Maintaining Research and Publication Integrity

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 12271. 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 …