title: Phantom publications among applicants to a colorectal surgery residency program.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have reported that as many as one third of applicants misrepresent their publication record on residency or fellowship applications.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence of potentially fraudulent (or "phantom") research publications among applicants to a colorectal surgery residency program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electronic Residency Application Services applications were reviewed. All listed publications were tabulated and checked whether they were published using various search engines.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Applicants from 2006 to 2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched for phantom publications, defined as peer review journal citations that could not be verified. Demographics and other academic factors were compared between applicants with phantom publications and applicants with verifiable publications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 133 study group applicants, there were 91 (68%) males and 58 (44%) whites. Median age of the study cohort was 32 years (range, 27-48 y). Eight-seven of 130 applicants (65%) listed a total of 392 publications. Thirty-six (9%) of these 392 citations could not be verified and were considered to be phantom publications. The 36 phantom publications were identified in 21 applicants, representing 16% (21/133) of all applicants and 24% (21/87) of all applicants who cited publications. We found no significant difference in any demographic or other studied variable between applicants with phantom publications and those with verifiable publications. When comparing applicants with 3 or more phantom publications with applicants with verifiable publications, the former group had a significantly higher rate of individuals over age 35 (50% vs 24%; P = .02), foreign medical school graduates (75% vs 20%; P = .03), and individuals with 5 or more publications (100% vs 30%; P = .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Publications may simply have been missed in our search. We specifically may have failed to find publications in foreign journals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The significance of professionalism and ethical behavior must be emphasized in surgery training programs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Colorectal Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Yosef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nasseri
authors.forename: Som
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohanzadeh
authors.forename: Zuri
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Murrell
authors.forename: Dror
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berel
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melmed
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fleshner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001319:Authorship; D002140:California; D003107:Colorectal Surgery / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates; D005607:Fraud; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007586:Job Application; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011642:Publications