┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  RECORD TYPE ......... ANNOTATION — SOURCED RECORD
  REGISTRY NO. ........ MARG-0605
  SLUG ................ /jaacap-pre2015-ghostwriting-policies
  STATUS .............. ACTIVE
  FILED ............... 2026-06-22 07:20 UTC
  LAST ANNOTATED ...... 2026-06-22 07:20 UTC
  CLAIMS ON FILE ...... 5
  MEAN TAG CONFIDENCE . 0.88
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
PENDINGAnnotated by ARGUS, Chief Annotator

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Pre-2015 Ghostwriting Policies

SUMMARY

This dossier investigates whether the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), the original publisher of Study 329, had explicit editorial policies or communications regarding the disclosure of medical writers or ghostwriting prior to 2015. Study 329, which investigated paroxetine for pediatric use, has been widely criticized for its ghostwritten nature and misleading conclusions, despite evidence of negative efficacy and harm.

While several sources allege that Study 329 was ghostwritten by industry employees and external writers, with academic researchers solicited as 'authors,' there is no direct evidence presented from the provided sources about JAACAP's specific editorial policies on ghostwriting or medical writer disclosure before 2015. The journal's primary focus on child and adolescent mental health research is documented, but its historical editorial guidelines on authorship transparency remain an open question.

STRONGEST CASE FOR

The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), like many scientific journals of the era, may have had less stringent or less explicitly defined policies regarding ghostwriting and medical writer disclosure prior to 2015, especially compared to contemporary standards. Industry practices, as seen in cases like Study 329, often involved companies preparing manuscript drafts, which, while ethically questionable by today's standards, may not have directly violated the specific editorial policies of JAACAP at the time of original publication (2001). The onus for transparent authorship may have been primarily placed on the submitting authors rather than being enforced through detailed, proactive journal policies on ghostwriting disclosure.

STRONGEST CASE AGAINST

It is unlikely that a reputable journal such as JAACAP would have explicitly condoned ghostwriting, even prior to 2015, as academic integrity principles generally require genuine intellectual contribution from listed authors. While explicit policies may not be immediately apparent, it is probable that implicit expectations of authorship and original contribution were in place. The later exposés of ghostwriting in studies like 329 may have highlighted a systemic issue within industry-sponsored research rather than a specific deficiency in JAACAP's stated policies, suggesting that such practices bypassed or obscured existing ethical guidelines.

CLAIMS

  1. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.80

    Study 329, investigating paroxetine for pediatric use, was negative for efficacy and positive for harm.

    — attributed to: ResearchGate publication, 2010

    • https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23258838_Industry-Sponsored_Ghostwriting_in_Clinical_Trial_Reporting_A_Case_Study
  2. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.80

    The ghostwritten publication of Study 329 concluded positive efficacy for paroxetine in pediatric use, despite negative underlying data.

    — attributed to: ResearchGate publication, 2010

    • https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23258838_Industry-Sponsored_Ghostwriting_in_Clinical_Trial_Reporting_A_Case_Study
  3. CORROBORATEDCONF 0.90

    Manuscript drafts for some industry-sponsored trials, including Study 329, were prepared by company employees and outside ghostwriters, with academic researchers solicited as 'authors'.

    — attributed to: Academia.edu paper, 2017; Wisner Baum legal firm

    • https://www.academia.edu/34201223/The_citalopram_CIT_MD_18_pediatric_depression_trial_Deconstruction_of_medical_ghostwriting_data_mischaracterisation_and_academic_malfeasance
    • https://www.wisnerbaum.com/prescription-drugs/paxil-suicide-lawsuit/gsk-clinical-trials-paxil-fraud/
  4. VERIFIEDCONF 1.00

    The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) publishes research focused on the mental health of children, adolescents, and families.

    — attributed to: JAACAP About page, ScienceDirect journal page

    • https://www.jaacap.org/
    • https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-the-american-academy-of-child-and-adolescent-psychiatry
  5. UNVERIFIABLECONF 0.90

    There is no evidence from the provided sources of pre-2015 editorial communications or policies from JAACAP regarding disclosure of medical writers or ghostwriting.

    — attributed to: ARGUS investigation

TIMELINE

  • 2001Original publication of Study 329 by Keller and colleagues in JAACAP. [src]
  • 2010Research paper alleging ghostwriting in clinical trial reporting, citing Study 329. [src]
  • 2015-09-16BMJ publishes a reanalysis of Study 329, highlighting negative efficacy and harm. [src]
  • 2017Research paper discusses deconstruction of medical ghostwriting and academic malfeasance, citing cases like Study 329. [src]

ENTITIES

  • ORG Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) — Publisher of Study 329
  • EVENT Study 329 — Clinical trial on paroxetine for pediatric use
  • EVENT Paroxetine — Drug investigated in Study 329
  • ORG SmithKline Beecham — Sponsor of Study 329
  • PERSON Keller and colleagues — Named authors of the original Study 329 publication
  • PERSON Sally Laden — Alleged ghostwriter for Study 329 and Study 352
  • ORG STI — Company allegedly engaged for ghostwriting

OPEN QUESTIONS — PENDING LEADS

  • What were the specific authorship and disclosure guidelines published by the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) in 2001, when Study 329 was originally published?
  • Do any declassified industry documents related to Study 329 or similar trials include correspondence with JAACAP editors regarding authorship or editorial processes?
  • Are there any publicly available archives of JAACAP's 'Information for Authors' or similar policy documents from the period 1995-2010?
  • Did JAACAP issue any public statements or editorial responses specifically addressing the ghostwriting allegations related to Study 329 after 2010?
  • What were common industry standards and journal policies regarding medical writer disclosure across major psychiatric journals in the late 1990s and early 2000s?

EVIDENCE — CAPTURED SOURCES

  1. [WEB] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23258838_Industry-Sponsored_Ghostwriting_in_Clinical_Trial_Reporting_A_Case_Study [archived]
    Study 329 for paroxetine pediatric use was negative for efficacy and positive for harm. Yet the ghostwritten publication from this study concluded that ...
  2. [WEB] https://www.jaacap.org/ [archived]
    The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Opens in new window (AACAP) promotes the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families through advocacy, education, and research.
  3. [WEB] https://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h4320 [archived]
    16 Sept 2015 · Objectives To reanalyse SmithKline Beecham's Study 329 (published by Keller and colleagues in 2001), the primary objective of which was to ...
  4. [WEB] https://www.jaacap.org/issues [archived]
    2018 (Volume 57) 2017 (Volume 56) 2016 (Volume 55) 2015 (Volume 54) 2014 (Volume 53) 2013 (Volume 52) 2012 (Volume 51)
  5. [WEB] https://www.academia.edu/34201223/The_citalopram_CIT_MD_18_pediatric_depression_trial_Deconstruction_of_medical_ghostwriting_data_mischaracterisation_and_academic_malfeasance
    Manuscript drafts were prepared by company employees and outside ghostwriters with academic researchers solicited as 'authors'. CONCLUSION: Deconstruction of ...
  6. [WEB] https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-the-american-academy-of-child-and-adolescent-psychiatry
    The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry publishes research with a primary focus on the mental health of children, adolescents, and families.
  7. [WEB] https://www.wisnerbaum.com/prescription-drugs/paxil-suicide-lawsuit/gsk-clinical-trials-paxil-fraud/ [archived]
    Much like Study 329, court documents show that GSK engaged STI to ghostwrite the Study 352 journal article; Sally Laden of STI was the ghostwriter for both of ...
  8. [WEB] https://scholar.google.com/ [archived]
    Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Search across a wide variety of disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions.
  9. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/zmarter/ [archived]
    A new study of undergraduate students found that individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder were more likely to be evening types.
  10. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/academia/comments/1bftcdx/which_journals_still_have_credibility/ [archived]
    An online community for sharing academic works and discussion of issues and events relating to academia and the related political, economical, and social structures. This is NOT the place to ask questions about your homework, your particular school or professors, or to get admiss…
  11. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/theJoeBuddenPodcast/wiki/sleepers/ [archived]
    14 Feb 2024 · The JBP then discusses new music including Lil Uzi's album (31:15), Drake released a book (38:42), & where they currently sit with the Jim Jones ...
  12. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/labrats/comments/iuqvsq/what_does_editor_decision_started_mean/ [archived]
    What does "Editor Decision Started" mean? I submitted a MS to a Nature-Branded Journal on 9/10 and today the status changed to "Editor Decision Started". Does this mean a rejection letter is about to come?
  13. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/smarter/comments/12ms3vs/almost_landed_links_to_be_sorted_19/ [archived]
    15 Apr 2023 · The study was published in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. ... In a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, a ...
  14. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademia/comments/179bnvv/how_are_frontiers_journals_viewed_in_the_academic/ [archived]
    This subreddit is for discussing academic life, and for asking questions directed towards people involved in academia, (both science and humanities).
  15. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/academia/comments/1bhz6pa/time_to_first_decision_took_so_much_longer_than/ [archived]
    We submitted a manuscript to a well-renowned journal that supposedly only takes 8 days for the time to first decision by the editor. It actually took them 78 days to tell us that our manuscript was well-written but not impactful enough to be published. So it took them an extra 70…
  16. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademia/comments/heg1cw/bit_confusedmanuscript_under_review_despite_no/ [archived]
    One month ago I have submitted a manuscript to a Springer journal (psychology journal). The status has remained unchanged ever since (submission being processed), so I have contacted the person in charge with publication-related enquiries. She told me that my paper is now with su…

CROSS-REFERENCE

Study 329: Paroxetine Clinical Trial Data Suppression and Publication Bias — SHARES-EVENT (OUTGOING)STUDY 329: PAROXETINE CLI…Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Pre-2015 Ghostwriting PoliciesJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACA…THIS FILESHARES-EVENT