BMJ Global Health has pulled a paper that criticized U.S. research of the effects of cervical cancer screening in India over defamation concerns.
That’s not what the notice on the paper says, however — at the moment, it just reads:
This article has been withdrawn.
However, forwarded email correspondence between the first author and an associate publisher reveals the journal published the paper and planned a press release, then realized it should be reviewed by a legal adviser. When first author Eric J. Suba at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center inquired about the status of the paper and any potential press release, he was told the journal could no longer publish it, out of concern they would be taken to court.
Suba told us that, when he learned the paper would be pulled:
Continue reading BMJ journal yanks paper on cancer screening in India for fear of legal action