アジア太平洋地域の科学および医学分野における研究の健全性と倫理的な論文執筆・出版に関する東京宣言
BACKGROUND
4 August 2013
In 2013, multiple articles reporting the clinical trials of valsartan, an antihypertensive drug of more than US$ 1 billion in annual sales from Novartis, were retracted due to critical problems of data. A former employee of the company, who allegedly manipulated the data, was listed as an author, without disclosing the relation to the company. This scandal severely damaged research integrity in Japan. On the other hand, researchers frequently receive offers from predatory publication businesses to publish journal articles or scholarly books. The rapid increase of misconduct and insufficiently reviewed materials thus endanger the quality of academic information.
The participants of the Joint Meetings of the Asia Pacific Association of Medical Journal Editors (APAME) have adopted two declarations: in 2009 (Singapore) and in 2012 (Kuala Lumpur). At the joint meeting of APAME, the Index Medicus for the South-East Asian Region (IMSEAR) and the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM), held in Tokyo in August 2013, we signed the Tokyo Declaration on research integrity and ethical publication. It is recommended to distribute and agree on the declaration among our colleagues, publishers, and librarians to uphold our ethical standards.
Past declarations
The 2009 Singapore Declaration on Equitable Access to Health Information in the Western Pacific Region
The 2012 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Promotion of Scholarly Writing Skills and Standards in the Asia Pacific Region
http://www.wpro.who.int/entity/apame/publications/en/
Journals indexed on IMSEAR and WPRIM may co-publish the declaration as a Special Announcement, with the statement as follows:
“This declaration was adopted at the 2013 Convention of the Asia Pacific Association of Medical Journal Editors (APAME) held in Tokyo from 2 to 4 August 2013. It is concurrently published by journals linked to APAME and listed in the Index Medicus for the South-East Asian Region (IMSEAR) and the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM). Copyright © APAME. www.wpro.who.int/apame apame@wpro.who.int”
The context of this background may be incorporated in an Editorial explaining the declaration. The title of the Editorial should not be the same as the title of the Tokyo Declaration, in order to avoid problems with indexing.
