Social Media and the Dissemination of Prepublication Data in Surgical Fields

Akhavan, Arya A.; Ndem, Idorenyin E.; Kalliainen, Loree K.

The prepublication release of data, data sharing on social media, the phenomenon of "scooping," intellectual property rights from published data, and sharing of data viasocial media at conferences are all areas of active discussion in the basic sciences. Substantial further discussion of this topic in the plastic surgery literature is needed, given the potential impact on patient outcomes and health and changes in the accessibility of information. Given the relatively small size of our field and the difficulty involved with successfully publishing a study, getting "scooped" may have significant ramifications. Grant and journal reviewers are instructed not to share information learned through their activities, so there is an understanding that certain information "belongs" to the investigator. Once information is presented, it is technically in the public sphere. Presenting material at a conference opens or extends a conversation but it should not be presumed to give carte blanche to the viewer to indiscriminately use the data. Suggestions to increase awareness about this topic and to begin to come to consensus about norms for sharing of prepublication data include a survey of plastic surgeons on their viewpoints about the question and consistent prescriptive or proscriptive statements to investigators and conference attendees by surgical societies, program chairs, and journal editors.