Time variation of some selected topics in bioethical publications

Publication Trend in Islamic Medical Ethics in Iran and the World: Designing a Road

This study aimed at determining the publication trend in Islamic medical ethics; finally, a road map was designed. All published English and Persian papers in Islamic medical ethics were searched until June 2017. Finally, 971 English papers and 204 Persian papers were analyzed. Our results show that publication in Islamic medical ethics started in 1973. The beginning of life was considered the most favorable subject followed by public health and biotechnology by both Iranian and non-Iranian scholars. Taken together, the publication trend in Islamic medical ethics has experienced ups and downs and is not as satisfactory as it should be.

Highlights in bioethics through 40 years: a quantitative analysis of top-cited journal articles

BACKGROUND

The field of bioethics is constantly evolving. To investigate trends in the field of bioethics, we conducted a quantitative analysis of the top-cited articles in bioethical journals over the past 40 years.

METHODS

Retrospective quantitative study of the 20 most cited bioethics articles published each year from 1975 to 2014 were conducted. Article samples were selected from a list of the most relevant 100 journals in the field of bioethics.

RESULTS

In total, 800 top-cited articles between 1975 and 2014 in the domain of bioethics were retrieved and analysed. More than half of them were composed by single authors, but multiauthorship became more prevalent with time. The majority (84.5%) of these highly cited articles originated from the USA (65.3%), UK or Canada, though the proportion of other countries increased in recent years. Almost half (44.6%) of the highly cited articles belonged to the subfield of clinical ethics, but other subfields such as research ethics, public health ethics and neuroethics became more prominent. Overall, the distribution of Thesaurus keywords and subfields became more diverse over time, and the number of journals publishing top-cited articles doubled. Furthermore, the empirical ethics approach increased over time in our sample of top-cited articles.

CONCLUSIONS

In sum, the forefront of bioethics is getting more diversified, collaborative and international. The presumed 'mainstream' becomes less dominant over time, as more highly cited articles come from new subfields, discuss new topics, use more Bioethics Thesaurus keywords, more authors participate and more countries other than the USA contribute to bioethics journals.

A Bibliometric Analysis of an International Research Ethics Trainee Program

We used bibliometric analysis to evaluate the citations associated with publications by trainees in the Fogarty International Center's International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development program. Papers published between 2004 and 2008 were identified for analysis. The outcome measures were total citations, h-index, and i-10. A total of 328 manuscripts were identified, with a yearly average of 66 publications and 363 citations. The median number of citations per paper is 3 (IQR Q1–Q3:6). 12.6% (n = 53) of papers were cited over 10 times and the h-index is 22, indicating that 22 papers had been cited at least 22 times. The data indicate that trainees have been productive and contributed to the scholarly literature. Future studies to benchmark this performance with other bioethics education programs are required to make interpretation of citation analysis more meaningful.

Do Brazilian scientific journals promote the adherence of Chagas disease researchers to internacional ethical principals?

The ethical aspects of the Brazilian publications about human Chagas disease (CD) developed between 1996 and 2010 and the policy adopted by Brazilian medical journals were analyzed. Articles were selected on the SciELO Brazil data basis, and the evaluation of ethical aspects was based on the normative contents about ethics in research involving human experimentation according to the Brazilian resolution of the National Health Council no. 196/1996. The editorial policies of the section "Instructions to authors" were analyzed. In the period of 1996-2012, 58.9% of articles involving human Chagas disease did not refer to the fulfillment of the ethical aspects concerning research with human beings. In 80% of the journals, the requirements and confirmation of the information about ethical aspects in the studies of human CD were not observed. Although a failure in this type of service is still observed, awareness has been raised in federal agencies, educational institutions/research and publishing groups to standardize the procedures and ethical requirements for the Brazilian journals, reinforcing the fulfillment of the ethical parameters, according to the resolution of NHC no. 196/1996.

Ethics in the publication of studies on human visceral leishmaniasis in Brazilian periodicals

OBJECTIVE

To analyze ethical aspects of Brazilian articles on human visceral leishmaniasis, published after Resolution CNS 196/1996, and to analyze the policy on Brazilian periodicals on research ethics.

METHODS

An explanatory study with a bibliographical and documental nature was conducted. Selection of publications on research involving human beings since 1996 was performed in the SciELO Brazil database. Gaps associated with editorial policies on medical periodicals, based on information obtained from the "Instructions to authors" section of each periodical, were analyzed.

RESULTS

While there were no articles on the compliance with ethical aspects in the first four-year period (from 1997 to 2000), 75% fulfilled at least one of the ethical requirements evaluated in the first year (2009) of a subsequent four-year period (from 2009 to 2012). A total of six out of 11 periodicals indicated that the information about ethical aspects should be mentioned in the body of the article. There were three periodicals that required a letter or document, informing about compliance with these aspects and signed by the author(s), to be sent; two that requested a copy of the document used to obtain the free and informed consent; one that clarified the need of a copy to authorize the approval by the Committee on Ethics in Research; and four in which no requirements of ethical aspects were found.

CONCLUSIONS

There was an improvement in the description of compliance with ethical aspects found in articles. Standardization of ethical requirements for human research in Brazilian periodicals is suggested. This could promote compliance with the presuppositions of documents regulating human research.

Living apart together: reflections on bioethics, global inequality and social justice

Significant inequalities in health between and within countries have been measured over the past decades. Although these inequalities, as well as attempts to improve sub-standard health, raise profound issues of social justice and the right to health, those working in the field of bioethics have historically tended to devote greater attention to ethical issues raised by new, cutting-edge biotechnologies such as life-support cessation, genomics, stem cell research or face transplantation. This suggests that bioethics research and scholarship may revolve around issues that, while fascinating and important, currently affect only a small minority of the world's population. In this article, we examine the accusation that bioethics is largely dominated by Anglophone and industrialized world interests, and explore what kinds of positive contributions a 'bioethics from below' (as Paul Farmer calls it) can make to the field of bioethics in general. As our guide in this exploration, we make use of some experiences and lessons learned in our collaborative bioethics project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Building Bioethics Capacity and Justice in Health. We conclude that while there is some evidence of increased attention to bioethical challenges in developing countries, this development should be further cultivated, because it could help expand the horizons of the field and enhance its social relevance wherever it is practiced.