TheIngelfinger rule is an eponymous rule named afterFranz J. Ingelfinger,The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) editor-in-chief who enunciated it in 1969. The rule, as originally articulated in the editorial "Definition of 'Sole Contribution'",[1] stated thatNEJM would not publish findings that had been published elsewhere. Though originally meant only forNEJM, the guideline was subsequently adopted by several other scientific journals, and it has shaped scientific publishing ever since.[2] Historically it has also helped to ensure that the journal's content is fresh and does not duplicate content previously reported elsewhere,[3] and it seeks to protect the scientific embargo system.[4]
The Ingelfinger rule has been seen as having the aim of preventing authors from performingduplicate publications which would unduly inflate their publication record.[6] On the other hand, it has also been stated that the real reason for the Ingelfinger rule is to protect the journals' revenue stream, and with the increase in popularity ofpreprint servers[7] such asarXiv,bioRxiv, andHAL many journals have loosened their requirements concerning the Ingelfinger rule.[8] In a defense of the policy, the journal said in an editorial that the practice discouraged scientists from talking to the media before their work was peer reviewed.[9]
^Lewenstein, BV (1988). "It's Not Really the Relman Rule".ScienceWriters.36 (2):17–18.
^Lariviere, V; Gingras, Y (2009). "On the prevalence and scientific impact of duplicate publications in different scientific fields (1980-2007)".arXiv:0906.4019 [physics.soc-ph].
