Peer review is regarded as one of the mainstays of academic publishing. It is conceivably the most trusted method to weed out invalid and suspicious research and improve the quality of published research. Therefore, journals across disciplines have adopted peer review as a core part of the publishing process to uphold academic standards of ethics, validity, and reliability.
The peer review system, which lies at the heart of academic publishing, is considered the most trustworthy method to assess the quality of research before it gets published. However, the excessive dependence on the peer review system has led authors, editors, and third-party services to take advantage of it. In recent times, many incidents of mass retractions and peer review scams have come to light, indicating that the modern publishing system has loopholes that need to be reassessed. The factors that primarily contribute to peer review problems are lack of transparency, pressure to publish, and author-suggested reviewers. So what can journal editors and publishers do to prevent peer review manipulation? Editorial vigilance is one of the most effective ways of preventing peer review exploitation. However, publishers can also use technological features to maintain review integrity and ensure a fair review process. This opinion piece tries to analyze the factors that underlie peer review manipulation and provides suggestions to journal editors and publishers on how they can protect their peer review system.
This paper, published in Learned Publishing, has been reprinted with permission.
Citation: Kulkarni, Sneha. “What causes peer review scams and how can they be prevented?” Learned Publishing, DOI: 10.1002/leap.1031
