Publication games: In the web of reciprocity.
The present processes of research assessment, i.e. focusing on one or a few, related, scientometrics, foster questionable authorship practices, like gifting authorship to non-contributing people. An especially harmful one of these unethical practices is the formation of publication cartels, where au...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270618 |
| _version_ | 1811192018027675648 |
|---|---|
| author | Zoltán Barta |
| author_facet | Zoltán Barta |
| author_sort | Zoltán Barta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present processes of research assessment, i.e. focusing on one or a few, related, scientometrics, foster questionable authorship practices, like gifting authorship to non-contributing people. An especially harmful one of these unethical practices is the formation of publication cartels, where authors offer gift authorship to each other reciprocally. Here, by developing a simple model and a simulation of the publication process I investigate how beneficial cartels can be and what measure can be used to restrict them. My results indicate that publication cartels can significantly boost members' productivity even if paper counts are weighted by the inverse of author number (the 1/n rule). Nevertheless, applying the 1/n rule generates conflicts of interest both among cartel members themselves and between cartel members and non-members which might lead to the self-purification of the academic publishing industry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:46:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-23d48d5dcc9a4f289f8b8d7679b9bb01 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:46:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-23d48d5dcc9a4f289f8b8d7679b9bb012022-12-22T03:56:38ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-011710e027061810.1371/journal.pone.0270618Publication games: In the web of reciprocity.Zoltán BartaThe present processes of research assessment, i.e. focusing on one or a few, related, scientometrics, foster questionable authorship practices, like gifting authorship to non-contributing people. An especially harmful one of these unethical practices is the formation of publication cartels, where authors offer gift authorship to each other reciprocally. Here, by developing a simple model and a simulation of the publication process I investigate how beneficial cartels can be and what measure can be used to restrict them. My results indicate that publication cartels can significantly boost members' productivity even if paper counts are weighted by the inverse of author number (the 1/n rule). Nevertheless, applying the 1/n rule generates conflicts of interest both among cartel members themselves and between cartel members and non-members which might lead to the self-purification of the academic publishing industry.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270618 |
| spellingShingle | Zoltán Barta Publication games: In the web of reciprocity. PLoS ONE |
| title | Publication games: In the web of reciprocity. |
| title_full | Publication games: In the web of reciprocity. |
| title_fullStr | Publication games: In the web of reciprocity. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Publication games: In the web of reciprocity. |
| title_short | Publication games: In the web of reciprocity. |
| title_sort | publication games in the web of reciprocity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270618 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zoltanbarta publicationgamesinthewebofreciprocity |