American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Publication Breaks Academic Integrity

Originally published at SPARC Open Access Forum January 3, 2004

Dear Colleagues and friends,

This is a follow up letter for my earlier posting entitled "Why AAAS Science unpublish correspondence questioning its academic integrity?" (SPARC-Open Access Forum Archive, 18 Dec 2003). I will appreciate university librarians forwarding this followup e.mail to their faculties.

I read with interest today Science Editorial "Disclosure and Disinterest "by Donald Kennedy, Science Editor-in-Chief (2 Jan. 2004, p.15).

I would call this contribution a letter of intent. As Dr. Kennedy writes in his editorial, "we have tried to give authors more guidance about disclosure, and we'll continue to help our readers make their own informed judgments". I doubt this is the system Science adhered to.

A year ago on my call for a true disclosure of competing interest in the Science article by Dennis Selkoe, Harvard Professor, Elan Corporation Director, and "Elan Alzheimer's expert in pre-slump share sale" Dr. Kennedy determined that "Dr. Selkoe's statement [that he is "a consultant to Elan Pharmaceuticals, plc." (25 Oct 2002)] is a sufficient announcement of what some might perceive as a conflict."

The above is a part of my correspondence with Science provided in my June 16, 2003 Open letter to Dr. Kennedy . This letter also informed Science Editor-in-Chief that Floyd E. Bloom, AAAS Board of Directors Chair and Scripps Research Institute professor has competing financial interest as founder and CEO of Neurome, Inc. Dr. Bloom did not disclosed his financial interest in his Science "Presidential address. Science as a way of life: perplexities of a physician-scientist" (13 June 2003, p. 1680) that official AAAS news release called "Healing U.S. Health Care. AAAS Board Chairman Floyd E. Bloom calls for U.S. health care reform." (AAAS News release 13 June 2003).

Since then Science did not make public the above conflicts, and thus did not allow reader's "own informed judgement". Oppositely, AAAS Science has unpublished my Science's SAGE KE Open letter to Science Editor-in-Chief.

There are two other instances of financial conflict non-disclosure in articles on Alzheimer's disease that informed Science did not inform readers about. These are articles by Kayed et al. (18 April 2003, p.486 ; discussed in my Open Letter) and Monsonego and Weiner (31 Oct 2003, p.834, covered in my letter to colleagues ).

Contrasting with Dr. Kennedy editorial the above facts show an apparent unwillingness of AAAS Science to inform readers about not-disclosed financial interests by Science authors, and AAAS Science obstruction of a disclosure made by others.

I look forward the 'letter of intent' by Science Editor-in-Chief is materialized in a concrete actions.

Sincerely,

Alexei Koudinov, MD, PhD

Note: Alexei Koudinov competing interest statement: I do not have any competing financial interest. I aim free information dissemination and an unbiased development of Alzheimer's neuroscience. I observe the Society for Neuroscience Guidelines for Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication.