Duplicate publication: a growing challenge

During several years of cooperation with scientific journals in Iran as referee, member of editorial boards and editor in chief, I have faced with multiple non-ethical behaviors in publication. These days, I am witnessed to submitting articles to two or more journal simultaneously. Due to the growing pattern of this illegal action, this editorial will assess its dimensions and consequences. The Article 1, Chapter VI of the National guidelines on Ethics of Publishing Medical Research has clearly stated: "If a manuscript is published or is being considered for publication in print or electronically, re-publishing in or submitting to other journals is not allowed. This statement is so important that the editors of the scientific journals have mentioned it in the author guidelines of the journals. However, what make authors, especially beginners, to submit their articles to more than one journal are perhaps requirements of the Institutes for defending a thesis, annual and/or academic ranks promotions. Republishing articles in scientific journals, especially in the same language, result in spending cost and taking time of the scientific and executive teams of the Journals and has no added value. The negative effects of this action are more highlighted when the role of scientific journals in promoting health care quality through publishing new and valid scientific evidences and limited spaces of the journals are noticed