“We’ve recently learned that a series of 'Australasian Journal of' were produced from 2000-to 2005 out of Elsevier’s Australia office, using the Excerpta Medica imprint. I want to assure our customers and observers that Excerpta Medica follows very different practices today than those of the Australian business during that time. We operate in a fully transparent manner and follow strict disclosure guidelines in our journals and custom reprints.”
– Edward Roos, Group Managing Director, Excerpta Medica
Questions and Answers
What is Excerpta Medica?
Excerpta Medica (EM) is an Elsevier-owned business with offices based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Bridgewater, New Jersey, Camden, London and Toronto, Canada. EM is a global communications company servicing pharmaceutical clients in the areas of medical education, medical communications, publication planning, customized publications and interactive solutions.
Formed in 1948, EM (The Netherlands) was purchased by Elsevier (The Netherlands) in 1972. EM began by publishing abstracts of clinical papers for physicians but has over time evolved into a medical education company that works with pharmaceutical companies to develop medical education solutions for physicians with the goal of improving patient outcomes.
Does EM publish fake journals?
No. EM currently publishes scientific journals: Clinical Therapeutics; Current Therapeutic Research; American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy; and Gender Medicine. They are different from other Elsevier journals because they are known as "rapid publication journals", which allows researchers to more rapidly publish and disseminate results. Each of these journals follows peer-review guidelines set forth by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The journals have independent editorial boards to manage the journal and ensure its quality. and are comprised of original content that is peer reviewed.
Does EM publish sponsored journals?
Yes, one currently -- Insulin, which was launched to fulfill an identified gap in diabetes research and education for primary care, is EM's only journal that has received sponsorship in the form of an independent grant from multiple sponsors. This grant has enabled EM and its editorial board to start up this journal. Insulin, like the other EM journals, adheres to ICMJE guidelines and has strict author disclosure rules that require the identification of financial interests or other potential conflicts of interest. The sponsors do not have any involvement in editorial related decisions and the intent is to create a sustainable joint subscription/reprint business for the title.
Does EM publish compilation or customized publications?
Yes -- EM also publishes a variety of custom publications. These products include both single sponsored publications that include reviews, interviews and case studies, and compilation products that consist of reprinted articles chosen by a guest editor. These products require the disclosure of sponsorship as well as author disclosures and are not called journals. Custom publications are created to raise awareness of a disease state or to disseminate information on a specific therapeutic area. They are clearly identified as sponsored publications. The authors are invited to submit articles and the editor, guest editor as well as editorial board reviews the content. The goal is to provide information to physicians about a particular disease state and not a particular product. Fair balance is the goal in all of these communications. Although not considered traditional journals, these publications nonetheless adhere to strict codes of ethics.
Are the Australasian journals EM titles?
The set of Australasian "journals" that have been spoken about were originally conceived by members of the local EM office in Sydney, Australia in 2000.
Both Elsevier and EM believe the practice of creating compilation products that were called journals and lacked proper sponsorship disclosure is wrong. These actions do not reflect either EM's or Elsevier’s company’s business practices.
Additional Statements
Elsevier Press Release, “Statement from Michael Hansen, CEO of Elsevier’s Health Sciences Division, Regarding Australian Based Sponsored Journal Practices Between 2000 and 2005 ”
Elsevier Press Release, “Elsevier to Create New Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Article Reprint, Compilation and Custom Publications ”
Any questions or comments related to this issue can be addressed to Tom Reller, Elsevier’s Director, Corporate Relations.
|
