At the beginning of each scholarly article, beneath the title, is a list of the authors.
We get so used to writing our name, together with the names of our co-authors that we
seldom give it much thought. In this piece, I want to explain why it is very important to
get it right.
Being listed as the author – or one of the authors – of a published paper is important
for your credibility as a researcher; you are judged by the number and quality of your
publications. They help you to advance in your profession, to secure research funding,
and with invitations to contribute to conferences. But what does being listed as an author
mean?
Author : Rushby N.J
The challenge of Dissernet
Abstract:
In March 2016 the E&SD editorial team started a project to secure inclusion in the
Scopus and WoS databases for Education & Self Development. This has developed into a
programme which also intends to turn the Journal into an international publication for
researchers worldwide wanting to access Russian educational research, and for Russian
scholars wanting an accessible window on educational research in other countries
(Rushby, 2016). Part of this project was to ensure that the Journal conformed to the highest
editorial ethical standards and this meant that we were at least partially prepared for the
impact of the Dissernet report which identified that a number of articles published in the
Journal showed evidence of plagiarism and raised questions of editorial malpractice.
Although these problems occurred before the start of the transformation process, it
became clear that urgent action was needed to repair the reputation of the Journal and
ensure that processes were in place to ensure that such malpractice could not take place
in the future. This editorial describes the action plan, developed by the Editorial Team to
address the problem.