OVERLAPPING PUBLICATIONS

Duplicate and Prior Publication

Authors are expected not to submit the same manuscript, in the same or different languages, simultaneously to more than one journal. 

Duplicate publication is publication of a paper that overlaps substantially with one already published, without clear, visible reference to the previous publication.

Prior publication may include release of information in the public domain.

Readers of medical journals deserve to be able to trust that what they are reading is original unless there is a clear statement that the author and editor are intentionally republishing an article. The bases of this position are international copyright laws, ethical conduct, and cost-effective use of resources.

When authors submit a manuscript reporting work that has already been reported in large part in a published article or is contained in or closely related to another paper that has been submitted or accepted for publication elsewhere, the letter of submission should clearly say so and the authors should provide copies of the related material to help the editor decide how to handle the submission.

Journal of Ophthalmology (Ukraine) accepts a complete report that follows publication of a preliminary report, such as a letter to the editor, a preprint, or an abstract or poster displayed at a scientific meeting.

Posting of preprints is not considered prior publication.

Authors who attempt duplicate publication without such notification should expect at least prompt rejection of the submitted manuscript. If the editor was not aware of the violations and the article has already been published, then the article might warrant retraction with or without the author's explanation or approval. Journal of Ophthalmology (Ukraine) follows the COPE guidance on handling duplicate publication.

Preprints

A preprint is a paper that is made available publicly via a community preprint server prior to (or simultaneous with) submission to a journal.

Journal of Ophthalmology (Ukraine) accepts for review consideration manuscripts which have already been made available on a preprint server.

Authors should inform Journal of Ophthalmology (Ukraine) if the work submitted to the journal has been posted on a preprint server and provide a link to the preprint whether the posting occurs prior to submission or during the peer-review process.

Authors are encouraged to post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server of the authors’ choice, institutional websites, or open researcher communications at any time. 

Once the preprint is published, it is the authors’ (and not the Journal of Ophthalmology (Ukraine) editors’) responsibility to ensure that preprints are amended to point readers to subsequent versions of the work, including the published article on the journal website.

Authors who choose to post their work on a preprint server should choose one that clearly identifies preprints as not peer-reviewed work and includes disclosures of authors' relationships and activities.

It is the author's responsibility to inform a journal if the work has been previously posted on a preprint server. In addition, it is the author's (and not the journal editors') responsibility to ensure that preprints are amended to point readers to subsequent versions, including the final published article.

Authors should not post in the preprint archive the published article nor interim versions that are produced during the peer-review process that incorporate revisions based on journal feedback.

When preprints are cited in submitted manuscripts or published articles, the citation should clearly indicate that the reference is a preprint. The citation should include the link to the preprint and DOI if the preprint archive issues DOIs.

 Secondary publication

Secondary publication is acceptable provided the following conditions are met:  

  • if the authors have received approval from the editors of both journals;
  • the priority of the primary publication is respected by a publication interval negotiated by both editors with the authors;
  • the paper for secondary publication is intended for a different group of readers;
  • an abbreviated version could be sufficient;
  • the secondary version faithfully reflects the authors, data, and interpretations of the primary version;
  • the secondary version informs readers, peers, and documenting agencies that the paper has been published in whole or in part elsewhere and the secondary version cites the primary reference (“This article is based on a study first reported in the [journal title, with full reference”);
  • the title of the secondary publication should indicate that it is a secondary publication of a primary publication.

Manuscripts Based on the Same Database

If Journal of Ophthalmology (Ukraine) receives manuscripts from separate research groups or from the same group analyzing the same data set (e.g., from a public database, or systematic reviews or meta-analyses of the same evidence), the manuscripts are be considered independently if they differ in their analytic methods, conclusions, or both.

If the data interpretation and conclusions are similar, we may consider publishing more than one manuscript that overlap in this way if different analytical approaches are complementary and equally valid, and manuscripts based upon the same data set add substantially to each other to warrant consideration for publication as separate papers, with appropriate citation of previous publications from the same data set to allow for transparency.

Secondary analyses of clinical trial data should cite any primary publication, clearly state that it contains secondary analyses/results, and use the same identifying trial registration number as the primary trial and unique, persistent data set identifier.