IGI Global Scientific Publishing, a leading publisher in the academic research community, has announced its partnership with the United2Act initiative, joining forces with numerous other scholarly organizations to combat the rising threat of paper mills in scientific publishing.
By signing the United2Act Consensus Statement, IGI Global affirms its commitment to upholding research integrity and taking proactive steps to eliminate fraudulent research practices. Paper mills — organizations that produce fake research papers for profit — have increasingly threatened the credibility of scholarly publishing, undermining genuine researchers and academic institutions.
Founded by academicians, IGI Global has a long-standing commitment to research integrity. The publisher, known for its portfolio of nearly 200 gold open-access journals, is bolstering its publishing practices to ensure the highest level of academic rigor. As part of this initiative, IGI Global has enhanced its double-anonymized peer review process with stricter verifications, such as mandatory ORCID iDs for all authors and reviewers. These measures are designed to prevent fraudulent submissions and maintain the integrity of its publications.
United2Act is a joint initiative by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers (STM). The initiative brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to address the pervasive challenge of paper mills. Recognizing that no single entity can tackle this issue alone, United2Act focuses on:
• Raising education and awareness around paper mills
• Improving post-publication corrections
• Conducting research to understand and dismantle paper mill operations
• Developing trust markers to identify credible research
• Facilitating open dialogue among publishers, researchers, and institutions
• By collaborating with United2Act, IGI Global is not only reinforcing its commitment to ethical publishing but also aligning its efforts with a broader movement to protect the academic community from the harmful effects of fraudulent research.
As part of its ongoing mission, IGI Global is welcoming new submissions across its open access journals, which cover a range of subjects including Business & Management, Science, Technology & Medicine, and Education & Social Sciences. The publisher remains dedicated to ensuring that every published article meets stringent ethical standards, contributing to the integrity and advancement of global academic research.
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