LETTER
Misrepresentation of Academic Accomplishments by Applicants for Gastroenterology Fellowships
Munir E. Nassar, MD
15 February 1996 | Volume 124 Issue 4 | Page 457
TO THE EDITOR:
The report by Sekas and Hutson [1] and the editorial by Kimball [2] raise disquieting issues related to the academic and professional integrity of physicians, professors, research fellows, and directors of research laboratories. Despite the impressive statistics (34.1% of applicants' research activities could not be confirmed, and 30.2% of applicants' presumed published works were not verifiable) [1] findings of falsification of credentials (12%) and employment applications (5%) [2], this type of information may not reveal the entire truth or determine why certain fellows and physicians indulge in such presumed activities. Fraudulent academic misrepresentation is a two-way street and involves plagiarism on the part of directors of research work and professors of repute who repeatedly fail to give proper credit in their published works to junior coworkers contributing to the work. This letter is not a justification for professional misrepresentation or for plagiarism, but rather for integrity and self-discipline.
|
Author and Article Information
|
|---|
Brockport, NY 14420
1. Sekas G, Hutson WR. Misrepresentation of academic accomplishments by applicants for gastroenterology fellowships. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 123:38-41.
2. Kimball HR. Credentials misrepresentation: another challenge to professionalism. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 123:58-9.
About Letters
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
Top
Author & Article Info
References
Article
