Weekly digest: suspicious journals, publication extenders and gold-standard science

This week, we read about an AI screening tool developed to identify suspicious publishing practices, review evidence on the effectiveness of publication extenders, and examine concerns around the potential for political interference as US agencies prepare to promote ‘gold-standard science’. We explore how code plagiarism can challenge publishing integrity, best practices for registering, reporting and sharing clinical trial data, and discuss updates to Taylor & Francis Online that have improved multimedia content visibility. Finally, we highlight an upcoming webcast featuring a live demonstration of Dimensions Author Check and how it can enhance research integrity.

To read:

AI screening tool flags suspicious journals via Nature | 4-minute read

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) screening tool that can flag journals with suspicious publication practices. In their study, more than 1000 of 15 191 open access journals screened were identified as questionable, using criteria based on Directory of Open Access Journals guidance, such as high levels of self-citation or charging publication fees without peer review or quality checks. Notably, none of the flagged journals were on previous watchlists and some were owned by reputable publishers. A closed beta version of the tool is available, with the researchers continuing to refine the tool to improve accuracy and reduce biases.

The impact of publication extenders via The Publication Plan | 2-minute read

Publication extenders – including plain language summaries, infographics and video abstracts – can improve the accessibility and impact of research. The International Society for Medical Publications Professionals (ISMPP) Digital/Visual Communications Committee has developed a resource compiling evidence on the effectiveness of publication extenders. Read the full article to learn how extenders improve article metrics, the preferences of different audiences for specific types of extender(s) and trends in their uptake.

US agencies plan for ‘gold-standard science’ via Nature | 6-minute read

US President Donald Trump recently issued a call for the promotion of ‘gold-standard science’. In response, US agencies – including the US Food and Drug Administration, the US National Institutes of Health and the US National Science Foundation – have begun releasing their strategies to comply, many of which reinforce ongoing initiatives to support data accessibility and reproducibility. However, some researchers are worried that the current plans may further politicize and undermine science. In this article, science policy specialists and researchers share their concerns and emphasize that actions may speak louder than words when it comes to implementing gold-standard principles.

Publishing integrity challenged by code plagiarism and AI via The Scholarly Kitchen | 9-minute read

Publishers increasingly accept or require software developed for research to be submitted alongside the associated manuscript. However, our understanding of ethical and legal issues surrounding research software is nascent. For instance, code plagiarism has no clear definition, given that software developers commonly share and reuse code. The use of AI coding tools has elevated this issue, both in terms of researcher accountability and the increased difficulty in recognizing code plagiarism. The Research Software Alliance has created a forum where publishers can discuss these issues and how they might be addressed, and invite anyone interested in joining to get in touch.

How to register, report and share clinical trial data via MDPI blog | 5-minute read

Clinical trials have strict requirements to protect participants’ rights, safety and well-being, and to maintain public trust. In this article, Ioana Craciun (Publishing Manager at MDPI) explains what clinical trials are, when and where they must be registered, and provides recommendations and guidelines on reporting bias-free results. Dr Craciun also discusses the risks and benefits of data sharing, and links to example statements that meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ (ICMJE) data sharing statement policy.

Taylor & Francis Online enhances multimedia content visibility via STM Publishing News | 2-minute read

Taylor & Francis have updated their online platform to showcase multimedia research content, such as podcasts, audio abstracts and video articles. Each journal that has associated multimedia on the platform now features a dedicated multimedia page and the journal homepages highlight recent articles with multimedia content. Recent research has shown that multimedia publication extenders can more than double readership of the associated articles, and Taylor & Francis hope that improving the visibility of such content will enhance engagement and empower authors to widen the impact of their work.

To engage with:

Register now for Dimensions Author Check webcast via Research Information

Join Leslie McIntosh (Vice President of Research Integrity at Digital Science), Tyler Ruse (Director of Publisher Solutions at Digital Science) and moderator Tim Gillett (Publishing Editor and Director of Research Information) on 9 October 2025 as they share how Dimensions Author Check can be used to enhance research integrity. The session is aimed at various audiences including publishing technology or strategy teams, research integrity teams and academic institutions, and will feature a live demonstration of the tool and how it integrates into editorial workflows. Free registration is now open.

---

Enjoy our content? Read last week’s digest and check out our latest guest blog post!

Don’t forget to follow us on Bluesky and LinkedIn for regular updates!