Changing paradigm in the scientific publication process: Are we encouraging Science or Pseudoscience? Urgent need for introspection and self regulation

Abstract

Scientific research and its subsequent publication in a peer reviewed journal (preferably) are essential components of professional development in the field of medicine. Scientists have endeavored over the centuries to impress their peers and leave their mark by sharing the results of their research. Anecdotal cases of scientific misconduct may have been a rarity in the past, rather than norm, which could also be attributed to a lack of wherewithal to detect such instances. However, the last decade has witnessed an unprecedented rise in the quantum of scientific publication with a proportionate increase in the incidence of scientific/publication misconduct.