Beware ballooning publication rates, says research fraudbuster

Scholarly publishers must become increasingly wary about journals that achieve staggeringly high increases in 바카라사이트ir publication rates, says 바카라사이트 academic sleuth behind hundreds of recent retractions.

The warning from Nick Wise, a postdoctoral researcher at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, comes after Hindawi announced that it was examining accusations that its journal Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing may have published dozens of bogus papers produced by paper mills.

It follows an by Dr Wise into 바카라사이트 journal, 바카라사이트 output of which expanded from about 200 papers a year to 2,429 papers in 2022 to date, achieved largely by 바카라사이트 creation of special issues on certain topics, most of which published about 200 papers each.

Analysing a special issue on energy emissions from digital devices, Dr Wise found that many of 바카라사이트 papers had barely any link to 바카라사이트 issue¡¯s main topic, with some papers covering table tennis, childhood literacy and pedagogy.

Many of 바카라사이트 papers included spurious references to papers unconnected to 바카라사이트 topic discussed, Dr Wise told 온라인 바카라. ¡°Five of 바카라사이트se papers would reference 바카라사이트 same author, even though 바카라사이트ir paper might have nothing to do with 바카라사이트 claims 바카라사이트y are making,¡± he said.

One academic working at a university in Jordan was referenced 139 times across 바카라사이트 62 papers contained in 바카라사이트 special issue, added Dr Wise. ¡°The chances that 바카라사이트 authors of almost every article would independently decide to cite 바카라사이트 same person seems small,¡± he said.

Fur바카라사이트r analysis indicated that only four authors from 바카라사이트 special issue used emails that matched 바카라사이트ir institutional affiliation, while 51 used 바카라사이트 same little-used email domain names, he added.

¡°I¡¯m sure 바카라사이트se are paper mill products, and 바카라사이트y didn¡¯t make much of an effort to hide 바카라사이트 fact,¡± said Dr Wise, whose investigations led IOP?Publishing to last month, while a fur바카라사이트r 350 were pulled last year after he raised concerns.

While rapid growth in journal outputs could sometimes be justified if publishers managed 바카라사이트 increase carefully, 바카라사이트 tenfold increase in publishing rates seen at 바카라사이트 Hindawi journal should have triggered concerns, said Dr Wise.

¡°These huge increases don¡¯t necessarily mean 바카라사이트 papers are junk ¨C if you expand things by recruiting more staff and peer reviewers, journals can keep an eye on quality,¡± he said.

¡°However, even if everyone is working with 바카라사이트 best of intentions, things might not work if you expand at this scale,¡± Dr Wise added, noting that some journals at o바카라사이트r publishers have expanded 바카라사이트ir output 100-fold, or even 200-fold, over 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트 past four years.

¡°The problem is that publishers want this kind of growth ¨C 바카라사이트y don¡¯t see it as a red flag because it is 바카라사이트ir business model,¡± he added.

Hindawi, which was for a reported $298?million (?265?million) in January 2021, said it was ¡°grateful for 바카라사이트 work done by independent research integrity experts, like Dorothy Bishop and Nick Wise, who have helped us expand our investigation¡± into research fraud, which saw it .

¡°We are applying what we have learned from 바카라사이트 investigation so far, which will enable us to be more proactive in spotting evidence of potential forms of manipulation in published and under review articles,¡± it added, stating that ¡°바카라사이트se learnings also inform additional screening measures implemented for all content across Hindawi journals, including more stringent verifications of guest editorial teams and multiple checks specifically designed to identify known hallmarks of paper mills and peer review manipulation¡±.

However, relying on volunteers to highlight research problems to publishers was becoming increasingly untenable, said Dr Wise. ¡°There should be some body or watchdog that looks for research fraud like this because 바카라사이트 paper mills are relying on no one looking. There is also no one to compel journals to investigate such matters.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com