Page 10 - The lraternational Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand.indd

The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
Volume XV-2023

a trend of junior researchers with less academic experience publishing fewer
articles than their senior counterparts. In conclusions, Intensive paper mill clients
exhibit distinct authorship profiles, detectable through descriptive analysis of
their ego-centric co-authorship networks. The distinctive features in the Index

Researchers’ authorship profiles were the high publication counts in their early
careers and notably higher proportions of co-authors from specific regions.
A thorough investigation of researchers displaying such profiles serves an
important initial step in addressing research misconduct and enhancing

integrity within academic communities.

Keywords: authorship-for-sale; co-authorship network; research integrity; research
misconduct; paper mill

Introduction

Research misconduct has become a significant issue within the academic

community, taking various forms over the years. While fabrication, falsification, and
plagiarism, collectively referred to as FFP, are widely recognized and documented in
countries with policies addressing research misconduct, less than 60% of these nations

have reported other forms of misconduct (Resnik et al, 2015). In recent years,
systematic misconduct has emerged in the form of for-profit organizations known as

paper mills, posing a challenge to academic integrity. These paper mills mass-produce
publications and sell authorships to researchers seeking publication in peer-reviewed
journals. Publications from paper mills involve a variety of unethical practices,

such as FFP misconduct, false authorships, and the establishment of citation rings
(Candal-Pedreira et al, 2022).

In academia, researchers often face substantial pressures stemming from

multiple factors. These include the drive to achieve career advancement rewards, such
as enhancing their reputation and elevating authorship metrics like the h-index
(Teixeira Da Silva, 2021). At the same time, researchers may hold significant concerns

about facing potential consequences if they fail to meet the academic expectations
established by their respective affiliated institutions. Under these pressures, some
researchers may have become embroiled in authorship-for-sale services offered by

paper mills, with Thailand being no exception.

A Potential Use of Ego-centric Co-authorship Network Analysis for
2 Inspecting Research Misconduct: A Case Study of Thai Researchers