Predatory journals are usually framed as the villains of academic publishing. But what if predatory publishing is also a product of the wider system itself? My latest Substack explores publish-or-perish culture, APCs, prestige hierarchies, and the economics of academic legitimacy. bit.ly/4predpub

Some researchers now publish a paper every five days. The rise of the hyperprolific author reflects changing academic incentives, consortium science, and growing concerns about research integrity. New article: shorturl.at/hyperprolific #AcademicChatter #ResearchIntegrity #Science

AI can generate academic references that look real — but some don’t exist. Hallucinated citations are already appearing in papers and conference submissions. Science runs on trust. What happens when citations can’t be trusted? “The Citation Crisis Is Already Here” bit.ly/citation-crisis

Diamond OA - free to read, free to publish - a solution to the publishing crisis. Why hasn’t it taken off? Because the system is shaped by incentives - funding, prestige, and infrastructure - that favour established models. #OpenAccess #DiamondOA #AcademicPublishing 👉 bit.ly/diamonds-are...

“Diamonds aren’t forever” — and neither is the illusion of permanence in science. A sharp piece on how research systems shape what we value, publish, and trust. Worth a read 👇 open.substack.com/pub/richardj...

We say “Q1” like it’s a badge of quality. It isn’t. It’s a sorting mechanism that became a mantra. And now we are told this is where to publish without questioning it. open.substack.com/pub/richardj...

Stop chasing Q1. It’s a metric, not a measure of quality. If we optimise for quartiles, we shouldn’t be surprised when we get safe, incremental, and ultimately forgettable research. Here’s the problem 👇 open.substack.com/pub/richardj...

You don’t need a good question. You just need a method. Systematic reviews are booming - but many say absolutely nothing. Not wrong. Just … empty. 🔗 open.substack.com/pub/richardj...

We fund the research. We write it. We review it. And then we pay to read it. Explain that. 👉 open.substack.com/pub/richardj...

One study. Five papers. “Salami slicing” is distorting the evidence base, overloading peer review, and rewarding volume over quality. And with AI, it’s about to scale. New Substack 👇 open.substack.com/pub/richardj... #ResearchIntegrity #OpenScience #AcademicPublishing #ResearchEthics #GenerativeAI