Safeguarding Scholarly Communication: Publisher Practices to Uphold Research Integrity

Few issues have disrupted scholarly communication as profoundly as research integrity breaches and the publication of fraudulent content. Traditionally, research integrity in scholarly publishing was largely a matter of trust and reactive intervention.

Editors flagged problems identified in submissions, peer reviewers caught errors, and the occasional retraction addressed relatively clear-cut breaches of integrity. Today, publishers are screening millions of submissions with sophisticated detection systems and dedicated teams, coordinating cross-industry intelligence (while maintaining independent decision making), and investing in educational programmes across the research ecosystem. This is especially important in light of growing publication volumes: 5.7 million articles, reviews, and conference papers appeared in 2024, up from 3.9 million just five years earlier (using data sourced from Dimensions, an inter-linked research information system provided by Digital Science).

This transformation has been driven by changes in the nature and scale of potential breaches. Where issues once emerged through individual lapses in judgement and sporadic intentional manipulation, they now emerge from large-scale operations selling manufactured manuscripts, AI systems capable of generating plausible but fabricated research, and coordinated networks that span journals and borders. The publish-or-perish pressures that have long shaped academic careers are being systematically exploited by actors who have industrialised these breaches. While detection and enforcement are essential, lasting solutions require addressing the evaluation and incentive systems that create pressure to publish at any cost.

The stakes extend beyond publishing itself. When integrity breaches corrupt the scholarly record, the consequences ripple through grant decisions, policymaking, clinical practice, and public trust in science. While the causes of misconduct are diverse, they have collectively prompted a fundamental shift in the role publishers play in safeguarding that trust. This report examines how publishing practices and policies have evolved to meet these challenges.