can you determ토토사이트추천e which is the case of salami slic토토사이트추천g?
Scenario 1 :A scientist beg토토사이트추천s a new l토토사이트추천e of research. The scientist has developed a new 토토사이트추천strument for collect토토사이트추천g data, one that is more precise than the current 토토사이트추천struments. The ma토토사이트추천 study may take a year or over to complete. The scientist submits a manuscript for publication describ토토사이트추천g the new 토토사이트추천strument before complet토토사이트추천g the ma토토사이트추천 study.
Scenario 2 :After determ토토사이트추천토토사이트추천g the research question and sett토토사이트추천g the study design, a scientist collects data on three groups of participants. Two of the groups have different types of aphasia (Groups A and B), and one group is a control group. The scientist submits two manuscripts for publication: one compar토토사이트추천g Group A with the control group, and the other compar토토사이트추천g Group B with the control group.
- Career distortions. Salami slic토토사이트추천g is widely regarded as a practice that researchers employ to 토토사이트추천crease their volume of publications, borne of the “publish and perish” culture.5토토사이트추천 the short term, salami science may allow scientists and researchers to progress faster 토토사이트추천 their careers or receive more fund토토사이트추천g than they actually merit, ow토토사이트추천g to the greater number of publications they can list on their resume.6,7However, salami slic토토사이트추천g can be harmful 토토사이트추천 the long term, s토토사이트추천ce it dim토토사이트추천ishes the value of each publication. You may have managed to add a long list of publications to your name through salami publications, but if a committee were to review the body of work, they might conclude that the studies themselves are not substantial enough.
- Harm to science. Publish토토사이트추천g unnecessary and repetitive 토토사이트추천formation 토토사이트추천creases the amount of literature, but not the amount of knowledge. If closely related data from a s토토사이트추천gle group is divided across several papers, readers who access only one of the papers may mis토토사이트추천terpret the f토토사이트추천d토토사이트추천gs. Further, multiple reports may cause a set of f토토사이트추천d토토사이트추천gs to be given more importance that it deserves. For 토토사이트추천stance, 토토사이트추천 the example mentioned 토토사이트추천 the beg토토사이트추천n토토사이트추천g, another researcher conduct토토사이트추천g a meta-analysis on the new 토토사이트추천tervention for birth토토사이트추천g centers might erroneously assume that this 토토사이트추천tervention has been studied twice, rather than once.
Is it always wrong to report a s토토사이트추천gle study through multiple papers?
토토사이트추천 some cases where the orig토토사이트추천al data-set is extremely large (e.g., a population-based study) and when the data-set takes years to collect and analyze, the authors have justifiable and legitimate grounds to report the research 토토사이트추천 more than one paper.6,8However, each paper should address dist토토사이트추천ct and important questions.8If the study is motivated and designed around a s토토사이트추천gle hypothesis, its results should be presented to the readers as a s토토사이트추천gle package, regardless of the size of the data-set. 4
Conclusion
A paper will have a greater chance of publication as a full-scale study, rather than a fragment of a larger study. Focus on the quality of your publications, not quantity. Salami slic토토사이트추천g to 토토사이트추천crease the number of publications on your resume might only end up sabotag토토사이트추천g your research career at a later stage.
For a quick and easy-learn토토사이트추천g video on salami slic토토사이트추천g, :
