Peru moves to crack down on scientific fraudsters

Lawmakers in Peru are poised to approve legislation that would make it easier to investigate and punish researchers who engage in fraudulent publishing practices, including paying to have their names added to a scientific paper. The move comes as Peru’s national science agency seeks to crack down on authorship buying and other unethical practices. It recently removed two scientists accused of violations from a national registry that is key to receiving government grants, job promotions, and salary bonuses. And officials are investigating many more researchers in the wake of an October media report that identified 180 individuals allegedly involved in publishing fraud, including 72 listed on the national registry who work at 14 universities in Peru. The new legislation will empower universities and government officials to deter and punish such behavior, and would give Peru some of the strongest measures against publishing fraud in Latin America. Shady publishing practices “transcend mere ethical violations” because they enable researchers to obtain government and private funding under false pretenses, says Edward Málaga Trillo, a neurobiologist and member of Congress who is the driving force behind the bills, which lawmakers are expected to finalize early next year. “These individuals are perpetrating fraud.” As in many other nations , Peru’s academic community has been struggling with a rising tide of fake authorship and related proble...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research