1. Data fabrication
The quest for scientific truth doesn't always unfold according to authors’ expectations or wishes. But, the foundation of the entire academic enterprise is built upon integrity, and the trust that scientists will disclose their results accurately, even if they aren’t pretty.
But now, a new form of misconduct has emerged: data fabrication. This occurs when scientists purposefully make up false results to better align with their hypotheses or desired outcomes.
Given the pressures to publish, and the publishing industry’s well-documented bias toward positive results, it's no wonder this practice is more common.
We firmly believe in using proactive and daring technologies that can detect these rogue practices before they make their way into print, using new tools like AI to enforce integrity at every stage of the research lifecycle.
2. Authorship misconduct
How can we trust findings when we can’t verify the individuals behind them?
As research becomes more global, and countless new researchers start publishing, it's all the more important to ensure the authenticity of academic authorship. In an increasingly competitive landscape, researchers are striving to attach their names to studies that they’ve played no part in, even erasing the true co-authors from the equation.
Now, societies and publishers stand at a difficult crossroads, wondering how to publish more studies that will change the world while still taking the time to verify the identities behind their community’s discoveries.
Our Research Integrity Dashboard and Author Submission Checks are helping both publishers and authors verify research authorship before it hits publication. Check them out today to accelerate the possibilities of your community’s work and stay ahead of the curve.
3.Predatory journals and publishers
As the scholarly publishing landscape becomes more and more pressurized, certain organizations have begun to prey on desperate researchers.
Once researchers are drawn into these predatory conferences and journals, the money, time, and effort poured into submission charges, travel expenses, and more are completely squandered.
Yet, the damage doesn't stop there. These forces are creating obstacles for genuine events and publishers, creating a battle for legitimacy. Moving forward, scholars need to keep an eye out for telltale signs of fraudulence and ensure that the organizations they choose have robust research evaluations methods.
4. Paper-mills
Another growing form of misconduct are paper-mills. These fraudulent forces are on the rise, disrupting the flow of genuine information. Instead of nurturing academic ideas, paper mills are organizations that produce, sell, and churn out fabricated and manipulated manuscripts, disguising them as legitimate research.
But have no fear, the Morressier Product Team is currently developing tools that will detect paper-mill content before it hits the print and damages the scholarly record. Stay tuned to our Product Release Notes each month for more information.
5. Conflicts of interest
Conflicts of interest put the integrity of scholarly ideas in jeopardy and risk ethical sanctions. Whether it's a matter of scientists failing to disclose during the peer review process, or study participants during medical trials, we need to understand the relationships that might unduly influence publication.
But here's the real kicker: sometimes, these conflicts are so small that they fly under the radar. It’s only through powerful tools and technologies like the identity verification feature of our Author Submission Checks that we can spot conflicts of interest before they’re too late.
6. Plagiarism
How are stolen ideas threatening science?
Plagiarism occurs when researchers present others’ ideas as their own, or disguise their past published work as new discoveries. The consequences are not pretty. Publishers, institutions, and the researchers themselves can find themselves in trouble, facing a slew of serious repercussions such as embarrassing media coverage and expensive retractions.
Moving forward, our community is in need of a culture shift. Embracing the value of collaboration, while still understanding the importance of giving credit where credit is due is crucial. What’s more, we need to increase our detection capabilities with robust workflows to ensure that intellectual property theft does not go unnoticed.
7. Salami slicing
In the world of scholarly communications, the "publish or perish" culture puts intense pressure on scholars, pushing some to resort to dangerous and damaging tactics.
One tactic, known as salami slicing, involves dividing a single study or project into multiple smaller publications to boost the number of publications produced.
But, salami slicing has the potential to distort the scientific literature, misleading unsuspecting readers into believing that each slice (i.e., journal article) represents data derived from distinct subject samples.
This strategy is continuing to undermine research impact and warp the general understanding of academic knowledge.
Conclusion
At Morressier, we’re dedicated to crafting sustainable academic workflows that meet your integrity requirements head-on.
While fraud, scandals, and ethical issues are a big challenge within the scholarly community, we continue to explore bold tools and strategies to stay ahead of the curve.
