Research integrity, a cornerstone of scholarly publishing, faces challenges from the surge of ‘fake’ articles—fully or partially fabricated works that undermine genuine academic efforts. The emergence of paper mills has escalated this issue, introducing a level of scale and sophistication to academic misconduct that is both recent and concerning.

Context and problem statement

STM is deeply involved with initiatives like the STM Integrity Hub and UNITED2ACT to safeguard research integrity, tackling paper mills and integrity breaches through knowledge sharing, manuscript screening capabilities, and collaborations with stakeholders such as funders and research institutes. These efforts aim to address misaligned incentives at the root of the problem.

Moreover, improving verification of researchers’ identities in publication systems is expected to enhance research integrity and effectively mitigate some of the current challenges facing the system.

About the Researcher Identity Task & Finish Group

To address the issues described in the above, the Researcher Identity Task & Finish Group is examining current publisher methods for verifying the identities of authors, reviewers, and editors – and identifying further strategies to strengthen research integrity without hindering legitimate researchers worldwide. The aim is to provide a unified framework for trust and identity, to guide publishers and editorial system providers. This framework will be based on  a common understanding of user identity and leverage existing standards and services where possible.

Meet the members of the Task & Finish Group

Chair: Ralph Youngen, American Chemical Society

Facilitator: Richard Northover, STM Solutions

• Aaron Wood, APA
• Adam Hough, Elsevier
• Adam Sewell, IOP
• Andy Heard, IEEE
• Helen King, Sage
• Hylke Koers, STM Solutions
• Jacob Kendall-Taylor, JAMA
• Jennifer Wright, Cambridge University Press
• Joris van Rossum, STM Solutions
• Kevin Lawson, Aries
• Liv Davies, IOP Publishing
• Sam Parker, Wiley
• Tim Lloyd, LibLynx