Advancing the Professional Home for Pharmacology
A chat with Mike Jarvis
After his final contributions to the ASPET Journals Task Force wrapped up in 2024, long-time ASPET member Michael Jarvis, PhD, FASPET, HonFBPhS, found himself in an unusual position. Having completed his term as Pharmacology Research & Perspectives Editor-in-Chief and member of ASPET’s Publications Committee in 2023, and having completed his three-year term on ASPET’s Council as President-Elect, President, and Past-President (2021–2023), also previously having served two consecutive terms as Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET) Editor-in-Chief (2010–2015), Mike finally had a rare chance to breathe.
This did not last long.
Since my first week as Director of Publications at ASPET in April 2021, I had been surprised and more than a little concerned about the worrisome lack of a dedicated research integrity manager on staff. With just eleven employees total at ASPET at that time, a new staff position was highly unlikely to come into fruition any time soon. But the reality was that ethics issues were not going to dissipate in a world of increased ethics violations. Who would be the go-to for resolving complex ethical cases that required more than what an editorial staff could manage on their own, without the kind of scientific expertise that is necessary to ensure that ASPET journals would continue to publish top-tier science and maintain their excellent reputation?
I was lucky. I had a past colleague, who had since become a trusted friend, in the research integrity field, who was willing to guide me when I reached out to her with various scenarios for which I needed expert advice. She had a PhD and served in the role of research integrity manager for the years we worked together at a sister society to ASPET. She was offering guidance as a professional courtesy, with respect and admiration for society journals, yet very busy herself with a new position in industry. I appreciated her help but also kept in mind that there is a limit to favors you can ask from a friend.
To this end, Mike was being called upon more frequently to assist ASPET staff with complex publication ethics cases. As a previous Editor-in-Chief who has handled a diverse array of publication ethics concerns, and having built expertise in this area, the value of his work with ASPET’s Editors-in-Chief, the Publications Committee Chair, ASPET staff, and research integrity officers at universities and other institutions was very apparent as ethics issues have become more prominent in the biomedical research community.
One day in 2024, it occurred to me that we had just the person who could fill the gap to lead ethics management and help preserve research integrity for ASPET journals. But would he be interested?
One day in 2024, it occurred to me that we had just the person who could fill the gap to lead ethics management and help preserve research integrity for ASPET journals. But would he be interested?
In true Mike Jarvis fashion, he willingly agreed to serve as ASPET Journals’ first Ethics Editor. In this new position, Mike would also serve as a voting member on ASPET’s Publications Committee. The new role, and the newly formed Ethics Subcommittee (comprising Mike as Ethics Subcommittee Chair, Ken Tew, PhD, Publications Committee Chair, Dave Jackson, ASPET Executive Officer, and myself), received approval from ASPET’s leadership, which included both the Publications Committee and the ASPET Council. In addition, ASPET’s new publishing partner, Elsevier, was fully on board and in favor of the creation of this role. Elsevier themselves were in the midst of expanding their research integrity team significantly (learn about Elsevier’s research integrity team).
As Ethics Editor, Mike takes on the time-consuming work of gathering and reviewing information, discussing findings, all in a confidential manner, with the majority of his investigation centering on work that has already been published and is being addressed for possible correction or retraction. Tough conversations with authors are initiated, and Mike’s leadership is evident during these uncomfortable discussions that eventually allow for appropriate resolutions.
One of Mike’s notable attributes is his respect for the role of Editor-in-Chief. His skill at collaboration with Editors always has the undertone of “the final decision is yours”, and he is quick to emphasize that he serves in an advisory capacity to the ASPET Journal Editors and Publications staff. Beverley Greenwood-Van Meerveld, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of JPET since 2022, reinforces this sentiment. “What I particularly value about Mike is his thoughtful approach: he offers sound advice while always reminding me that the final decision rests with me. That level of respect and professionalism is something I deeply appreciate.” Beverley goes on to say that she was “very pleased to learn that ASPET had appointed an Ethics Editor to support and advise Editors when ethical issues arise, such as allegations of image manipulation, disputes among authors, or other forms of scientific misconduct. Having access to the guidance of someone as experienced as Mike Jarvis has been a tremendous asset to the ASPET editorial team.”
Ken Tew, past Editor of JPET (2016–2021) and currently serving as ASPET Publications Committee Chair, notes the importance of the new position as well as having Mike at the helm. “Mike Jarvis has considerable expertise in journal publishing and is optimally suited to serve as Ethics Editor for ASPET. At present, academic institutions do little to police fraudulent publication activities at the source. Thus, it falls to editors and publishers to identify subversive author behavior, including, but not limited to, paper mill and duplicate submissions, image manipulation, and citation malpractice.” Ken acknowledges that ASPET now has access to technology that will help to progress its ethics goals. “With software tools provided by partners like Elsevier, we are now able to identify such ethical breaches and intercede early in the publication process. As a Society, ASPET will benefit directly, and our Ethics Subcommittee will have the opportunity to help eliminate some egregious breaches before they reach press.”
Having access to the guidance of someone as experienced as Mike Jarvis has been a tremendous asset to the ASPET editorial team.
To give a better understanding of Mike’s work, we asked him some questions about his new position at ASPET.
Why does ASPET need an Ethics Editor and Subcommittee when you are now partnered with Elsevier?
Mike: As one of the world’s largest publishers, Elsevier offers ASPET innovation and resources from which our journals greatly benefit, including image forensics. Elsevier is a proactive partner here to support us, and their input has been quite constructive. But it’s important to note that ASPET maintains control of all decision-making processes. ASPET has full editorial control, and the Editors-in-Chief, along with our newly formed Ethics Subcommittee when needed, decide how to address complex scientific ethics issues. ASPET stakeholders should view the Ethics Subcommittee as an approachable resource for all ethical questions throughout the manuscript submission, peer review, and publication process.
Mike makes a point of saying he doesn’t want the Ethics Subcommittee to be viewed as the “ethics police”, and if an author receives correspondence from him, “they should not panic.”
Mike: In the best of all possible worlds, the Ethics Subcommittee would be seen in a supportive role.
How do you approach an author and begin a discussion about an article for which you have questions?
Mike: This is a straightforward process which typically begins by asking authors specific questions about how individual data sets were collected, analyzed, and presented in a manuscript or published article. In many cases, this leads to a productive discussion around how best to improve the clarity of the presented information through a revision of a figure, figure legend, and/or methods section. In some cases, the original data are no longer available, or an obvious inaccuracy is discovered, which is a situation that leads to further discussions regarding the overall reliability of the data set and potentially the paper itself.
How did you handle ethics concerns when you served as Editor-in-Chief, without an official Ethics Editor, to back you up?
Mike: In my previous roles as a journal editor, I relied on my scientific experience and valuable input from mentors which included former JPET Editors and ASPET staff. These sensitive issues were handled on a case-by-case basis. One advantage of having the new Ethics Subcommittee is the ability of ASPET to learn from and enhance best practices across all its journals while also ensuring consistent and fair adjudication of real or perceived ethical issues.
With the number of ethics cases growing, how many hours per week would you say you spend working on these?
Mike: This is a tough question to answer. Manuscripts presenting ethical issues represent only a very small percentage of the research published in ASPET’s Journals. In many cases, articles with publication ethics issues requiring resolution are straightforward, and authors work proactively with the Ethics Subcommittee to develop satisfactory solutions. There are other cases, however, which typically involve institutional research integrity investigations, which require significant work and often take months to years to resolve.
With ASPET journals serving as the authoritative resource for pharmacology, and ASPET being the Professional Home of Pharmacology, can you share from your perspective ASPET’s evolution in regard to its journals?
Mike: The publication of ethically conducted research is the foundational basis for trust in science. ASPET, and its journals, have a very long history of prestigious leadership in the field of pharmacology by promoting advances in pharmacological research through its rigorous peer-reviewed journals that ensure accurate and transparent research reporting. Additionally, ASPET has consistently been on the forefront of efforts to enhance research reporting guidelines and standards to better address the constantly changing publishing landscape. Many of these initiatives, including the newly formed Ethics Subcommittee, are focused on ethical best practices aimed at ensuring scientific accountability and improving the author and reader experience. Importantly, these efforts also establish a scientific credibility infrastructure to prevent unethical publishing and to further sustain ASPET’s goals of fostering high-integrity research that guides scientific advances, policy decisions, and improves human health.
In summary, Mike has some thoughts on the future of ethics in publishing.
Mike: Since its founding in 1909, ASPET has continually evolved as a scholarly society to better address the needs of its members and to champion the science of pharmacology. The formation of the Ethics Subcommittee is another example of how ASPET is implementing its new Strategic Plan to further strengthen its ability to serve as an Authoritative Scientific Resource. The Ethics Subcommittee provides a valuable resource for the operation of ASPET’s Journals in the ever-changing scholarly publishing landscape.
