(16 Jun 2025) A new study published in the Journal of Data and Information Science identifies significant uncertainty among researchers in China regarding ethical publishing practices, particularly when third-party manuscript services are involved. The findings are based on a joint survey conducted by Taylor & Francis and the National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), covering 1,777 respondents, including students, researchers, and librarians.
The survey revealed that over a third of participants expressed confusion about their responsibilities as authors, with master’s students reporting the highest levels of uncertainty. Additionally, a significant proportion of respondents acknowledged participating in practices that constitute ‘gift authorship’—the inclusion of individuals as authors who do not meet established authorship criteria.
The study also examined researchers’ perceptions of third-party services used to facilitate publication in international journals. While language editing, translation, and formatting were broadly understood to be acceptable, many respondents failed to identify as unethical certain services commonly associated with paper mills. These include the outsourcing of manuscript writing and the addition of unauthorized authors or citations, practices that undermine research integrity.
Despite the growing need for informed decision-making in academic publishing, the study found that only 55.4% of respondents had access to any form of training on research ethics, and an even smaller proportion reported receiving formal instruction. Moreover, those who had received training were not consistently able to recognize unethical practices, suggesting a shortfall in the quality and scope of existing educational efforts.
The research was undertaken through the Joint Lab on Research Integrity, an initiative established in December 2023 by Taylor & Francis and the National Science Library of CAS. This collaboration aims to address challenges in research ethics by integrating publisher expertise with institutional insight.
The authors of the study emphasize the need for structured, timely, and locally relevant training on research integrity and publishing ethics. They advocate for mandatory instruction covering key topics such as authorship standards and the ethical use of third-party services. The findings suggest that education in these areas should extend beyond postgraduate researchers to include undergraduates and institutional stakeholders responsible for maintaining research standards.
The study concludes that partnerships between academic publishers and research institutions are crucial for developing effective and contextually relevant training programs that can address both local and global challenges in research integrity.
Read the original press release here.
