Perspectives from a publishing ethics and research integrity team for required improvements

It is imperative that all stakeholders within the research ecosystem take responsibility to improve research integrity and reliability of published research.Based on the unique experiences of a specialist publishing ethics and research integrity team within a major publisher,this article provides insights into the observed trends of misconduct and how those have evolved over time,and addresses key actions needed to improve the interface between researchers,funders,institutions and publishers to collectively improve research integrity on a global scale.

Curriculum Reform Practices in “Cosmetic Product Formulation Design and Preparation Technology” Under the Perspective of Integration of Industry, Education, and Research

With the upgrading of industries,the cosmetics industry has posed new requirements for technical talents.As a professional core course in cosmetic technology,“Cosmetic Product Formulation Design and Preparation Technology”serves as the foundation for cultivating students’abilities in cosmetic development and preparation.To foster high-quality skilled talents capable of adapting to the rapid growth of color cosmetics and to better promote the deep integration of scientific and technological industries with curriculum teaching,the teacher team embarked on active explorations and practical teaching research for curriculum teaching reform from four dimensions:strengthening top-level design,enriching teaching content,optimizing teaching design,and reforming assessment methods.These efforts have enhanced students’comprehensive vocational qualities and innovative consciousness,contributing to the teaching reform in higher vocational colleges under the integration of industry,education,and research.

Research misconduct in hospitals is spreading:A bibliometric analysis of retracted papers from Chinese university-affiliated hospitals

Purpose: The number of retracted papers from Chinese university-affiliated hospitals is increasing, which has raised much concern. The aim of this study is to analyze the retracted papers from university-affiliated hospitals in China’s mainland from 2000 to 2021. Design/methodology/approach: Data for 1,031 retracted papers were identified from the Web of Science Core collection database. The information of the hospitals involved was obtained from their official websites. We analyzed the chronological changes, journal distribution, discipline distribution and retraction reasons for the retracted papers. The grade and geographic locations of the hospitals involved were explored as well.Findings: We found a rapid increase in the number of retracted papers, while the retraction time interval is decreasing. The main reasons for retraction are plagiarism/self-plagiarism(n=255), invalid data/images/conclusions(n=212), fake peer review(n=175) and honesty error(n=163). The disciplines are mainly distributed in oncology(n=320), pharmacology & pharmacy(n=198) and research & experimental medicine(n=166). About 43.8% of the retracted papers were from hospitals affiliated with prestigious universities. Research limitations: This study fails to differentiate between retractions due to honest error and retractions due to research misconduct. We believe that there is a fundamental difference between honest error retractions and misconduct retractions. Another limitation is that authors of the retracted papers have not been analyzed in this study.Practical implications: This study provides a reference for addressing research misconduct in Chinese university-affiliated hospitals. It is our recommendation that universities and hospitals should educate all their staff about the basic norms of research integrity, punish authors of scientific misconduct retracted papers, and reform the unreasonable evaluation system.Originality/value: Based on the analysis of retracted papers, this study further analyzes the characteristics of institutions of retracted papers, which may deepen the research on retracted papers and provide a new perspective to understand the retraction phenomenon.

Beyond authorship: Analyzing contributions in PLOS ONE and the challenges of appropriate attribution

Purpose:This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of authorship attributions in scientific publications,focusing on the fairness and precision of individual contributions within academic works.Design/methodology/approach:The study analyzes 81,823 publications from the journal PLOS ONE,covering the period from January 2018 to June 2023.It examines the authorship attributions within these publications to try and determine the prevalence of inappropriate authorship.It also investigates the demographic and professional profiles of affected authors,exploring trends and potential factors contributing to inaccuracies in authorship.Findings:Surprisingly,9.14%of articles feature at least one author with inappropriate authorship,affecting over 14,000 individuals(2.56%of the sample).Inappropriate authorship is more concentrated in Asia,Africa,and specific European countries like Italy.Established researchers with significant publication records and those affiliated with companies or nonprofits show higher instances of potential monetary authorship.Research limitations:Our findings are based on contributions as declared by the authors,which implies a degree of trust in their transparency.However,this reliance on self-reporting may introduce biases or inaccuracies into the dataset.Further research could employ additional verification methods to enhance the reliability of the findings.Practical implications:These findings have significant implications for journal publishers,Beyond authorship:Analyzing contributions in PLOS ONE and Maddi,A.,&the challenges of appropriate attribution highlighting the necessity for robust control mechanisms to ensure the integrity of authorship attributions.Moreover,researchers must exercise discernment in determining when to acknowledge a contributor and when to include them in the author list.Addressing these issues is crucial for maintaining the credibility and fairness of academic publications.Originality/value:This study contributes to an understanding of critical issues within academic authorship,shedding light on the prevalence and impact of inappropriate authorship attributions.By calling for a nuanced approach to ensure accurate credit is given where it is due,the study underscores the importance of upholding ethical standards in scholarly publishing.

Amend:An integrated platform of retracted papers and concerned papers

Purpose:The notable increase in retraction papers has attracted considerable attention from diverse stakeholders.Various sources are now offering information related to research integrity,including concerns voiced on social media,disclosed lists of paper mills,and retraction notices accessible through journal websites.However,despite the availability of such resources,there remains a lack of a unified platform to consolidate this information,thereby hindering efficient searching and cross-referencing.Thus,it is imperative to develop a comprehensive platform for retracted papers and related concerns.This article aims to introduce“Amend,”a platform designed to integrate information on research integrity from diverse sources.Design/methodology/approach:The Amend platform consolidates concerns and lists of problematic articles sourced from social media platforms(e.g.,PubPeer,For Better Science),retraction notices from journal websites,and citation databases(e.g.,Web of Science,CrossRef).Moreover,Amend includes investigation and punishment announcements released by administrative agencies(e.g.,NSFC,MOE,MOST,CAS).Each related paper is marked and can be traced back to its information source via a provided link.Furthermore,the Amend database incorporates various attributes of retracted articles,including citation topics,funding details,open access status,and more.The reasons for retraction are identified and classified as either academic misconduct or honest errors,with detailed subcategories provided for further clarity.Findings:Within the Amend platform,a total of 32,515 retracted papers indexed in SCI,SSCI,and ESCI between 1980 and 2023 were identified.Of these,26,620(81.87%)were associated with academic misconduct.The retraction rate stands at 6.64 per 10,000 articles.Notably,the retraction rate for non-gold open access articles significantly differs from that for gold open access articles,with this disparity progressively widening over the years.Furthermore,the reasons for retractions have shifted from traditional individual behaviors like falsification,fabrication,plagiarism,and duplication to more organized large-scale fraudulent practices,including Paper Mills,Fake Peer-review,and Artificial Intelligence Generated Content(AIGC).Research limitations:The Amend platform may not fully capture all retracted and concerning papers,thereby impacting its comprehensiveness.Additionally,inaccuracies in retraction notices may lead to errors in tagged reasons.Practical implications:Amend provides an integrated platform for stakeholders to enhance monitoring,analysis,and research on academic misconduct issues.Ultimately,the Amend database can contribute to upholding scientific integrity.Originality/value:This study introduces a globally integrated platform for retracted and concerning papers,along with a preliminary analysis of the evolutionary trends in retracted papers.

Innovation leading development:a glimpse into three-dimensional bioprinting in Israel

Three-dimensional(3D)printing has attracted increasing research interest as an emerging manufacturing technology for devel-oping sophisticated and exquisite architecture through hierarchical printing.It has also been employed in various advanced industrial areas.The development of intelligent biomedical engineering has raised the requirements for 3D printing,such as flexible manufacturing processes and technologies,biocompatible constituents,and alternative bioproducts.However,state-of-the-art 3D printing mainly involves inorganics or polymers and generally focuses on traditional industrial fields,thus severely limiting applications demanding biocompatibility and biodegradability.In this regard,peptide architectonics,which are self-assembled by programmed amino acid sequences that can be flexibly functionalized,have shown promising potential as bioinspired inks for 3D printing.Therefore,the combination of 3D printing and peptide self-assembly poten-tially opens up an alternative avenue of 3D bioprinting for diverse advanced applications.Israel,a small but innovative nation,has significantly contributed to 3D bioprinting in terms of scientific studies,marketization,and peptide architectonics,including modulations and applications,and ranks as a leading area in the 3D bioprinting field.This review summarizes the recent progress in 3D bioprinting in Israel,focusing on scientific studies on printable components,soft devices,and tissue engineering.This paper further delves into the manufacture of industrial products,such as artificial meats and bioinspired supramolecular architectures,and the mechanisms,physicochemical properties,and applications of peptide self-assembly.Undoubtedly,Israel contributes significantly to the field of 3D bioprinting and should thus be appropriately recognized.

Participatory and Integrated Research in Mountainous Regions of Thailand and Vietnam:Approaches and Lessons Learned

Participatory and integrated research approaches employed by a long-term Thai- Vietnamese-German collaborative research program, ‘The Uplands Program’, that address the vicious circles of resource scarcity, environmental degrada- tion and rural poverty in mountainous regions of northern Thailand and northern Vietnam are discussed in this paper. We present two examples from the Thai component of the research program to show how different disciplines and stakeholders need to cooperate at different scales to make meaningful scientific contributions towards sustainable land use and rural development in mountainous regions. The case of resource conservation in the Thai highlands shows that local and scientific knowledge, conven- tional surveys and participatory modeling can be creatively combined. Integrated research on the potential of integrating fruit trees and associated technologies into mountain farming systems suggests that natural scientists have to work alongsideeconomists and social scientists to avoid harmful effects of purely technology-driven and productivity- enhancing approaches. The success of new technologies cannot be measured solely by adoption rates and yield increases, but also needs to take into account their long-term impact on various groups of farmers and the ecological, economic and social trade-offs that they entail. Technical and institutional innovations need to go hand in hand to provide viable livelihood opportunities for smallholder farmers in mountain watersheds. The major lesson learned from the first six years of our research in the mountains of Thailand and Vietnam is that conventional and participatory approaches are not antagonistic; if scientists from various disciplines and research paradigms are open-minded, the combination of both approaches can produce meaningful results that cater for the needs of both the academic community and local stakeholders in mountain environments.

Moving beyond Component Research in Mountain Regions: Operationalizing Systems Integration at Farm and Landscape Scales

Most research in support of agricultural development and natural resource management in densely settled mountain ecosystems continues to emphasize component over system-level goals. Research by plant breeders, foresters and animal scientists is generally designed to maximize the yield of products within their particular area of expertise (edible plant parts, tree products and livestock products, respectively), while soil scientists aim largely to increase soil nutrient stocks. At landscape level the same dynamic holds within the agronomic sciences, while water engineers work independently to conserve water through its isolation from broader landscape dynamics, and other common property resources remain largely ignored. Opportunities to foster positive synergies between system components, and to integrate livelihood with conservation goals, are generally missed. This paper presents experiences of the African Highlands Initiative, an ecoregional program of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and a network of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), in operationalizing integrated research at farm and landscape scale. Following a discussion of the shortcomings of the conventional research paradigm that beg for strongerintegration and a review of the contributions of extant research paradigms that help us move in the right direction, the paper lays a conceptual foundation for integrated research. System components at farm and landscape level are delineated, and this somewhat arbitrary conceptual partitioning of agroecological systems shown to influence the current research paradigm as well as the partitioning of institutional mandates. Diverse meanings of systems integration are then discussed to illustrate the synergies that might be built into agricultural and natural resource research programs. The distinction between the logic of maximization and optimization is then utilized to distinguish between component and “system-level” goals. This conceptual overview is followed by several case studies to illustrate how these concepts can guide the formulation of integrated research objectives, methods and outputs at farm and landscape scale. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of this alternative research paradigm for the structure, function and skill base of national and international agricultural research systems.

Progresses in Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medical Research on Reproductive Immunology

Reproductive immunology is a crossed subject of reproductive biology and immunobiology. Great progresses have been achieved in the subject along with the deep development in life science. Modern reproductive immunology includes immunological regulation of fertility, materno-fetal immuno-regu-lation, and neuro-reproductive endocrino-immune network. With the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine (ICWM) applied to reproductive immunology it has been greatly enriched in research contents and depth. The present review is to introduce the recent progresses in research of integrated medicine on reproductive immunology.

Chaotic characters of the Yellow River Basin based on the sediment time series： An attempt to integrated research in geography

The sediment content of the Yellow River is resulted from the interactions of natural, economic, and social factors, so it includes some evolutive information of the Yellow River Basin system. Sediment contents from 1952 to 2007 on Toudaoguai, Tongguan, Huayuankou and Lijin sections along the river are chosen as the study time series, and correlation dimensions （D2）, Kolmogorov entropies （K2）, and Hurst indexes （H） of the time series were calculated. Correlation dimensions on Toudaoguai, Tongguan, Huayuankou, and Lijin sections are 3.24, 5.69, 6.57 and 7.34 respectively, and the Kolmogorov entropies are 0.13, 0.37, 0.40 and 0.38 respectively, which indicates that the systems controlled by different sections along the Yellow River are chaotic systems and the chaotic degrees increase gradually from the upper to lower section. The average predictable period of the sediment contents is 8 years on Toudaoguai section and 3 years on the other sections with the reciprocals of the Kolmogorov entropies. The more obvious the chaotic degree is, the shorter the average predictable period is. Hurst indexes on the sections are above 0.5, with the maximum of 0.86 on Tongguan section and the minimum of 0.68 on Toudaoguai section, which indicates that the time series have persistent trends in the average predictable period. Eight state variables and two control parameters are necessary to construct the dynamic model of the Yellow River Basin system.

A Multilingual Approach to Languages and Literacy Education： What Can Synthesising Theories, Research, and Practice Achieve？

This paper reports on seven years of collaborative research with the Department for Education and Child Development. The longitudinal study examines the impact ofa multilingual literacy approach as it has been applied in the teaching of French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish across 12 different schools in South Australia. The move to introduce the study of additional languages in Australian primary schools has yet to establish wide-ranging and on-going student engagement and often fails to progress students beyond simple pragmatic language use. It is argued that a new approach integrates languages in daily classroom literacy practices can redress this situation： a multilingual literacy approach. The theoretical framework that drives this approach draws from the notions of universality and transfer that are established in the literature. A critical realist paradigm provided a framework for integrating research methods： employing contingency theory and pragmatic methods of philosophy also ensured that values and hermeneutics were not sidelined in the explanation of the study＇s acts and outcomes. This longitudinal study demonstrates that when the aforementioned theoretical notions bridge the research-practice divide and are adopted into daily classroom teaching and learning activities, there is a qualitative and quantitative improvement in students＇ literacy learning

The Preliminary Research on Integrated Management Systems Standards in China

The modern history of management systems is almost the same as the history ofmodem management science. Implicit management systems have been in existence for many 100s ofyears. ISO has paid attention to the issue of the integrated management systems since the ISO 9000family standards for quality management systems (QMS) and ISO 14000 series standards for environmentmanagement system (EMS) were published. ISO/TAG (Technical Advisory Group) 12 was formed by theISO/TM (Technical Management Board) in early 1997 with the mandate to achieve greater compatibilitybetween the relevant ISO/TC 176 and ISO/TC 207 standards in the field of management systems,auditing, terms and definitions. The report was submitted to TMB by TAG 12 in 1999.

Train of Thought and Strategy over Strengthening the Research of Treating Hypertension by Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine

The gradually ex—panding number of peo—pie suffering from hy—pertension and the trendof lowering of their ageindicate that one shouldpay more attention tothe illness and tOstrengthen preventionand treatment of it inorder tO elevate clinicaltherapeutic effect,so as

Device Physics Research for Submicron and Deep Submicron Space Microelectronics Devices and Integrated Circuits

Device physics research for submicron and deep submicron space microelectronics devices and integrated circuits will be described in three topics.1.Thin film submicron and deep submicron SOS / CMOS devices and integrated circuits.2.Deep submicron LDD CMOS devices and integrated circuits.3.C band and Ku band microwave GaAs MESFET and III-V compound hetrojunction HEM T and HBT devices and integrated circuits.

Harnessing artificial intelligence for identifying conflicts of interest in research

This editorial explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence(AI)in identifying conflicts of interest(COIs)within academic and scientific research.By harnessing advanced data analysis,pattern recognition,and natural language processing techniques,AI offers innovative solutions for enhancing transparency and integrity in research.This editorial discusses how AI can automatically detect COIs,integrate data from various sources,and streamline reporting processes,thereby maintaining the credibility of scientific findings.

COVID-19 research:pandemic versus“paperdemic”,integrity,values and risks of the“speed science”

Scientific integrity is a learned skill.When researchers and students learn integrity in laboratories or in the classroom,they are empowered to use similar principles in other aspects of their lives.This commentary reviews the concepts related to scientific integrity at a time when science faces important challenges related to the increase number of articles produced regarding research on coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)has ignited another parallel viral pandemic,with science ranging from robust studies to dishonest studies being conducted,posted,and shared at an unprecedented rate.A balance is needed between the benefits of the rapid access to new scientific data and the threat of causing panic or erroneous clinical decisions based on mistakes or misconduct.The truth is that the“scientific research has changed the world”but now,and more than ever,“it needs to change itself”.A pandemic with a“paperdemic”will be even more complicated to manage if it progresses in an uncontrolled manner and is not properly scrutinized.

Progress and development directions of shale oil reservoir stimulation technology of China National Petroleum Corporation

By reviewing the development history of shale oil reservoir stimulation technology of PetroChina Company Limited(PetroChina),we have systematically summarized the main progress of shale oil reservoir stimulation technology of CNPC in five aspects:reservoir stimulation mechanism,fracture-controlled fracturing,geological-engineering integrated reservoir stimulation design platform,low-cost materials,and large well-pad three-dimensional development mode.It is made clear that the major stimulation technology for shale oil reservoir is the high density multi-cluster and fracture-controlled staged fracturing aiming to increase fracture-controlled reserves,lower operation costs and increase economic benefits.Based on comprehensive analysis of the challenges shale oil reservoir stimulation technology faces in three-dimensional development,stimulation parameter optimization for fracture-controlled fracturing,refracturing and low-cost stimulation technology,we proposed five development directions of the stimulation technology:(1)Strengthen the research on integration of geology and engineering to make full use of reservoir stimulation.(2)Deepen the study on fracture-controlled fracturing to improve reserves development degree.(3)Promote horizontal well three-dimensional development of shale oil to realize the production of multiple layers vertically.(4)Research refracturing technology of shale oil reservoir through horizontal well to efficiently tap the remaining reserves between fractures.(5)Develop low-cost stimulation supporting technology to help reduce the cost and increase economic benefit of oilfield development.

Prediction of the mechanism of prostate prescription Ⅰ in the treatment of chronic prostatitis based on integrative pharmacology of traditional Chinese medicine

Objective:To investigate potential mechanism of Prostate prescriptionⅠin the treatment of chronic prostatitis based on integrated pharmacology.Methods:with the help of TCMIP,the effective compounds of Prostate prescriptionⅠwere screened,and the potential target database of Prostate prescriptionⅠwas established by using the target prediction function of TCMIP.Based on the Human Phenotype Ontology database and protein interaction network(PPI)database,the disease target of CP was identified and the target interaction network was constructed;Through the GO function analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of the candidate targets,combined with Chinese and foreign literature studies to predict the potential Signaling pathway of Prostate prescriptionⅠin the treatment of CP.Results:79 effective compounds of Prostate prescriptionⅠexerted its effect on 33 targets through 11 pathways.Conclusion:Clinical efficacy of Prostate prescriptionⅠon CP may be reflected in antiinflammation and anti-tumor,cell metabolism,immune regulation,neuroregulation and so on.