Year: 2023
Type: editorial
Abstract: Among various scientific misconducts like fabrication, falsifications, plagiarism, and salami slicing, salami slicing is very difficult to identify and is also considered less serious misconduct and got less attention as compared to others. 1 In research, salami slicing refers to the improper or unwarranted splitting of data that has the potential to be included in a single meaningful article or the practice of preparing and submitting two or more articles derived from the same data set, typically in the "minimum publishable unit of research" or "least publishable unit" merely with the purpose of increasing the number of publications.2,3 It is also defined as publishing or seeking to publish parts of a study in several papers by authors instead of providing the full story in a single paper.4 The sliced publications tend to have similar authors, research questions, hypotheses, methodologies, and participant cohorts but may differ by specific outcomes or subgroups.5 The concept of salami slicing refers to a variety of deceitful tactics encompassing psychological manipulation, including hacking, confidence tricks, and theft.6 Salami slicing takes place when the primary goal of advancing scientific knowledge is overshadowed by a secondary motive of pursuing external benefits.5 While the concept of salami slicing in medical research is not new, its implications and the accompanying debate surrounding it have gained prominence with the advancement of time.7 There are primarily two reasons why salami slicing occurs: one is unintentional, stemming from a lack of awareness regarding itself and ethical considerations, and the other is intentional and fraudulent.Publications produced through salami-slicing tactics often reflect propaganda rather than genuine contributions to scientific knowledge.6Features of salami slicing: I.Each publication tests the same hypothesis II.Two or more publications drawn from the same body of data except in some conditions which are described below where multiple publications can be made with a single study III.Repeating the same results, 6 overlapping words particularly data 8Reasons for intentional salami slicing:IV.The aspirations of authors, particularly in a culture where the pressure is built to publish for tenure, promotion, increase in salary, and career advancement is high 9V. Pressure from grant funders 10 VI.Pressured to inflate their curriculum vitae through the addition of publications 11
Authors: Krishna Subedi, Nuwadatta Subedi
Institution: Gandaki Medical College
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4382939149