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Five problems plaguing publishing in the life sciences—and one common cause.

Authors :
Wright, Duncan E.
Source :
FEBS Letters. Sep2024, Vol. 598 Issue 18, p2227-2239. 13p.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Although publication in scholarly peer‐reviewed journals remains the gold standard for communication of findings in the life sciences, the gold has been debased in the digital age by various impurities, including (a) reviewer fatigue, (b) fraud, paper mills, and the perils of artificial intelligence, (c) predatory journals, (d) the ongoing use of journal impact factor as a proxy for individual article quality, and (e) salami‐slicing and other unethical practices. In this article, I present a detailed overview of these problems, as well as solutions proposed and implemented to counter them. Finally, I suggest that these are all symptomatic of a wider problem, namely the culture of 'publish or perish' and ongoing issues with how researcher performance is evaluated for grant, hiring, and promotion decisions. Only by working towards a global shift in the way scientists view the purpose of publication can we finally remove the impurities and refine the gold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00145793
Volume :
598
Issue :
18
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
FEBS Letters
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
179961490
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.15018