Academics who lend their names to medical and scientific articles that they didn’t actually write are doing little more than prostituting themselves, according to two law professors at the University of Toronto.
The professors outline their argument in a piece in PLoS Medicine, saying researchers who engage in the practice should be sued for fraud.
Academic ghostwriting is a little-known practice that finally came to the public’s attention after some popular drugs like the now-discontinued painkiller Vioxx started showing serious problems.
Lawsuits revealed that studies that suggested the drugs were safe and effective were often not written by the scientists listed as the authors. Instead, they were ghostwritten by writers working for the drug companies that make the medications. The scientists listed as authors were offered payment in return for attaching their names.
Read the Full Article and Watch the Video Here: http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110802/medical-journal-ghostwriting-110802/20110802/
See Also: Are You Taking Pills You Don’t Need? Ghost Writing Might be the Reason