The U.S. publishing house John Wiley & Sons has launched the second edition of Best Practice Guidelines on Publishing Ethics, an updated version of its pioneer handbook on good science practices, first released in 2006. Established in 1807, Wiley publishes some 1,500 periodicals and has over 9,000 titles in its catalogue. The latest version of the guidelines addresses topics not dealt with in the previous edition. One section focuses on anonymous whistle-blowing in cases of scientific misconduct. Wiley has adopted the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), a forum that brings editors of scientific journals together to discuss topics in research ethics. According to COPE, editors should take whistleblowers seriously so long as their accusations contain evidence that can help with investigations. Another new section looks at clinical trials; it advises that trials should be registered before patient recruitment begins and that the data produced must be made available through public repositories. The new edition likewise includes for the first time research involving animals and recommends that priority be given to methods that utilize animals as little as possible.
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