Comments
Dr. Saad Tayyab
16 March, 2024This is not a new item to look into. It has long been practiced in many journals with respectable impact factors. The genesis of this corruption starts with the World University rankings. Many university-ranking organizations use one of the criteria as a citation. Considering this criterion, university management put pressure on its faculty staff to get more citations for their publications. Being forced to increase their citations, the faculty of these organizations, being reviewers of many journals insists the authors on including their publications in their submitted manuscripts. The authors of these manuscripts feel bound to satisfy the reviewers in order to get their manuscripts accepted for publication in these journals. The editors of these journals often overlook these issues. Therefore, it looks like a chain reaction where the authors of the manuscripts, reviewers, editors, university management, and university ranking companies are interlinked. To overcome these hurdles, the editors of the journals should look into these comments if the reviewer is asking to include some current or relevant references in their manuscript. In my view, the editors' responsibility for checking this point may be an antidote for such poisons, which are maligning scientific spirits.
Prof. Tamer I. Abdel-Wahab
17 March, 2024
1. Conflict of Interest is a critical issue in research and academia. Authors need to understand and address Conflict of Interest to maintain ethical standards. Conflict of Interest can arise when researchers' personal, financial, or professional interests influence their objectivity in conducting and reporting research. Managing conflicts effectively is crucial to upholding scientific integrity. Conflict of Interest can be financial, non-financial, or intellectual, affecting researchers' objectivity. Financial Conflict of Interest involves ties with entities that have a stake in the research outcome, while non-financial Conflict of Interest stems from personal or professional relationships. Intellectual conflicts may bias researchers' approach and interpretation of results.
2. Editors at journals and publishing houses play a crucial role in maintaining transparency and integrity in scientific writing. Editorial oversight involves monitoring and addressing conflicts of interest among authors, reviewers, and board members to uphold ethical conduct and transparency.
3. Researchers and writers must adhere to ethical standards and disclose any conflicts of interest to maintain the credibility of their work and uphold scholarly publishing standards, fostering trust in the scientific community.
Francisco Bulnes
17 March, 2024
The review process must be transparent and very clear, full of objectivity, and is an activity of big and great responsibility.
Really, the review process is an extremely important serious step of the publication process, because is being evaluates the veracity, scientific quality, knowledge innovation, increasing knowledge, and legacy of this, to later generations. The review process must be totally blind and impartial.
Dr. Abdelazim Negm
03 April, 2024
Thank you so much for the information.
It is interesting to know that MSPI's people started to take corrective measures.
Dr. Abdelazim Negm
03 April, 2024
Thank you so much for the information.
It is interesting to know that MSPI's people started to take corrective measures.
Ogbuka Josiah Chukwuemeka
16 March, 2024I have gone through this piece. Unfortunately, this is my first time to encounter such an act of academic irresponsibility. However, I am somewhat delighted with the steps taken by MDPI to forestall a reoccurrence.
My suggestion is that a reviewer's code of conduct should be clearly stated and each reviewer should agree with the terms and conditions. This will enable the Editor or independent investigation team to take appropriate action whenever a case of misconduct is established.
Thank you for the opportunity.