Distance education as a tool to improve researchers’ knowledge on predatory journals in countries with limited resources: the Moroccan experience

Abstract

The emergence of predatory journals is a global threat for scientific integrity, particularly in under-resourced settings such as low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A bilingual course on predatory publishing using a distance education approach was developed for Moroccan researchers as a response to the imperative need for training on research ethics to implement good scientific practices. A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted to evaluate outcomes after delivering two education sessions in both French and English. Before this course, 40% of participants indicated that they don’t verify journal quality before manuscript submission and most of them consider Scopus indexing and the impact factor as the best criteria for journal publication. Approximately 50% of surveyees did not have previous information on predatory journals before the webinar. Pressure to publish by supervisors, institutions of affiliation, or funding agencies, was noticed in 43.4% of participants. After the webinar course was delivered, remarkably, the proportion of participants with knowledge on predatory publishing was meaningfully increased from 48.9% to 81%. Importantly, 83.7% of participants indicated that they are motivated to share their new knowledge on predatory publishing with their colleagues. Moreover, the majority of respondents (73.8%) reported that publishing their research in predatory journals may damage their career and professional future. Promisingly, nearly a half or more of participants recommended the use of training based on distance education, surveillance of researchers by their mentors and affiliations, and social networks to increase awareness on predatory publishing. Almost all participants were satisfied with the content of the webinar. Trainers and research institutions in LMICs should benefit from the advent of distance education using webinar platforms to increase awareness on the issue of predatory publishing in their settings.

Medical students’ contribution to research; the scientific output of medical theses held in Moroccan medical schools during the last decade (2011-2021)

“…In the present study, 86.6% of graduates who published their medical theses, were linked to the same department as their advisor, allowing them to publish their work even after a 6-year delay. Another issue to note is that students get no formal research training or seminars on how to produce a paper throughout their years of studies, and they work on their thesis solely on their own initiative and with the help of their peers [ 12 , 19 ]. Therefore, a poor publishing culture prevails among medical students.…”

Integrity matters in oncology: AORTIC takes a stand against research misconduct

“…The discussion extended to the negative implications of predatory publishing in clinical practice and how their use as a source of oncology knowledge may harm patients with cancer. Insights from our research [3,4] on how oncologists perceive predatory publishing and the challenges they face in navigating the complex landscape of academic publishing were also discussed. The session also explored the impact of educational interventions [3] to fight predatory journals and offered guidance and support for young researchers, including those who had inadvertently published in predatory journals, to enhance transparency and credibility of their research.…”

“…Insights from our research [3,4] on how oncologists perceive predatory publishing and the challenges they face in navigating the complex landscape of academic publishing were also discussed. The session also explored the impact of educational interventions [3] to fight predatory journals and offered guidance and support for young researchers, including those who had inadvertently published in predatory journals, to enhance transparency and credibility of their research. The course concluded by emphasizing the potential of African oncology in promoting ethical open access, and therefore, an optimal dissemination of research outputs.…”

“…In the quest to achieve its goals, AORTIC is an example to be followed by other oncology societies in low-and middle-income countries to mutually engage in reducing disparities in cancer research through education and training. Investing in human development by training can be facilitated with smart solutions, including distance-based education approaches [3] which appear to be promising for settings with limited resources, such as many African countries.…”

“…2 European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy. 3 Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology (DIPO), University of Milan, Milan, Italy. 4…”