Researcher Identity


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.

Recent Reports

Trusted Identity in Academic Publishing

Trusted Identity in Academic Publishing
Part 2: The Researcher Identity Verification Framework

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.

Status

This Task & Finish Group is currently active.

Meet the members of the Task & Finish Group

Chair: Tim Lloyd, LibLynx
Group Lead: Richard Northover, STM Solutions

  • Adam Sewell – IOP Publishing
  • Anna Rabitti – Frontiers
  • Brian Sieger – IEEE
  • Christine Dunn – Clarivate
  • Hylke Koers – STM Solutions
  • Jennifer Wright – Cambridge University Press
  • Jody Plank – American Chemical Society
  • Kevin Lawson – Elsevier
  • Laird Barrett – Springer Nature
  • Lucy Loftus – IOP Publishing
  • Matthew Salter – Mathematical Association of America
  • Sam Parker – Wiley
  • Tamara Welschot – Springer Nature
  • Tim Stevenson – Biomedcentral

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