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Hôpital Saint-Antoine 75012 Paris, France
I read with great interest the editorial [1] and the accompanying letters [2, 3] by Dr. Rogers regarding the serious problem of duplicate publication. Similar to Dr. Rogers, I am concerned by the problem of duplicate publication and consider that duplicate publications are indefensible. In addition, as a foreign contributor to AJR, I am deeply concerned by the specific problem of previous publication in a language other than English. I personally consider that it is not a treat for your native-language journal to consider it to have so little value that it can be duplicated. For example, I do not believe that our French journal of radiology (Journal de Radiologie) is more or less prestigious than AJR, it is simply less read essentially because the English language is now the near-universal language of medicine.
On the other hand, I was rather surprised and deceived by the numerous "[sic]" inserted in the replies to the letters [2, 3] of a Japanese and a French author, respectively. "[Sic]" was inserted after each grammatic, typographic, or spelling error (i.e., the essencial "[sic]"). Did AJR appoint a new manuscript editor whose job is to point out grammatic or typographic errors or misspelling by a simple "[sic]"? It is clearly indicated in each issue of AJR that letters are subject to editing. Authors, especially those from non—English-speaking countries, assume that their submissions, including letters, will receive a fair assessment. I personally consider that such a mockery is definitely unfair. I obviously prefer the opinion expressed in a previous editorial [4] in which it was explained that AJR was aware of the specific difficulties of foreign contributors and that it was the task of the manuscript editor to shape and form the final version of the manuscript.
Please go on with this great job. Don't give other rude readers the opportunity of silly jokes such as "sick of your sic." However, as AJR gave the benefit of doubt to the authors cited in the editorial [1], I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps, your "[sic]" are just the expression of a typical "sick humor" that is not easy to understand for a foreign reader. Finally I hope that the present letter will bi [sic] copy-edited. Merci beaucoup.
References
American Journal of Roentgenology Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Coming, as it does, from a long-time contributor to our journal, I greatly appreciate Dr. Arrivé's letter supporting our concerns regarding duplicate publication and expressing concerns about the manner in which the authors' letters were quoted, including the use of the Latin term "sic."
Your letter gives me the opportunity to dispel any misunderstanding regarding my intent in using "[sic]." The term, as you are aware, is used to denote that the author has been quoted verbatim. In my view, circumstances required direct quotation from both of the letters in question [1, 2]. This was certainly not done to reflect unfavorably on the authors of the letters.
It is true that our manuscript editors normally remedy errors in the use of the English language to ensure reader understanding and to avoid embarrasing our non-English-speaking authors. However, because of the seriousness of the allegations addressed, we believed that verbatim quotes were necessary. Under such circumstances, we did not think it correct for us to assume the meaning of misspelled words or the intent of the author of the letter in question.
Given the substance of the letters, it would have been unfair and potentially misleading to paraphrase or modify what was written in any way other than shortening the text. Therefore, the use of "[sic]" was necessary and purposeful.
I apologize for any misunderstanding this use of verbatim quotation may have caused.
References
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