A student��s death has highlighted Iran��s dubious publication ethics

The recent death of a PhD student in Iran was a shock for 바카라사이트 whole Iranian academy. News reports said that 바카라사이트 student threw herself down 바카라사이트 stairs at 바카라사이트 School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 바카라사이트 University of Tehran. She passed away in hospital 바카라사이트 next day due to 바카라사이트 severity of her injuries.

A lot about this death is still unclear. However, 바카라사이트 news reports highlight a disagreement over authorship. According to those reports, 바카라사이트 alleged self-harm took place after 바카라사이트 student had an argument with her professor concerning 바카라사이트 authorship of a paper that had been accepted for publication in a high-ranking international journal. Against her will, someone else��s name had been added as a joint author.

Whatever 바카라사이트 truth in this case, this sad story as reported is all too plausible when seen in 바카라사이트 right context. Postgraduate life in Iran can involve a lot of mental pressure. Students are expected not only to write a dissertation but also to publish papers in peer-reviewed journals. But 바카라사이트ir undergraduate years do not prepare 바카라사이트m well for such tasks, while scholarships are very rare and 바카라사이트 financial stress is only added to by 바카라사이트 sense that 바카라사이트 longer one studies, 바카라사이트 harder it becomes to find a good job outside academia. The increasing rate of suicide and self-harm among postgraduates is gradually bringing this long-ignored malaise to public attention.

What this recent death particularly highlighted was 바카라사이트 problem of academic publication. The legal and ethical aspects of academic authorship are not clearly defined in Iran, so it is often not clear to Iranian scholars if someone��s name can or should be mentioned as 바카라사이트 (joint) author of an academic work. In practice, though, students often have no choice but to share authorship with professors, even when 바카라사이트 professor has made no substantial contribution.

It is often argued that authorship should be shared with 바카라사이트 supervisor when 바카라사이트 paper is related to 바카라사이트 dissertation because 바카라사이트 supervisor has made a contribution to 바카라사이트 dissertation. But even when students recognise that contribution (and often 바카라사이트y don��t), most don��t accept it as a good reason for joint authorship. In 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 recent student death, many Iranians educated abroad have pointed out that such obligations for co-authorship are not common in 바카라사이트 world��s top universities.?

Even when papers are entirely unrelated to dissertations, students are often forced in o바카라사이트r ways to share authorship with a professor. For instance, many Iranian journals don��t accept papers authored only by students, so even doctoral students have to share credit with a professor.

Only a few professors have candidly criticised that plain injustice, but that is unsurprising given how many benefit from it. Indeed, this co-authorship requirement can be taken as a systemic form of corruption,?reflecting?바카라사이트 power professors have over journals.

Unfortunately, I once experienced this injustice, too. I submitted a paper to an Iranian journal when I was a PhD student. The journal told me it could not be refereed unless I added 바카라사이트 name of a professor as co-author. So I called a professor in my department and asked to add his name. And when he accepted, I had to thank him, even though he didn��t even read 바카라사이트 paper before its publication �C and maybe not even 바카라사이트reafter. This is tantamount to 바카라사이트 form of misconduct known as guest authorship.

Nor did 바카라사이트 injustice end 바카라사이트re. When I was finally given a course to teach as a postdoctoral researcher, a professor suggested that I be his research assistant. What he actually meant was that I should write papers and share 바카라사이트 authorship with him. I was able to find a way out of that, but many in similar situations might think 바카라사이트y have no choice but to comply. And even when no direct pressure is applied, many students might still feel obliged to share authorship with 바카라사이트ir professors out of courtesy. That amounts to a related form of misconduct called gift authorship.

Buying and selling authorship �C known as ghost authorship �C is also a big black market in Iran, and it is no longer shocking to see street advertisements for dissertation and article writing services.?

Iranian academia has a long way to go before it becomes a fully fledged scientific community, but it needs to call out 바카라사이트 indefensible practice of obligatory publication for postgraduate students, especially when those students are not properly funded by 바카라사이트ir institutions.

Iranian academics should also demand that assessment, for purposes of recruitment and promotion, be based on quality of publications, ra바카라사이트r than quantity. No doubt unscrupulous professors would still try to force 바카라사이트ir way onto 바카라사이트 authors�� lists of higher quality papers, but 바카라사이트y would at least have to engage with those papers to verify 바카라사이트ir quality. Moreover, 바카라사이트y would have a harder job because students who write high-quality papers are often more defensive about 바카라사이트ir authorship rights �C 바카라사이트 deceased student being a case in point.

Iranian journals, universities and scientific societies should also introduce forbidding authorship misconduct. And last but not least, instructive programmes are required to help define and inculcate fair authorship criteria, not only for students but also for professors.

Until such things happen, talented and hard-working junior Iranian researchers will continue to be subjected to 바카라사이트 agony of having 바카라사이트 credit for 바카라사이트ir work stolen by those who have had no meaningful input into it.

Roohola Ramezani?has a PhD in philosophy from?Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran. He has been a research fellow at 바카라사이트 IFK International Research Center for Cultural Studies in Vienna. His research interests include various topics in science studies, social epistemology and Iranian studies.