Going Beyond Impact Factors — Reforming Scientific Publishing to Value Integrity

Sometimes working in academia feels like being a gymnast at the Olympics. Not because we're tumbling through the lab in glittering costumes, but because of the constant pressure to succeed. Gymnasts are tasked to perform more spectacular routines at every competition, while scientists are expected to publish several high impact papers a year. And as seen with French gymnast Samir Ait Said, who broke his leg in a horrific accident at the vault in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, too much pressure can have drastic consequences. While the "publish or perish" culture in science won't break bones, it does have a negative impact — the prevalence of scientific fraud, leading to an increase in the number of retractions of scientific papers. This is a problem that doesn't seem to be easing any time soon — the number of papers retracted in 2010 was more than ten times that in 2000.