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OBSERVATIONS: Douglas Kamerow Who wrote that article? BMJ 2008; 336: 989 [Full text]

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Who is to be blamed?!

Sethi Bipin Kumar   (2 May 2008)

Who is to be blamed?! 2 May 2008
Sethi Bipin Kumar, Endocrinologist Care Hospital Banjara Hills,Road No.1 Hyderabad A.P.India 500 034 Send response to journal: Re: Who is to be blamed?!	The primary idea behind publishing anything is dissemination of information,this simple fact is forgotten by both the readers and the publishing houses.The strength or relevance of the information is judged by its origin and the authorship is a important factor there. As for the authors their primary aim is not the above stated one but to add numbers to their CV!Speaking for clinicians,academicians,governing bodies are more interested in the candidate's publications than clinical skills,and all institutions have their prolific publishers. How then to stem the rot? While enforced moral policing is a good idea,its application is more in principle than spirit.What could be done is not to reward authors for publications and also blacklist them world over if they are found guilty of any fraud.That might ensure focus returning to real science and for clinicians patients! Competing interests: None declared