“Paper Mills” and the Research Integrity Index from LeidenLeiden Madtrics, a platform of the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University, has published an opinion essay by Lokman Meho, University Librarian and Professor at the American University of Beirut.
He argues that in recent years publication and citation indicators can no longer be assumed to be reliable indicators of research output and quality due to increasing threats to the integrity of the global research system. He refers to the “rise of paper mills, coordinated citation practices, editorial failures, and industrialized publication models,” and the noise this creates when evaluating the performance of researchers and universities.
Professor Meho has created the Research Integrity Risk Index (RI2) which comprises measures of articles published in delisted journals, retractions of publications “withdrawn due to author error, author misconduct, or editorial failure,” and self-citations. He suggests that these can provide early warning of problems that may distort the information value of bibliometric data.
The new index is offered as a tool to complement Leiden Ranking’s commitment to transparent evaluation and to enhance the development of a system of responsible research metrics.
Sources: