World Association of Medical Editors

World Association of Medical Editors
Name	World Association of Medical Editors
Abbreviation	WAME
Formation	1995
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	Global
Region served	International
Membership	Medical journal editors

World Association of Medical Editors is an international professional association connecting editors of The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, BMJ, and other medical journals across continents such as North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Founded in the mid-1990s amid debates involving International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, Committee on Publication Ethics, Council of Science Editors, World Health Organization, and national bodies like National Institutes of Health, the association seeks to harmonize editorial standards, address conflicts exemplified by cases involving Andrew Wakefield, Brian Wansink, and to liaise with publishers including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley-Blackwell, Taylor & Francis, and SAGE Publications.

History

The organization emerged after meetings among editors from titles such as Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, The BMJ, PLOS Medicine, and The New England Journal of Medicine convened at venues including Hot Springs, Virginia, Geneva, and London to respond to scandals like the contested research associated with Andrew Wakefield and reproducibility concerns highlighted by investigations at Harvard University, Stanford University, and University of Oxford. Early collaboration involved figures linked to International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, Committee on Publication Ethics, Council of Science Editors, European Association of Science Editors, and institutions including World Health Organization and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to draft guidance paralleling policies from National Library of Medicine and PubMed Central.

Mission and Objectives

The association's objectives align with standards promoted by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, Committee on Publication Ethics, and advocacy groups such as Physicians for Human Rights and Transparency International. Its mission includes improving editorial quality in journals like The Lancet Oncology and JAMA Internal Medicine, promoting integrity in research tied to institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Mayo Clinic, Karolinska Institutet, Imperial College London, and supporting open access initiatives similar to Public Library of Science and arXiv. The group advocates for policies used by funders such as Wellcome Trust, Gates Foundation, National Science Foundation, and European Commission.

Organization and Governance

Governance structures mirror those of organizations like International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and Committee on Publication Ethics, with an executive council populated by editors from journals including Nature Medicine, Science Translational Medicine, Lancet Global Health, BMJ Open, and regional representatives from African Journals Online, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, and Asia Pacific Association of Medical Journal Editors. Administrative procedures reference practices used at World Health Organization committees and reporting frameworks resembling United Nations expert panels, and involve liaison with publishers such as Elsevier and Wiley-Blackwell.

Membership and Activities

Membership comprises editors from a range of publications including New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Science, PLOS ONE, BMJ, JAMA, and specialty journals like Circulation, Gastroenterology, Lancet Oncology, Neurology (journal), and Pediatric Research. Activities include issuing statements on peer review controversies involving cases linked to Brian Wansink and retractions comparable to actions by Retraction Watch, coordinating responses with PubMed Central, CrossRef, ORCID, and providing resources similar to those from Committee on Publication Ethics and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

Guidelines and Publications

The association produces editorial guidance analogous in scope to documents from International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, Committee on Publication Ethics, and Council of Science Editors, addressing authorship disputes like those publicized at Duke University and conflicts of interest involving entities such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Novartis, Roche, and Johnson & Johnson. Publications cover topics reflected in policies of National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, and journals such as The Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA Oncology, and BMJ Quality & Safety, and recommend identifiers like ORCID and persistent identifiers registered with CrossRef.

Conferences and Education

Conferences bring together editors and stakeholders from institutions including Harvard Medical School, University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, Karolinska Institutet, and organizations like World Health Organization and UNESCO to discuss peer review reforms inspired by initiatives at Open Peer Review pilots and platforms such as F1000Research and bioRxiv. Educational programs draw on curricula similar to training from Committee on Publication Ethics and involve workshops on statistics referencing authorities like CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, ICMJE, and methodologies from Cochrane Collaboration.

Criticism and Controversies

The association has faced critique similar to that leveled at International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and Committee on Publication Ethics regarding transparency, representation of editors from low- and middle-income settings such as Nigeria, India, Brazil, and Kenya, and handling of high-profile retractions involving authors from Harvard University, Yale University, and University College London. Debates echo disputes involving publishers like Elsevier and Springer Nature over open access models championed by Plan S, funding policies of Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation, and coordination with registries such as ClinicalTrials.gov and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.

Category:Medical publishing organizations Category:Professional associations