Evidence-based analysis: The rise and fall of Head and Neck Oncology I: the audit and subsequent investigations.

Head and Neck Oncology, an open access journal with a closed peer-review system, achieved its first official impact factor on the 2nd of July, 2012. As a result, it achieved the prestigious status of boasting the highest impact factor of any journal in the head and neck discipline in the world. On the 4th of July, 2012 BioMed Central (the former publisher of the journal) reported serious editorial misconduct following an unannounced internal audit. On the 6th of July, 2012 BioMed Central asked all four Editors-in-chief to stand down or face serious consequences. BioMed Central also stated that they were looking for replacement Editors. On the 11th July, 2012 BioMed Central decided to initiate its first investigation, promising the Editors-in-chief a meeting to discuss the upcoming results. BioMed Central also blocked the Editors’ access to the editorial tools, preventing them from looking at the journal’s peer-review history.   On the 1st August, 2012 BioMed Central emailed the Editors-in-chief a list of no less than 80 allegations of wrongdoing. The publishing-house requested a ‘satisfactory’ response within 24 hours or the journal would be closed. BioMed Central went on to cease publishing Head and Neck Oncology and emailed authors with articles under consideration for the journal and editorial board members to confirm the same. The journal moved to another publisher with its editorial board intact, releasing its first new issue on...
Source: Head and Neck Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research