Maintaining research and publication integrity

Abstract

The reporting of scientific results has lately been under scrutiny. The number of retracted articles appears to be increasing, and discussions about compromised research integrity in scientific publishing have become a common occurrence in the lay press. These developments will undoubtedly have negative repercussions and undermine the credibility of the scientific community in the public eye. Historically, scientists have enjoyed the trust and respect of the public. The findings and conclusions of scientists’ studies have resulted in beneficial changes in public policies and technical advances that have enhanced the well-being of society. The honest reporting of scientific results is the cornerstone of this trust and relies on the efforts and best intentions of publishers, editors, authors, and reviewers. These 4 entities must perform their duties honorably to preserve the integrity of the system. Unfortunately, financial incentives and greed, fierce competition among scientists, misguided criteria for academic promotion, and imperfect human nature have contributed to a questioning of the integrity of the system. The number of awarded PhD degrees has increased dramatically in the past 2 decades and so has the intellectual output. Accordingly, the number of scientific journals indexed by the Web of Science has increased by 66% since 2000, from 7383 to 12 271. The increase in the number of published articles, per se, is not a problem. However, with the birth of predatory journals that have infiltrated the scientific publishing industry, the quality of the scientific output has been diminished. Although there is no definitive definition for a predatory journal, there are criteria, which when met, classify a journal as such, including the journal’s editor and publisher being one and the same, having no editorial board or there is an editorial board but the members are not aware that they are listed as such, having no publications, and so on. These open access publishers are primarily based in South Asia, the Gulf region, Turkey, and Africa. According to an investigation by the German Public Broadcasters NDR and WDR, together with the Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, predatory journals have involved 400 000 scientists globally. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of articles are published yearly in these predatory journals: Indian authors are in first place as far as the number of published articles in these journals, and US authors are ranked second. Some of the American scientists who published in these journals were unaware that these were predatory journals; in fact, no comprehensive list of predatory journals exists. The US Federal Trade Commission recently initiated a lawsuit against Omics Group, the Indian publisher of 785 titles with over $50 million in revenue, for questionable practices. Combined, these issues have led to the proliferation of minimally important scientific publications, a cluttering of the literature with reports of little value, and a negative impact on research integrity. In this Q&A article, we discuss these important issues with an ethicist, an investigative journalist, a journal editor, and representatives from government and independent organizations that enforce and advise on issues related to research integrity.