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. 2019 Oct 2:4:21.
doi: 10.1186/s41073-019-0079-1. eCollection 2019.

A guide to applying the Good Publication Practice 3 guidelines in the Asia-Pacific region

Blair R Hesp  1 , Katsuhisa Arai  2 , Magdalene Y S Chu  3 , Stefanie Chuah  4 , Jose Miguel B Curameng  3 , Sandeep Kamat  5 , Zhigang Ma  6 , Andrew Sakko  7 , Hazel Fernandez  8
Affiliations

A guide to applying the Good Publication Practice 3 guidelines in the Asia-Pacific region

Blair R Hesp et al. Res Integr Peer Rev. .

Abstract

Numerous recommendations and guidelines aim to improve the quality, timeliness and transparency of medical publications. However, these guidelines use ambiguous language that can be challenging to interpret, particularly for speakers of English as a second language. Cultural expectations within the Asia-Pacific region raise additional challenges and several studies have suggested that awareness and application of ethical publication practices in the Asia-Pacific region is relatively low compared with other regions. However, guidance on applying ethical publication practice guidelines in the Asia-Pacific region is lacking. This commentary aims to improve publication practices in the Asia-Pacific region by providing guidance on applying the 10 principles of the Good Publication Practice 3 (GPP3) guidelines and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship. Recommendations are provided for encore presentations, applying the ICMJE authorship criteria in the context of regional cultural expectations, and the role of study sponsors and professional medical writers. Ongoing barriers to compliance with guidelines are also highlighted, and additional guidance is provided to support authors submitting manuscripts for publication. The roles of regional journals, regulatory authorities and professional bodies in improving practices are also discussed.

Keywords: Asia-Pacific; Authorship; Conflict of interest; Disclosures; Ethics; Good Publication Practice; Manuscript development.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interestsBlair Hesp, Katsuhisa Arai and Hazel Fernandez are members of the Organising Committee for the 2019 ISMPP Asia-Pacific meeting. Blair Hesp, Katsuhisa Arai, Magdalene Chu, Stefanie Chuah, Jose Miguel Curameng, Sandeep Kamat and Andrew Sakko are employees of companies offering medical communications services to the pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostics industries and authors within the Asia-Pacific region, including publication planning consultancy and professional medical writing support. Blair Hesp is an employee and shareholder of Kainic Medical Communications Ltd. Katsuhisa Arai is an employee of Envision Pharma Group. Magdalene Chu and Jose Miguel Curameng are employees of MIMS (Hong Kong) Ltd. Stefanie Chuah is an employee of AMICULUM (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Sandeep Kamat is an employee of Cactus Communications Pvt Ltd. Andrew Sakko is an employee of Syneos Health. Hazel Fernandez and Zhigang Ma are employees of AstraZeneca, a sponsor of clinical research performed in the Asia-Pacific region. Blair Hesp, Andrew Sakko and Hazel Fernandez are ISMPP Certified Medical Publication Professionals.

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