Ghostwriting and Guest Authorship: Unveiling the Mask of Deception in Medical Research

Abstract

Every day, medical editors are shaping and producing documents that convey critical scientific information, leading to better outcomes and healthier lives. As the medical community strives for excellence in research and publication, two persistent concerns threaten the very foundation of our scholarly endeavors: ghost writing and guest authorship. These practices, often shrouded in secrecy,undermine the integrity of medical research, compromise the credibility of our journals, and potentially harm patients. Medical ghostwriting is a new term. The ghostwriters in medicine are medical writers used by pharmaceutical companies or contract research organizations and medical communication agencies that serve the industry. Some medical writers are employed by the industry or its service agencies; others are self-employed and work under contract. Ghostwriting is also considered to be a form of plagiarism, unethical behavior which could even go as far as to cause health problems for the population. Ghost writing, where individuals not listed as authors contribute substantially to manuscripts, is a pervasive problem. This lack of transparency obscures the true origins of research, making it difficult to discern conflicts of interest and assess the validity of findings. Articles written by medical writers are published in medical journals. These articles can influence doctors and policy makers in their decisions that affect health. Therefore, the articles have marketing potential and there is a feeling that articles associated with manufacturers of pharmaceuticals make exaggerated promises and omit information that might disadvantage their products.