Redundant or Secondary Publication.

Editorial Redundant or duplicate publication is the republishing of a previously published paper in another journal. Such activity violates publishing ethics. This is because originality is a fundamental factor in a scientific paper. Up until 2006, redundant publication had not been uncommon in the medical community, and it was a usual practice among many South Korean authors to republish papers in prominent international journals in English after having previously published them in Korean language journals. In 2006, the Korean Academy of Medical Science (KAMS) and the Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors (KAMJE) brought attention to the problem of redundant publication and announced their official position discouraging this practice, based on the 'Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Jour-nals' of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). After this, KAMS and KAMJE worked to eliminate redundant publication through ongoing promotion and education, and in March 2009 they released the 'Good Publication Practice Guidelines for Medical Journals' [1]. So, practically speaking, redundant publication up until 2009 was permitted as a convention in the medical field. The problem of redundant publication is just as prevalent in the field of plastic surgery as any other specialty. It was not uncommon for authors to publish their papers in the Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (JKPRS), which was being published in the Korean language, and then later resubmit them to a prestigious Science Citation Index journal. There had been no regulations concerning research and publishing ethics in JKPRS, but in the November issue of 2008 (Vol. 35 No. 6), a 'Provision on Research Ethics' was added to the Instructions for Authors in the journal. At that time, however , a lack of promotion as well as lack of awareness among members made it difficult to elicit much change. The situation did change after the establishment of the Archi­ ves of Plastic Surgery (APS) in 2012 to replace JKPRS. The editor in chief at the time, Jeong Tae Kim, stated in the editorial of the first issue that APS would be published in English, launching its new identity as an international journal. He emphasized that from that moment onward, the practice of redundant publication , where papers published in domestic (Korean) journals were republished in journals outside South Korea, would have to be eradicated [2]. This was also the first time redundant publication emerged as an issue in print …