title: Honorary and ghost authorship in reports of randomised clinical trials in oncology.
abstract: The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) has developed guidelines for responsible and accountable authorship. Few studies have assessed the frequency and nature of ghost and honorary authorship in publications of oncology trials.
  
  
  
  Reports of randomised clinical trials evaluating systemic cancer therapy published from July 2010 to December 2012 in six high-impact journals were identified systematically. Ghost authorship was determined to be present in any scenario where investigators or statisticians listed in the protocol were not included as authors and not acknowledged in the report of the trial. The list of contributions for authors of published articles was recorded, and we defined an article as having an honorary author if any author did not meet all three criteria established by ICMJE in 1985.
  
  
  
  Two hundred publications were identified. For 61 articles, protocols with listed investigators were available, and 40 (66%) of these articles met our definition of ghost authorship. Medical writers were involved in 89 articles (45%), and assistance was acknowledged only in sponsored trials. Contributions of each author were provided in 195 articles, and 63 (33%) articles met our definition for honorary authorship. Funding source was not a predictor for either honorary or ghost authorship. Journal impact factor was positively associated with honorary authorship (odds ratio = 1.03; 95% confidence interval = 1.004-1.065; P = 0.03), but not with ghost authorship.
  
  
  
  Ghost and honorary authorship are prevalent in articles describing trials for systemic therapy of cancer. Guidelines should be enforced to improve transparency and accountability.
authors: Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 610 University Ave, Toronto, M5G 2M9, Canada.
authors: Francisco Emilio
authors: FE
authors: Vera-Badillo
authors: Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 610 University Ave, Toronto, M5G 2M9, Canada.
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Napoleone
authors: Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 610 University Ave, Toronto, M5G 2M9, Canada.
authors: Monika K
authors: MK
authors: Krzyzanowska
authors: Division of General Internal and Geriatrics, University Health Network, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 610 University Ave, Toronto, M5G 2M9, Canada.
authors: Shabbir M H
authors: SM
authors: Alibhai
authors: Women's College Hospital and Research Institute, Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 76 Grenville St, Toronto, M5S 1B2, Canada.
authors: An-Wen
authors: AW
authors: Chan
authors: Medical Oncology Department and Translational Research Unit, Albacete University Hospital, Calle Hermanos Falco, 37, Albacete, 02006, Spain.
authors: Alberto
authors: A
authors: Ocana
authors: Department of Medical Oncology, Kantonsspital St Gallen, Rorschacher Str. 95, St. Gallen, 9007, Switzerland.
authors: Arnoud J
authors: AJ
authors: Templeton
authors: Department of Medical Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, University of Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
authors: Bostjan
authors: B
authors: Seruga
authors: Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 610 University Ave, Toronto, M5G 2M9, Canada.
authors: Eitan
authors: E
authors: Amir
authors: Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 610 University Ave, Toronto, M5G 2M9, Canada. Electronic address: Ian.Tannock@uhn.ca.
authors: Ian F
authors: IF
authors: Tannock
mesh_terms: D001319:Authorship; D006801:Humans; D055811:Journal Impact Factor; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000592:standards*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011643:Publishing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
keywords: Ghost authorship; Honorary authorship; Medical writers