(19 Jan 2024) A high-profile group of funders, academic publishers and research organizations has launched an effort to tackle one of the thorniest problems in scientific integrity: paper mills, businesses that churn out fake or poor-quality journal papers and sell authorships. In a statement released on 19 January, the group outlines how it will address the problem through measures such as closely studying paper mills, including their regional and topic specialties, and improving author-verification methods.
“There’ve been too many empty words. This is intended to actually deliver,” says Deborah Kahn, an elected council member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), a non-profit organization in Eastleigh, UK, and co-chair of the steering group of United2Act, which produced the consensus statement.
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